We LOVE our HHE parent volunteers! Thank you to Mrs. Shelby Garcia and Phoenix for doing an awesome job on our new Conference Room bulletin boards. WE appreciate YOU!
HHE’s Ambassadors enjoyed “Backing the Bearcats” in the Homecoming Parade🐾
2019 Mena High School Homecoming Parade!
https://www.facebook.com/MenaPublicSchools/videos/644325359429001/
The start time for the Homecoming Dinner has been changed to 4:30pm. Spread the word!
National School Custodian Day!
Aramark Client Appreciation Day! Mr Weston, Mena Superintendent, and Susan Bodey, Aramark Director pictured. Aramark prepared and provided lunch in appreciation to the Mena School District. We are proud of our partnership with Aramark. Thank you for your excellence, commitment, and positive food service climate.
AIr Evac will be practicing a landing at Bearcat Stadium on Tuesday at 10:00am... Please share this post & spread the word in order to eliminate any confusion... There is no emergency this is just a drill...
The quarterly meeting of the Mena Public Schools Health and Wellness Committee will take place on Tuesday, September 24th, 3:30 pm. The meeting will be held in the Mena Middle School Library
3rd grade Math /science teachers at HHE are doing unusual strategies to help kids understand decompose/distributive properties in math. Mrs. Woodral is "fishing" Mrs. Parsons is "cooking" and Mrs. White is doing surgery! All 120ish students will rotate through all 3 teachers.
HHE Family Night is still on GO!!!!
Lets here it for the 3rd grade !!!!! They won the spirit award at the Holly Harshman Peace Day Pep Rally!!! GO 3rd GRADE BEARCATS!!!!
Holly Harshman Elementary students & staff capped off peace day with a pep rally. A big thanks to Mr. Vacca for bringing his therapy dog to meet everyone. "Say No to Violence and Yes to Peace!"
Mark your calendars for the “Pack the Back” event with Southwest EMS! Let’s pack the ambulance with items for our Comfort Closet on Monday, September 23 from 5-6 at Holly Harshman Elementary!
HIPPIE DAY on Friday at Holly Harshman Elementary to celebrate saying "No to Violence and Yes to Peace" for PEACE Day on Friday.
The Mena School Board conducted their annual Report to the Public meeting on Tuesday night. The evening began with a Facilities Meeting which included a one hour update on facilities, improvements & the five year plan. In total the district buildings include 430,000 square feet with a replacement cost of 71 million dollars. Improvements over the past year were reviewed as well as those on the horizon & additions to the five year plan.
That was followed by the annual Report the the Public Meeting. Mr. Benny Weston began on the district financial status. The end of year balance was $4,185,544.06 which is set aside for emergencies & potential shortfalls. Weston went on to state that the district currently employs 229 people & that 67% of the districts students qualify for free or reduced meals.
Paulette Sherrer spoke briefly on curriculum & testing. She shared a graph with those in attendance which show the students in the district are meeting or exceeding the national average.
Louise Durham Principal Jimma Holder says that enrollment in kindergarten has increased to 170 students & that the number of students testing proficient & exceeding have increased.
Principal Tamara Smart from Holly Harshman Elementary noted a gain in ACT Aspire scores in each grade.
Mena Middle School Principal Cliff Sherrer reported a total of 400 students over the three grades. He is excited about the upcoming student council elections as MMS has not had a student council for a number of years. Sherrer also added that many improvements have been added to the science curriculum.
526 students are currently enrolled at Mena High School & Principal David Maxwell told the board that is an increase of 32 students. In addition he reported that students performed well above the state average on the Aspire testing & that he is planning to improve those scores even more. Maxwell also ran down a long list of concurrent courses which have been added at Mena High School.
It was at this point in the meeting that a number of VIP's interrupted the meeting to award Superintendent Benny Weston with an award as the Arkansas Association of Educational Administrators. (see photos & details on our social media & website)
Mrs. Bridget Buckley, MHS Assistant Principal & PCVA Director, reported an enrollment of twenty nine in the Polk County Virtual Academy & a positive response to a change in curriculum.
Finally Mrs. Paulette Sherrer announced an increase in federal funding & an increase of fifteen students to the schools gifted & talented program.
After a short break the September School Board meeting was conducted. It was a very brief meeting that included an executive session. Afterwards the board approved a one time bonus of $1,000.00 for Mr. Weston in recognition of his well-deserved accomplishment of Arkansas 2020 Superintendent of the Year. The School Board meets on the 3rd Tuesday of the month at the Administration Building.
Mr. Benny Weston has been named the Arkansas Association of Educational Administrators Superintendent of the Year. Richard Abernathy presented the award at the annual report to the public on Tuesday night at the administration building. A number present & former superintendents from around the state also attended. Congratulations to the Boss Bearcat!
There are a lot of fun things happening at Holly Harshman Elementary!!! September 20th will be Peace Day. September 23rd will be the HHE Family Night-Tailgate Party. Southwest EMS is sponsoring a "Pack the Back" event to gather donations for the Comfort Closet. All information can be found on the fliers below!
Homecoming Dinner!
Patriot Day is an annual observance on September 11 to remember those who were injured or died during the terrorist attacks in the United States on September 11, 2001. Many Americans refer to Patriot Day as 9/11 or September 11.
Patriot Day is not a public holiday. Businesses have normal opening hours.
Patriot Day remembers those who lost their lives during the 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States.
On the direction of the President, the flag of the United States of America should be displayed on the homes of Americans, the White House and all United States government buildings in the whole world. The flag should be flown at half-staff as a mark of respect to those who died on September 11, 2001. Many people observe a moment of silence at 8:46 AM (Eastern Daylight Time). This marks the time that the first plane flew into the World Trade Center. Some communities, particularly in the areas directly affected by the attacks, hold special church services or prayer meetings. People who personally experienced the events in 2001 or lost loved ones in them, may lay flowers or visit memorials.
Patriot Day is not a federal holiday and schools and businesses do not close. Public transit systems run on their regular schedules. Some people and organizations may take some time out to hold prayers for the victims of the attacks, but these do not usually affect public life for more than a few minutes.
On September 11, 2001, four planes were hijacked. The hijackers then deliberately flew three of the planes into two important buildings, the Pentagon in Washington DC and the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York. The fourth crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The loss of life and damage that these hijackings caused form the biggest act of terrorism ever on United States soil. Nearly 3000 people died in the attacks.
At Holly Harshman Elementary Mrs. Brevik's class' engineering project making balloon powered cars. GO HHE BEARCATS!!!
