In the White Hall School District, intervention isn’t limited to students who are struggling in any subject.
Straight-A students and those with academic problems in the middle and high schools attend a different RTI, or Response to Intervention, period each week as a way for all to elevate their performance. Since the 2022-23 school year, secondary school students in the district have received intervention in a course during one of eight periods as a way to close the learning gap that resulted from the covid-19 pandemic.
“Teachers are picking students that either need help or do not need help, and they are giving them some type of extension,” White Hall Middle School Principal Les Davis said. “The only difference from a regular period is that it changes weekly. This week, they’re pulling for the week after [spring break] and they’re scheduling that. I’ll send out that schedule to the students and they can see it and know where they’re going each day for the next week.”
Davis said students are performing really well with the RTI, adding that he and other faculty members are seeing more learning taking place.
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“It’s just a second chance. It’s almost like having a tutor at the end of the day because your teacher’s pulling you and there are things that are happening,” he said. “There’s something for everyone.”
In a presentation to the White Hall School Board on Thursday, Davis revealed that teachers consider four questions when scheduling each student for an RTI period:
What do we want all students to know and be able to do?
How will we know if they learn it?
How will we respond if students do not learn it?
How will we extend the learning for students who have already achieved proficiency?
Faculty members struggle the most with the last question but are learning and building from it, Davis said.
“We have really stressed this this semester with our teachers. We’ve got things going on with students who may not necessarily need help in math, science or English, but every student has something to do,” Davis said.
Some students are being certified as baby sitters through the American Red Cross in once-a-week classes. Some are learning how to tell the difference between pop music lyrics and poetry, but most if not all are receiving much-needed help in a subject to elevate their studies.
White Hall High School Principal Nathan Sullivan showed data on how an unnamed student struggling in biology is going into an RTI period for more help. Meanwhile, a student who is a leader in ROTC and a straight-A student may be showing freshmen how to march and put on a uniform, he said.
“There’s nothing I can do to improve my school more than this, and I’m dedicated to that,” Davis said. “This period will work and do great things for our students.”
RECOGNITION
White Hall High School students attended the Region 3 FBLA Spring Conference, and some advanced to the state conference in Little Rock. Among them: Aly Hobson earned first place in job interview, Victoria Trujillo placed first in public speaking and Payam Garner, Tucker Neikirk and Regan Patel took third in digital video production.
The high school Career and Technical Department hosted a regional CTE showcase to celebrate Career and Technical Education month. Programs include EAST, JROTC, Family & Consumer Science, FFA, FBLA, Educators Rising, banking and finance, computer science and fashion and interior design.
The high school EAST team won the “Ready. Set. Record.” film contest for the second year in a row. Ayden Dixon, Ethan Tomboli, Neikirk, Garner and Patel created an anti-vaping film that was the winning entry.
At the ACTM Regional Math Contest at the University of Arkansas at Monticello, Natalie Spadoni won first place in pre-calculus and trigonometry, and Yuki Lin came in third. Lincoln Hood was second in geometry. Braden Drye and Alex Swartz also participated.
The high school test team took second in the Chess Association for Arkansas Schools regional tournament at North Little Rock High School. Senior Will Donham won the MVP award after being undefeated in the tournament.
Fourth grade students at Taylor Elementary participated in the UAPB School of Education’s James Corbin Essay Contest. Joslyn Stevens and Mutasem Adwan won first place and were each awarded an iPad and a $25 gift card.
Taylor Elementary teacher Carol Taylor received the Clara Burton Education Award and high school senior Alex Rongey received the Bridges-Socia Memorial Award at the Community Service Awards.
FINANCIALS
The legal balance for the WHSD as of February 2024 was $8,523,322.55. In February 2023, the balance was $8,729,069.33.
PERSONNEL MOVES
The board approved letters of retirement from middle school reading teacher Dorothy Pollett, Moody Elementary speech pathologist Andrea Jobe and Hardin Elementary Title I teacher Lori Copeland, all effective at the end of the school year.
Letters of resignation were approved from Hardin media specialist Susan Allbright, Moody music teacher Haley Zintel, high school Stepper coach Tracey Powell, varsity cheer coach Josie Tomboli, middle school counselor Michelle Bond and high school counselor Kaitlin Raines, all effective either at the end of the school year or the end of the contract.
For the 2024-25 school year, Kimberly Lambert will transfer from middle school math teacher to middle school counselor and Stephanie Koonce will transfer from Hardin third grade teacher to Hardin media specialist.
New hires include middle school physical education teachers Cody Forga (effective March 25) and Trevor Maltbia (effective at the start of the 2024-25 school year) and middle school English teacher Samaria Jackson (effective at the start of the 2024-25 school year). Bradley Moring has been hired as a district mechanic and Stephanie Milam has been hired as a Gandy Elementary 1-on-1 paraprofessional.
Metasha Olson and Nathaniel Jackson were hired as district bus drivers, effective July 1.