Benton County School of the Arts Moves Toward Name Change

STAFF PHOTO FLIP PUTTHOFF
Dance students from the Benton County School of the Arts high school in Rogers, including Cassidy Baker, from left, Bailey Pile and Lauren Pafford, perform Tuesday during a program for the school's eighth-graders to promote the high school and highlight opportunities offered by the school. The high school orchestra, dance and theater groups were among the performers. Teachers also talked to the eighth-graders about various classes. The program wrapped up with a tour of the school at 506 W. Poplar St.
STAFF PHOTO FLIP PUTTHOFF Dance students from the Benton County School of the Arts high school in Rogers, including Cassidy Baker, from left, Bailey Pile and Lauren Pafford, perform Tuesday during a program for the school's eighth-graders to promote the high school and highlight opportunities offered by the school. The high school orchestra, dance and theater groups were among the performers. Teachers also talked to the eighth-graders about various classes. The program wrapped up with a tour of the school at 506 W. Poplar St.

A name change could be in the future for Benton County School of the Arts.

School Board members voted to change the charter school's name to Arkansas Arts Academy earlier this month, but administrators will not find out until April whether the change has been approved by the state, said Paul Hines, superintendent.

At A Glance

What’s in a Name?

The Benton County School of the Arts will petition the state to change their name to Arkansas Arts Academy. Superintendent Paul Hines will appeal the name change to the Charter Authorizing Panel on March 19 and to the Arkansas Board of Education on April 10 or 11.

Names considered for the Benton County School of the Arts include:

• Arkansas Arts Academy

• Arkansas Fine Arts Academy

• Arts Academy of Arkansas

• Fine Arts Academy of Arkansas

• Integrated Arts Academy of Arkansas

Source: Staff Report

The name change will bring more recognition to the arts school, said Jim Keast, board member and chairman of the school's Marketing Committee.

The change is part of the school's rebranding, Keast said. A review last summer by two University of Arkansas business classes showed the school's name is not recognized and recommended a marketing firm help them rebrand, he said.

Cranford Johnson Robinson Woods was paid $32,000 to help market the school, and was asked to research names of other arts charter schools, Keast said. The word "academy" showed up repeatedly in the report they offered, he said.

"No one really knows 'Benton County School of the Arts,'" Keast said.

The board and school's committee favored Arkansas Arts Academy of five names recommended.

It is not the first name change in the school's history. Benton County School of the Arts was formed as a charter school in 2001, serving kindergarten through eighth grade. Northwest Arkansas Academy of Fine Arts was formed as a high school in 2007. The two schools merged in 2009, dropping the Northwest Arkansas Academy of Fine Arts name.

Hines said he is supportive of the name change. A family from Washington County might not realize the school is open to them, he said. The elementary and middle school operates out of what was once a Christian school. There are still misconceptions that the charter school charges tuition, Hines said.

"It gives us a chance to start a new name, a new legacy. It helps us to be less regionalized," Hines said.

Earlier this year, the board voted to set up a foundation for the school. The foundation will support school needs, Keast said in a letter posted on the school's website Monday. The school needs name recognition to ask for donors to support it, and a new name will help, according to the letter.

Charter schools in Arkansas get funding from the state, but, unlike other public schools, cannot ask for a millage from taxpayers to supplement funding.

The school's Marketing Committee made its recommendation Feb. 11 after reviewing the Cranford Johnson Robinson Woods report. The report also recommended school officials consider changing curriculum.

Any curriculum changes will be made in the next couple months, Hines said. Administrators are looking at the International Baccalaureate program and already opted not to apply as an Arkansas A+ school. Arkansas A+ encourages arts integration, but also requires a vote by school staff to apply to the program and charges for the affiliation.

There are discussions about how to expand arts at the elementary and middle school, and how to expand the role of the EAST lab, Hines said.

The name change is part of a broader plan, said Wes Abbott, board president.

"The name change is just part of it. There's a lot of stuff that's on the horizon," Abbott said.

Northwest Arkansas is filled with rich arts opportunities, said Adriana Rodriguez, president of the Parent Teacher Guild at the high school. The word "academy" in Arkansas Arts Academy resonates with her, although it means her daughter, a junior, will have a different name on her diploma than when she started at the high school.

"It seems like it's at a higher level, adds more credibility," Rodriguez said.

NW News on 02/27/2014

Upcoming Events