The Smackover-Norphlet School Board has hired Robby Frizzell as superintendent.
Frizzell has 25 years of experience as a teacher, coach and and principal. He spent the past nine years as principal of Taylor Elementary School in the Emerson Taylor Bradley School District in Columbia County in southwest Arkansas.
"He was so excited about kids, and we love that," said Smackover-Norphlet School Board President Lynn Birchfield. "... You could tell he really loves kids. In all our schools, kids are first. As far as education, we want to give [students] the best we can and we felt that at this point in time, [Frizzell] could give us that," Birchfield said.
She added that community interaction and presence was also considered as an important factor by the board.
"We have three communities within our district, and we want a superintendent who can bring all three communities in and make them feel a part of what we're doing," Birchfield said.
The district, which is in Union County, is a collection of three former school systems. The Mount Holly School District was consolidated with the Smackover School District in 2004 as part of the Public Education Reorganization Act, which required merger plans for each district of fewer than 350 students. At the time, Mount Holly had less than 200 students.
The Norphlet School District voluntarily merged with the Smackover School District to form the Smackover-Norphlet School District in Union County in 2014.
Frizzell began his career as a teacher and coach at Taylor High School, where he taught math and coached baseball. In 17 years as a baseball head coach, Frizzell's teams won 370 games and five state championships, the Smackover-Norphlet School District said.
The Smackover-Norphlet School Board made the selection at its March 31 meeting. Frizzell begins on July 1. He replaces Jason Black, superintendent since the 2019-20 school year. Black is taking a job as assistant superintendent of Operations and Administrative Services with the Conway School District, beginning in July.
Information for this article was contributed by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.