Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Emmet's Enrollment Steady

Emmet's enrollment remains steady as the year winds down.

At the Emmet School Board meeting, Tuesday, May 4, the board members were told the elementary population stands at 265, while there are 98 students attending the high school.

Graduation for the senior class this year will be held in the new gymnasium, according to Dr. Gene Ross, Emmet superintendent. Graduation ceremonies will begin at 8 p.m. Thursday.

The board also approved summer school sessions for those students needing the extra work in order to advance to the next grade level.

The district, Ross said, has received a grant for $4,500 from the Arkansas Department of Education for the ABC program.

The pre-kindergarten program has been created for those children who are not ready to attend kindergarten.

The summer programs will last five weeks, with pre-kindergarten being held in conjunction with K-3 summer school.

Once the summer session ends, those attending will be evaluated to see if they have progressed enough to move to the next level.

Five bids were received for mowing the school grounds, with the low bid being from William Dearinger.

He will use the district's equipment to do the job, and will be responsible for keeping the blade changed and maintenance done on the tractor. Should the school's tractor break down beyond repair, the district will work out a deal with him.

The board also discussed the pee wee basketball program. Ross said school officials can't hold any of the program's funds, nor can the district's identification number be used.

Should the school be directly involved, he said, the program would be subject to audit. Ross informed the board his information came from the district's auditor.

The program can use the new gym, so long as the pee wee games and practices are not in conflict with the school's games and practice sessions.

Pee wee games, Ross said, must be approved in advance with a full schedule being worked out in advance as well. The board also must approve coaches for the league.

Officials with the pee wee program will work with the PTA on the operation of the concession stand and products to be sold.

The pee wee program will work to have 12 games again next year as it did this season, along with another jamboree. Money from the games will be used to provide uniforms for the teams. The program officials asked if the district pick up the tab for phone calls made to schedule the contests.

Ross pointed out other communities run their pee wee programs through the parks and recreation departments, with Emmet not having such an entity.

All agreed, though, the children now playing pee wee basketball will be the future Emmet Eagle teams.

The board opened bids for a new 15 passenger van Tuesday, May 12, and will place an order as soon as possible. Ross said it will probably be December before the new vehicle is ready and delivered.

School will be out for the summer Friday, May 22, with summer school scheduled to start Tuesday, May 26. A total of 10 students are currently enrolled in the summer session.