Arkansas Secretary of Education and Commissioner Johnny Key, fourth from left, helps present the model school flag to Prescott Elementary School Monday morning. Holding the flag are, from left, Tina Smith, Solution Tree Arkansas Branch Director; Missy Walley, Department of Education Special Projects and Policy Director and Kimberly Grimes, Prescott Elementary Principal. Prescott School District Superintendent Robert Poole stands at right.

Prescott Elementary School was presented this morning with its Professional Learning Communities Model School flag as the school’s leadership, its staff and its students looked on. Arkansas Secretary of Education and Commissioner Johnny Key was on hand to present the coveted cloth.

The Prescott School District’s Superintendent Robert Poole began the ceremony in the Prescott Schools Sports Arena by mentioning all those who helped accomplish model status, “Some students have moved on up to junior high. Some teachers who started this process with us are not with us anymore,” he said. “It takes all of us, and remember all those students and teachers and everyone who had a hand in getting us here.”

He especially praised the students for their persistence. “I know there’s times, maybe this year, when your teachers really pushed you when you may not have wanted to do it. Guess what. You did it anyway and we’re proud of you for doing that.”

Poole then praised several guests who sat alongside the dais for playing a part in the school’s achievement. These included retired Prescott Elementary School Principal Howard Austin, Prescott-Nevada County Economic Development Director Mary Godwin, Arkansas State Representative Danny Watson and Nevada County Judge Mark Glass. Secretary Key’s delegation included Arkansas Department of Education Special Projects and Policy Director Missy Walley and Solution Tree Arkansas Branch Director Tina Smith.

Secretary Key praised the school’s professionals and its students for continuing their studies and improvements despite the COVID pandemic. He asked the students whether they liked being able to come to school now. Most raised hands. “I like seeing teachers on screen and on Zoom, but I like seeing teachers in person even better, I know you do, too, right?” The students applauded.

He said the PLC designation was “an abbreviation for three long words” that means “your teachers are working hard to learn to be better teachers, better principals. They want to learn how to teach you better. Why do they want to teach you better? So you can learn more.”

“They want to learn to teach you at the highest levels. We’re here today celebrating, because you’ve been doing that.”

Key next disclosed to the audience that he was from Gurdon. “That means we played football and basketball against each other, and I remember getting dunked on when I was here at the old gym one time. But here’s what I learned. When Curly Wolves put their mind to something, you can’t stop them. And I think that’s still true today. Is that right?”

“That’s right,” the children said back, then applauded again.

Then Key invited current Prescott Elementary Principal Kimberly Grimes up.  Key, with help from Grimes, Walley and Smith held up the new flag, which will be flown on the pole just in front of the school.

Afterward, Key brought up the fact the accomplishment was made during the pandemic, “There are not many schools in the world who have done this.”

Principal Grimes thanked the Secretary, Walley and Smith for presenting the flag and for attending the ceremony and called the earning of it a “five-year journey” that is continuing. “We have learned so so much . . . we continue to try to improve the school for our students,” she said.

Poole ended the ceremony by saying, “This is just the beginning. This is not the end of something. This is the ongoing process of good things happening for Prescott Elementary School and for the Prescott School District.”

To earn model school status, the website of Solution Tree, the organization that produces the instructional materials says a school must meet the following requirements: “Demonstrate a commitment to PLC at Work® concepts, implement those concepts for at least three years, present clear evidence of improved student learning and provide data on a yearly basis that shows they continue to meet the criteria of the PLC at Work process.”