The Poore Page: May brings shower of accomplishments

Spring brings shower of accomplishments

In many ways, May is a wonderful month. The additional daylight entices families outside to enjoy what is usually the best weather of the year. Neighbors and families reconnect and begin celebrating the transition from school year to summer vacation.

May is a time of celebration and transition. On any given night in Bentonville Schools, there's a concert, banquet, honors dinner or event to celebrate the accomplishments and talents of students and staff in our district. We celebrate transitions of kindergartners to first grade, fourth-graders to middle school, sixth-graders to junior high, eighth-graders to high school, and most importantly, we celebrate our graduating seniors who make their final transition and head out into the world.

The 910 young men and women in the Bentonville High School Class of 2015 continue the tradition of excellence our community admires and supports. Consider some of their accomplishments. The Class of 2015 earned more than $13 million in scholarship offers from colleges and universities across the United States. This year's class includes seven (yes, seven) appointments to military academies with a full-ride scholarship tied to each appointment.

The impact of our graduating class will be felt across the nation as students head off to begin their post-high school careers at institutions from Texas to North Dakota and California to New Jersey. Two of our graduates will enter Massachusetts Institute of Technology next fall. A large number of students will enter Arkansas colleges and universities where they are certain to continue the tradition of success established by previous Bentonville graduates.

The impact of our graduates will be felt here in Bentonville as they enter programs to continue developing skills or enter the workforce in a community full of opportunities. We are blessed to live, work and play in a community with so many opportunities for young people.

This class has spent its entire high school career in one of America's top-ranked high schools, according to U.S. News and World Report. Their academic achievement is a major contributing factor, but not the only factor, in this national recognition. This class achieved new levels of success in forensics and debate, band, orchestra and choir with many programs earning awards and recognition on a national stage. Our academic, social, career and technical clubs brought home enough awards to fill a classroom. This class continued a tradition of athletic prowess, winning 44 conference championships and 43 state titles during the students' careers at BHS, all contributing to Bentonville High School being named the top athletic program in the nation by Max Preps.

While the accomplishments of the Class of 2015 should be commended and honored, we need to also honor the efforts of parents, family members, friends and professional educators who supported them. As they transition out of our Bentonville schools community and find their place in the greater community, we need to recognize the countless community members who stepped up to volunteer, mentor, cheer, and support them over the past 12 years.

As we transition into our summer activities, let us all remember that we are truly blessed to live in the wonderful communities that comprise the Bentonville School District. I know of no other community that values education more.

NAN Our Town on 06/04/2015

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