Back-to-School
Districts show high rate of Covid-19 infections, Young promoted to principal at Maumelle High School, Wildwood Park for the Arts plans big year, plus news and sports headlines
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Note to subscribers: An annual or monthly subscription is billed to your debit or credit card as ARKANSAS.SUBSTACK.COM and if you have questions, please email arkansas@substack.com. Thanks for reading and subscribing! Pulaski County Special, North Little Rock school districts have high number of Covid-19 infections
Pulaski County Special and North Little Rock are among the 140 school districts in the state with Covid-19 infection rates of 50 or more per 10,000 residents.
The numbers were released by the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement and based on Arkansas Department of Health data gathered on Monday.
The data can be found by clicking here and school starts for both districts on Monday, Aug. 16.
The ACHI said that it also believed that infections are underrepresented due to low testing rates.
Due to Act 1002, school districts are legally prohibited from putting in mask mandates in the schools but a bill was filed in the Arkansas House on Wednesday proposes to amend that ban and allow for local control with school boards deciding if masks are needed.
The amendment would give school districts with 14-day infection rates of 50 or more new known infections per 10,000 district residents. Dr. Joe Thompson, the president and CEO of ACHI, said the bill would be preferable to legislative inaction.
“No school district should be legally barred from protecting Arkansas children from harm,” Thompson said Thursday. “However, politically, if a trigger is necessary to reverse the legislative ban, I believe it should be no higher than 30 new known infections per 10,000 residents over 14 days. If the Legislature takes no action and allows the ban on mask mandates to remain in effect in all schools while the Delta variant rages in our communities, children will be avoidably exposed to the virus, some will be hospitalized, and likely some will die.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends universal masking, social distancing, frequent hand-washing, and ventilation in all U.S. schools.
The headlines
From the archives: Palanca, Zurga honored for saving life. … On Aug. 5, 2013, Maumelle lifeguards Andrea Palanca, Buck Zurga were honored at the Maumelle City Council for saving the life of Brailey Daprano on July 15, who is held by her mother, Missy.
Aug. 5, 2013 photo by Jeremy Peppas North Little Rock: City Council goes back to virtual meetings
Maumelle: Blakemore inducted into Phi Beta Mu … Kerry Blakemore, seen below, is going into his seventh year as band director at Maumelle High School and was recently inducted into Phi Beta Mu, an international bandmasters fraternity.
Analysis: Don’t want a vaccine? Be prepared to pay more for insurance.
Restoring a sense of belonging: The unsung importance of casual relationships for older adults
Sports headlines
BASEBALL ON BROADWAY is the weekly newsletter that spotlights the Arkansas Travelers. It is published on Monday and click the link above to give it a read.
Moore on Maumelle: My Take
Neal Moore is taking the week off.
Back to School: Young promoted to principal at Maumelle High School
Jason Young was recently named the new principal at Maumelle High School.
Young was previously the principal at Sylvan Hills Elementary and has been with the Pulaski County Special School District since 2009.
A meet and greet with Young was held last week at the high school, seen below, and he can be reached by email at jyoung@pcssd.org.
A list of school supplies will be provided by individual teachers and the school was working on finalizing the date for an open house. For more information, please call the school at 501-851-5350.
New leaders for Maumelle Middle School
Preston Echols is the school’s new principal and Angela Saine is the new assistant principal.
Echols was previously with the Conway School District and Saine worked in the Little Rock School District. Both are veteran educators.
A meet and greet was held last week for both, Echols is seen below, and for more information, please call the school at 501-851-8990.
“Bundle Days” are being held at the school this week, with the make-up day set for noon to 3 p.m. this Friday.
At Bundle Day, students are, among other things, given their school ID, assigned a locker and receive their school-issued Chromebook and class schedule.
Crystal Hill Elementary
A list of school supplies can be found here. School supplies vary by grade and, in some cases, from teacher to teacher.
Open house will be from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 13. Time slots are based on last name and please call the school for more information at 501-791-8000. Masks are encouraged and only immediate family can attend.
Oak Grove Elementary
A list of school supplies can be found here. School supplies vary by grade and, in some cases, from teacher to teacher.
An open house has not been scheduled and please call the school for more information at 501-851-5370.
Pine Forest Elementary
A list of school supplies can be found here. School supplies vary by grade and, in some cases, from teacher to teacher.
Open house is tentatively scheduled from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 12. If the time is to change, the school said a notice would be sent out. For more information, please call the school at 501-851-5380.
School starts today for Maumelle Charter: The first day of school for Maumelle Charter schools was today, Aug. 5.
Back-to-School open houses scheduled: The North Little Rock School District will be having open houses for the upcoming 2021-2022 school year in August. All meetings will be done virtually due to the ongoing pandemic.
Wildwood Park for the Arts plans ambitious year
The ambition is there as the Wildwood Park for the Arts in west Little Rock plots out the coming year.
There’s a previously announced collaboration between the Argenta Community Theatre for one but after a year of so much uncertainty, Wildwood has plotted out big things for the back half of this year and the first half of 2022.
“We're very, very excited to re-open our Festival and Mainstage schedule after over a year of being not-quite-dark,” said Bevan Keating, the park’s executive director. “Wildwood and other local arts organizations have been truly blessed by the outpouring of support from community members since the pandemic caused so many cancellations and closures.”
Wildwood, at 20919 Denny Road in west Little Rock, tried to maintain a sense of normalcy for the past year.
“Wildwood has been able to provide our community with a place to enjoy nature and live music safely throughout the pandemic, and we cannot wait to welcome folks back into the Cabe Theatre and to Festivals,” Keating added.
The park, in one of Pulaski County’s more scenic spots, also stayed open and allowed people to walk the trails and grounds around Swan Lake.
Wildwood’s collaboration with the Argenta Community Theatre for a production of the Sound of Music is the highlight of this year, while the Lanterns Festival, perhaps Wildwood’s best-known event, will be in April of 2022. In between will be the Music in the Wild series, Westoberfest and a production of Sister Act, in partnership with Praeclara, another local arts organization.
“Festivals are outdoors, as are most of the performances that are part of our Music in the Wild concert series,” Keating said. “The exception for Music in the Wild will be the Dec. 3 performance with Rodney Block — it will be held in the Cabe Theatre.”
Sound of Music and Sister Act will both be in the Cabe Theatre, and seating, Keating said, is approximately 640 there.
“Music in the Wild performances at the Butler Gazebo, where guests are encouraged to bring their own chairs and blankets,” Keating said. “We can seat 100 to 200 depending on social distancing requirements.”
Keating added that,”actual seating availability will be determined closer to event dates so that we can do our best to keep audiences, staff, and performing artists safe and healthy.”
Ticket price depends on the event with Westoberfest and Lanterns at $10 for adults and $5 for children, while food and drinks can be purchased with Keating called Wildbucks, a park currency that keeps vendors from handling cash. One Wildbuck equals $1.
Music in the Wild tickets would be $25 and productions would be $35.
“There's a lot that goes into putting on even a ‘simple’ performance like a Music in the Wild concert, much less a multi-day festival like Lanterns or a Mainstage Performance,” Keating said. “One factor is, of course, what we think the community will enjoy and will bring people to the park. We're always working to provide our community with exciting and enriching programming, as well as provide working local artists with paid opportunities to perform. Just as we know we serve diverse audiences, we serve diverse artists - it's important to us that we reflect our community in that way. Another factor is an honest evaluation of our resources. We're committed to providing excellent quality in our programming, which means using our funding and manpower as effectively as possible. We choose programs that we know we can deliver to audiences with pride, because that's the kind of experience people deserve when they walk into a show or concert. We're also a big fan of partnering with other organizations, so we keep an eye out for things that would make for good partnerships, like The Sound of Music, which we're producing in partnership with the Argenta Community Theatre.”
Keating said despite Wildwood’s location in rural, west Little Rock, residents of Maumelle and North Little Rock have been well-represented in years past.
Tickets for festivals, concerts and theater productions will be available for purchase at www.wildwoodpark.org. Due to the ongoing pandemic, Wildwood will be following CDC and city guidelines for performances. Some performances may be rescheduled or cancelled as the pandemic continues.
Season schedule
Westoberfest, Sept. 24-25: Wildwood’s take on a classic fall celebration features two days of Bavarian themed food, beverages, fun, and musical performances.
Music in the Wild with Merlon Devine; Oct 8: Music in the Wild is an outdoor concert series held at the Butler Gazebo, and in the event of rain, performances are moved to the Wildwood Pavilion.
The Sound of Music, Nov. 3-21: The final collaboration between Rodgers & Hammerstein was destined to become the world’s most beloved musical. A collaboration between Wildwood Park for the Arts and the Argenta Community Theatre. For wheelchair accessible seating in Wildwood’s theatre or information about student shows, please email info@wildwoodpark.org. Shows at Wildwood will run from Nov. 3 to Nov. 13 before moving to North Little Rock with shows on Nov. 18 through Nov. 21.
Music in the Wild with A Rodney Block & Friends Christmas; Dec. 3: Unlike other Music in Wild Concerts, this concert will be held in the Cabe Theatre.
Sister Act, April 1-10, 2022: Sister Act hits the Cabe Theatre stage in partnership with Praeclara.
Lanterns Festival, April 22-24, 2022: Wildwood Park for the Arts will once again light up the night with its largest and most popular annual festival, Lanterns.
Music in the Wild with Wild Women; May 6, 2022: Music in the Wild is an outdoor concert series held at the Butler Gazebo, and in the event of rain, performances are moved to the Wildwood Pavilion.
Music in the Wild, June 3, 2022: Music in the Wild is an outdoor concert series held at the Butler Gazebo, and in the event of rain, performances are moved to the Wildwood Pavilion.