Holly Harshman Elementary School

WE are ready for an AMAZING 🤩 school year…

On August 4th, the Mena Public Schools Special Education Department set sail into the new school year with their annual update, themed Inclusion Island. Staff gathered to focus on strategies that foster inclusive practices across all settings. Special guest presenter, Karen Grady, led an engaging session on Differentiation in the Classroom, providing tools and insights to support diverse learners.

THANK YOU to CMA for providing backpacks 🎒 & school supplies ✏️ 🖍️📓for our students!! WE are so grateful! ☺️ ♥️

The Back to School Bash was this past weekend and was open to every family in Polk County. The event included free school supplies, a No Sale Yard Sale, and a free lunch. Several school personnel served at this event and over 800 kids and adults attended. This is the third year that Mena Public Schools with the leadership of Shanda Craig has served our community with this event.

This week, members of the Mena Public Schools administrative team are attending the Arkansas Association of Educational Administrators conference to gear up for a great school year ahead!



🎉 Congratulations to Mrs. Ashcraft for winning a door prize!



🤖 Dr. Smith also took the stage to present innovative ways AI can support school administrators in streamlining daily tasks and improving efficiency.



We are proud to represent Mena and continue learning new strategies to better serve our students, staff, and community! #MenaProud #LeadershipInLearning #AIinEducation

A group of Mena faculty are attending the Arkansas School Behavior Conference in Benton today.

New employee orientation was held on Wednesday in the Mena High School Library. The district wide open house is Thursday, August 7th. The first day of school is Wednesday, August 13th.

Hi everyone! I’m Natalie Smith. I am originally from Louisiana. I was a teacher there for 3 years before my husband and I moved here to Mena. I'm so excited and look forward to starting this new journey teaching at Holly Harshman Elementary!

Welcome Liliana Roberts to the team at HHE! I graduated from Southern Arkansas University in 2020 with my Bachelor’s in Elementary Education. I will be entering my 6th year of teaching and I can’t wait to see what this new school year brings at the Mena School District.

Mena School Counselors are attending the Arkansas School Counselors Association Conference this week at the Hot Springs Convention Center.

Guin Nash enjoyed a stack of pancakes at the Skyline Cafe for meeting her accelerated reading goal at Holly Harshman Elementary.

WE have the rest of the yearbooks in!!! IF we owe you a yearbook- please come & pick it up anytime at Holly Harshman Elementary: Summer Hours 🌞 MONDAY-THURSDAY 7:00am~5:00pm Or give us a call ☎️ to set up a time! and…. we ordered a FEW extra 📚if you didn’t order one the first round!!

We’re gearing up to Stuff the Bus for all area schools, and we need your help! 🎉 📍 This Friday, June 20th 🕗 8 AM – 6 PM 📍 Mena Walmart Parking Lot We’ll be collecting school supplies for students across Polk County to help them start the school year prepared and confident. Let’s make a big impact together! 📝 Most needed items include: #2 Pencils ✏️ Crayons 🖍️ Glue & Glue Sticks Pencil Boxes & Zipper Bags Colored Pencils Plastic & Paper Folders Composition Notebooks 📓 Loose Leaf Paper (Wide & College Ruled) 📅 Can’t make it this Friday? Mark your calendar for our next Stuff the Bus date: July 18th! Let’s pack the bus and set our students up for success!

Mena Public School Administrators have been attending the Leadership Institute hosted by the DeQueen Mena Education Service Cooperative at Degray Lake State Park this week. Mena staff continues preparations for the 2025-2026 school year which begins on August 13th. See the complete school calendar at the link below. https://www.menaschools.org/page/school-calendars

Welcome LaShea Holder to the team at Holly Harshman Elementary. I just recently graduated from Reach University with my education degree, and I’m so excited to join the team as the new 3rd-grade literacy teacher! I’m passionate about helping students grow as readers and writers. Outside the classroom, I’m a proud wife and girl mom who loves spending time with family. I can’t wait to get to know my students and their families!

Welcome Audrey Youmans to the staff at Holly Harshman Elementary!!! Hello, everyone. I am originally from Texas and moved to Mena with my husband Travis and kids 8 years ago. We have four children, Liliana, Makenzie, Kate, and Derek, and we love Mena and everything it has to offer. I recently graduated from Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia with a Bachelor's in Elementary Education specializing in STEM. I am so excited to work as a literacy teacher in 4th grade and cannot wait for a year full of learning, growth, and fun!

Mena coaches & players helped area youngsters improve their basketball skills this week at the Little Cats Camp in the Union Bank Center. A busy week is ahead for the Bearcat basketball team beginning at the Southeast Oklahoma State Team Camp and followed by the NWA Shootout.

The Little Ladycats Basketball Camp came to close on Wednesday. Thanks to all who attended and the parents for bringing them to the camp. We had a great time and learned a lot from each other.

The Little Ladycats Basketball Camp began on Tuesday in the Union Bank Center. Camp continues on Wednesday.

As usual "Wet & Wild Day" was a huge hit at Holly Harshman Elementary on Tuesday.