Mena Middle School

Social Studies, Art, and Math working together to gain some practical life skills to pass on to our Middle School students! Pictured MMS staff: Claire Williamson 7th grade Social Studies, Le Ann Johnson 6th - 8th Math, and Malea Ellison 7th grade Math. “

Please welcome DAVID CHANEY to the staff at Mena Middle School! Hello, my name is David Chaney and I am the new Mena Middle School Band Director. I grew up in the Mena band program and am excited to be home! My primary instrument is the Saxophone and I had the opportunity to play in the Hendrix College Wind Ensemble before transferring to Central Baptist College and playing in the Mustang Band. I graduated from CBC in 2021. I have been married to my beautiful wife Avanlea Chaney for nearly 2 years, and we have two pets a dog and a cat. I am so excited to be back home in Mena! Go Bearcats!

Welcome SUSAN TYLER to the staff at Mena Middle School ! My name is Susan Tyler and I am very pleased to be joining the staff of Mena Middle School as a Special Education Teacher. This is a picture of the day I began moving into my farmhouse this past March. I have taught for 12 years in both general and special education. After spending the last decade in the Dallas area, I along with my children have decided to get back to my country roots. I am originally from Louisiana but have vacationed, camped in this area for most of my life. Arkansas has always had a special place in my family’s heart and we are happy to be part of this community. Joining me on my adventure are my 20-year old son, my 14-year old daughter, my 70 year old mother and my critters (the fur and feather family is already growing since arriving here in Mena). We enjoy being in the great outdoors and this is a wonderful place to now call home.

Mena School administrators are teaming up with our local Walmart for the annual “Tip the Tank,” a fundraising activity for the Arkansas Children’s Miracle Network. Pictured are Louise Durham Principal Curtis Black and Superintendent Dr. Lee Smith.

Please welcome COREY COLLINS to hi new position at Mena MIddle School! Hello, my name is Corey Collins. I am the Head Jr. Boys Basketball Coach, Assistant Sr. Boys Basketball Coach, and Assistant Baseball Coach! I will also be teaching Middle School Health and P.E. I played at Williams Baptist University before transferring and graduating from Arkansas Tech University. I am a member of the Arkansas Army National Guard. I am getting married to my fiance, Ashton Andrews, in September of this year, and we are so excited to be a part of the Bearcat Family!

Please welcome STACY SALISBURY to the staff at Mena Public Schools ! Hello Bearcat Nation- I am so happy to be a part of Mena Schools as your dyslexia specialist and coordinator of the dyslexia program at Mena Schools. I am a CALT or Certified Academic Language Therapist. I received my CALT training from Texas Scottish Rite Hospital in Dallas, Texas at the Luke Waites Center for Dyslexia and Learning Disorders in 2007. I have been a dyslexia therapist for several school districts in Texarkana,Texas serving grades K-12. I started my teaching career in 1982 (graduating from Texas A&M- Texarkana with a Bachelor of Science degree in Education) and have been a classroom teacher for grades 1st-6th until becoming a dyslexia therapist. I retired from teaching in Texas in 2017. After only being retired a few months, I returned part-time as a dyslexia therapist for Texas High School in Texarkana. I truly enjoy helping students overcome their dyslexic challenges and achieving their highest academic success. My husband of 42 years, Dennis Salisbury, and I found your beautiful community about 4 years ago and bought property on Highway 8 West. We have been busy building our home here and finally Dennis has decided to retire! He has been a quality home builder in the Texarkana area building beautiful homes for over 30 years. I look forward to continuing my passion of helping dyslexic students and bringing my experience and knowledge of dyslexia to Mena Schools. I feel extremely blessed to be a part of Bearcat Nation!

Mena School Staff are wrapping up three days of professional development at the Arkansas School Counseling Association Conference in Hot Springs.

The history of Mena Public School Part 5: Friday, June 10, 1949 will always be remembered as a very special day for Central School. This was Louise Durham Day for all the pupils. Teachers and community came together to honor Miss Louise Durham who was retiring from the Mena Schools after fifty-seven years in education. All students in grades seven through twelve were housed in the high school building. The enrollment in these grades had increased in number until the high school building was not large enough to care for the students without overcrowding. Mena Junior High School was organized in 1951. A new gymnasium was approved by district patrons and construction on the project was completed in 1958. In 1960-61 a much needed school auditorium was added to the high school building. In 1968 students first occupied a new cafeteria. The 1968-19 term was a time of change at Stillwell. The first four grades were all moved to Louise Durham School. Only fifth and sixth grade children attended Stillwell. In 1973, the district asked for a five-dollar-per-thousand tax increase to build a new high school. Following the completion of the high school project, the Mena District underwent a reorganization as a middle school was created and kindergarten was added to Louise Durham Elementary. This reorganization began in 1976. The middle school housed 6-8, and the high school housed 9-12. The Stillwell school remained until 1983. In the fall of that year, grades three, four, and five were moved to a new elementary facility that was named after Miss Holly Harshman who had served the Mena District 45 years as a teacher and elementary principal. In 1986 a total of 10 new classrooms plus a band room and athletic facility was built by the district to help meet new state standards. Two years later a new 2200 seat stadium was constructed to replace Boyd Stadium which was plagued by inadequate seating, restrooms, and lighting. The Mena District went from 1973 to 1991 without asking its patrons for a millage increase. However, In September of 1991 district patrons were asked to vote a two mill increase in order to bring the district into compliance with Arkansas Law. The two mills were approved by the people. As of May. 2022, the Mena District has a present enrollment of 1696.. Louise Durham PreK-2 has 460, Holly Harshman has 368, Mena Middle School has 391, Mena High School has 463, Polk County Virtual Academy 14.

Hi! My name is Abigail Denton. I will be a Para for MMS Special Education/Self Contained. This is my first year being employed by the school district, but I have been a substitute with the schools since February! I was a substitute for LD SPED for the last 3 weeks of school this year and absolutely fell in love with it! My husband and I will be married a year in December and have been together for 4. We have 2 basset hounds that we adore! I'm so excited to begin my MPS journey!

Mena Counselors Delivered over 300 pounds of can tabs to the Arkansas School Counselors Summer Conference today. Tabs were donated this past school year to benefit the Ronald McDonald House. Thank you to all who helped by donating!

Kitchen Chemistry Camp ! Mrs. Frost did an outstanding job guiding students of the proper use of knives. All students successfully sliced their own lemons for the lemon volcanoes. Once sliced, each student added a few kitchen ingredients, which resulted in a beautiful chemical reaction. That beauty was then captured on paper by making lemon prints. The finale of the week was creating their very own “Slush-ees”. It took a lot of patience while waiting for the “Slush” to occur but they were well worth the wait!!

The THRIVE Academy launched this week with educators learning how to implement multi-tiered systems of support for behavior and mental health. The Mena Public Schools were well represented!

The Mena Public Schools are pleased to have ZEN VALENCIA join the staff in 2022/2023 ! Hello my name is Zen Valencia I went to high school at Hackett High school not too far from Mena. I graduated from Arkansas Tech with my Social Studies education degree. Spent a year in South West Arkansas coaching and Teaching at Lafayette County. This is my first year coaching Wrestling but I cannot express how excited I am to start this program. I am also an assistant football coach with the senior high football team, and Defensive Coordinator for the junior high. I Love being outdoors and am truly blessed to be apart of this district, community, and group of coaches! Go Bearcats!

The History of Mena Public Schools Part 4: During the school years of 1907-1920 many changes were taking place in the history of education in Arkansas. The Uniform Text Book Law and the Compulsory School Attendance Law were passed by the Arkansas Legislature. Also measures for the protection of the health of small children were passed and the public drinking cup was banned. Compulsory vaccinations against smallpox was instituted. Another great step forward was the coming of the Free Textbook Law. Some of the money raising projects carried out to provide for the needs of the school included teas and plays. With the funds thus obtained many things were bought. Among these were a large Victrola for music appreciation, a suitable and large library for the children, a number of appropriate pictures by master artists, a large school bell, and a first aid cabinet. The community’s educational needs had increased so greatly that in 1922 the Central and High School buildings were added on to and a manual training building was erected. Furthermore, in the 1932-33 school year a model college for the home economics department was provided. Mr. J. E. Bishop, Superintendent of Mena Schools, said he had a faculty of twenty teachers as good as the best in the state. In 1926 the rating of the schools was raised from a “B” to an “A”. In 1927 the high school became a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools. This was as high a rating as any school in Arkansas could achieve at the time. In 1934 school census showed 1,103 pupils attending the Mena Schools. All the pupils walked to school in those days. For many years about one fourth of the children brought their lunches to school in a sack or lunch pail. The rest of the pupils walked home for lunch. When the Junior High School was started they built a cafeteria for all the schools in Mena. Central pupils were transported by buses down there to eat every day. The transportation of Mena students by bus increased as consolidation proceeded in the county. Each time one of the outlying schools closed and sent its students to Mena, a new bus had to be added to the school’s growing fleet. By now each classroom had its own library in the room. In 1940 the Mena High School and its contents were destroyed by fire. Shortly thereafter a new high school was constructed on the corner of Mena Street and Church Avenue. In the spring of 1940, plans were made for a lighted athletic field. In the fall Mena defeated Hartford 27 to 12 in the first game to be played on the newly lighted field. The new high school was used for the first time in April 1943. On May 20, 1943, thirty-one seniors graduated.The Boyd Stadium was constructed on the athletic field in 1946. In 1947 a $40,000 bond issue for a new Southside School to be built in Stilwell Park was secured. This new building was scheduled for completion in the fall of 1948. The years 1950-1951 were busy building years for the district. A new home economics cottage was built, a band building was erected, remodeling took place for grades 6-8, and buildings acquired from the Fair Association were remodeled for vocational agriculture classes and shops. Check back for part 5 next Wednesday!

The Jr. Ladycats had their last day of basketball for the summer today at the Morrilton Team Camp. Coach Goss said "I couldn't be more proud of the JR Ladycats this month. They have worked extremely hard every day and shown tremendous growth."

Kitchen Chemistry Camp Continued on Tuesday for MMS & HHE students. Is cabbage juice acidic or alkaline? Kitchen Chemistry campers experimented with household kitchen items to change the PH of purple cabbage juice, changes were observable by the color of the cabbage juice. Campers learned about ways to observe PH differences in everyday life from plants to water quality. Day 3 is coming up and the campers can’t wait to “taste test” our next experiment!

Kitchen Chemistry Camp began on Monday at Mena MIddle School. Campers from MMS & HHE learned about milk plastic and experimented with a “recipe” to make some milk plastic of their own. Milk plastic was used during the 20th century to make ornaments, jewelry, and even belt buckles. More fun experiments and learning opportunities are planned for the rest of the week!

Preparations for 2022/2023 are well underway & Mena librarians met today to discuss and share practices related to the library. Pictured are Holli Plunkett-MHS, Tiffany Williams-LDE, Staci Brooks-MMS & Paula Cox-HHE.

The Jr. Ladycats had a great first day at Morrilton Team Camp!

Mena Middle School STEM Daily Challenge #3 Daily Challenge: Make the tallest tower, using only spaghetti noodles, mini marshmallows, and masking tape. Oh yeah, the tower must support an egg at the top!! Quite challenging, but so much fun!!