This is the graduation season. Four very special graduation exercises involving approximately 200 English language learner families and more than 1,100 students were held on May 17 and 18. Each of these exercises was a celebration of the highest order.
The graduates were joined by thousands of well-wishers, family and friends.
Graduation in Springdale is always a memorable experience, and it serves as a commencement-of-learning celebration that should propel each senior forward into a successful career or a quality college experience.
On Friday, May 17, the Springdale Family Literacy graduation was held. This great program has now prepared thousands of English language learner moms and dads in their personal literacy and, thus, their families’ opportunity for future success. The same day, the Springdale School District conducted a commencement ceremony for 60 graduates of our alternative high school. That special event took place in the Performing Arts Center on the campus of Springdale High School.
On Saturday, May 18, we conducted graduation ceremonies for 549 seniors from Springdale High School and 476 seniors from Har-Ber High School. Each of those events was held in Bud Walton Arena on the University of Arkansas campus in Fayetteville.
That makes a grand total of almost 1,300 members of the graduating classes of 2013 from the Springdale School District, and “grand” is the appropriate word to describe these graduates. These English language learner family members and our graduating seniors have distinguished themselves by their citizenship, their work ethic, their dedication to a goal, and their many, many noteworthy accomplishments. Graduates, I congratulate you! For each of you, I wish a future that is happy, healthy, productive, meaningful and personally rewarding.
Members of the Class of 2013 have been offered more than $18 million in scholarship support. That figure is still growing. Those scholarship offerings represent the potential and promise for the future of these graduates. They are, quite simply, an investment in the future.
Our local community has been truly extraordinary in providing scholarship support for these seniors. It is that sense of partnership and advocacy for education that buoys the Springdale school system in our efforts every day. This special community has always been behind our students, encouraging them and urging them on in their endeavors. Springdale values education and has always demonstrated superior advocacy for our educational program. It constantly demonstrates exceptional support for our teachers and students.
Again, congratulations to all of our 2013 graduates of the Family Literacy Program, the alternative high school, Springdale High School and Har-Ber High School. We can hardly wait to see the contributions you will make in the future to our city, our state, our nation and the world.
JIM ROLLINS IS SUPERINTENDENT OF SPRINGDALE PUBLIC SCHOOLS. HE HAS SERVED IN THAT CAPACITY SINCE 1982.