Rogers elementary teachers take bus into neighborhoods

NWA Democrat-Gazette/FLIP PUTTHOFF Reagan Elementary School teachers including Lauren Sullivant (front) make a video Tuesday for the Rogers School District before setting out to greet students and parents in neighborhoods served by the school.
NWA Democrat-Gazette/FLIP PUTTHOFF Reagan Elementary School teachers including Lauren Sullivant (front) make a video Tuesday for the Rogers School District before setting out to greet students and parents in neighborhoods served by the school.

ROGERS -- Reagan Elementary School teachers and staff hit the streets Tuesday afternoon to drum up excitement about the new school year that starts today.

They boarded a school bus with pom-poms, noisemakers and a couple of coolers full of popsicles. Bus driver Johnny Williams took them on a tour of Reagan's attendance zone that lasted more than an hour.

Reagan Elementary School

Reagan Elementary School, 3904 W. Olive St., Rogers, opened in 1989. It starts the school year today with about 487 students, according to Principal Laura Quillen.

Source: Staff Report

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NWA Democrat-Gazette/FLIP PUTTHOFF Reagan Elementary School teachers including Jessica Fowler (left) holler Tuesday for kids to come and get popsicles while the bus cruised neighborhoods served by the school.

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NWA Democrat-Gazette/FLIP PUTTHOFF Tami Lee, a teacher at Reagan, hollers Tuesday for kids to come and get popsicles while Reagan teachers toured neighborhoods served by the school.

When they spotted a Reagan student, staff members cheered and the bus pulled over. They rushed out to greet the student with a popsicle and a yard sign that stated, "Proud member of the Reagan Royal family."

Staff members recognized many of the kids, either as former students or students they'd met during a school orientation event Monday.

It was the second straight year for the Reagan staff to do this kind of neighborhood tour, though last year they stayed on the bus. This year they had the chance to interact with the kids, if only for a minute or two.

"I think it's a great way to get the kids excited and ready to come back to school," said Natalie McKeel, a Reagan kindergarten teacher.

McKeel saw a student she'll have this school year and several she's had in the past.

"It's neat to see their faces when they're looking at you like, who are these people? And then they light up once they realize, oh, it's our teachers," McKeel said. "Seeing that is rewarding."

Laura Quillen, principal, said she hopes to make the bus tour an annual event.

"We feel this is so important. Making connections with our families is critical," Quillen said.

The bus made its first stop at Olivewood Apartments on North 31st Street, nearly a mile from the school. About eight students eventually emerged to collect popsicles.

"See you tomorrow!" one teacher shouted from the bus as it pulled away.

They flagged down a girl riding her bicycle down the street.

At another stop, in a trailer park just south of Walnut Street, English as a second language teacher Lindsi Stidham chatted with seven young children in the driveway of one residence.

Stidham got back on the bus, only to jump right back out again after spotting another student nearby. She gave the boy a popsicle and a hug.

One of the purposes of the tour was to give staff members a chance to see the neighborhoods they serve. Quillen, sitting at the front of the bus, pointed out locations where students go to meet the bus, as well as those "parent responsibility zones" in which parents are responsible for a child's transportation to and from school.

"All of this is a walk zone," Quillen said, as the bus rumbled down North Quail Terrace.

The bus stopped outside the home of Jamie Holland, whose daughter Alli will be a second-grader at Reagan this year. Alli was "all smiles" when the bus arrived, Holland said.

"I think it's fun," Holland said about the bus tour. "It gives you a sense of a welcoming, family-oriented school. I think it breaks up the anxiety some kids may have. It's another way to meet and greet, to tell (kids), 'We're supporting you.'"

NW News on 08/15/2018

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