Photo: Todd GillMayor Jordan proclaims May 2 as The New School Day
At around 6pm on Saturday night, a roomful of proud parents and faculty members of The New School anxiously awaited a brief speech by Fayetteville Mayor Lioneld Jordan.
The group was gathered to celebrate the school’s recent award of full accreditation by ISACS (Independent Schools Association of Central States).
While the Mayor wasn’t the only one giving toasts during the ceremony – Chamber President Steve Clark and other area leaders were on hand as well – he was certainly the only one giving a proclamation naming May 2, 2009 as The New School Day.
When I first crouched down on the floor with my camera, it felt like any other event in town but by the time each speaker had finished and the crowd had stopped clapping, I could barely stand up. Part of that was because my right foot had fallen asleep but part of it was that there was a sense of pride and accomplishment in the room thick enough to slow anyone down.
ISACS Certificate of Accreditation
The New School has been a Northwest Arkansas staple of the independent school community since 1971 when it first opened here in Fayetteville as a non-profit organization with twenty-four students. Today, the school has an enrollment of over 430 students ranging in age from two to thirteen years old.
Known best for its enrichment in the arts, The New School also boasts a favorable student-teacher ratio, challenging academic standards and a consistent high rank for standardized test scores in the region.
Speaking of the seven-year accreditation cycle which provides validation regarding the quality of the school’s programs, Executive Director Bill Mandrell said, “The hard work of the faculty, staff and trustees demonstrated their tremendous dedication to our school and toward the concept of school improvement.”
The New School was visited and evaluated by the ISACS Accreditation Visiting Team in the spring of 2008 as one of the final steps before becoming accredited. The cycle will be completed in two years with the submission of a Progress Report, which will be evaluated by the Evaluation Review Committee and acted upon by the ISACS Board.
Jazz at The New School
I was fortunate enough to be invited to the La Fiesta Fundraiser which was held directly after the ceremony that evening. Besides enjoying some excellent local jazz (Nathan McLeod, Claudia Burson and others), I bidded on (and lost) a few items in the silent auction, ate some tasty Mexican food and drank a beer or two (or six).
Before Saturday, I’d never stepped foot in the school’s doors but by the time the night was over, I’d spent nearly 5 hours soaking up The New School vibe. I now know what all the fuss is about.
Comments
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skalmt
May 4, 2009
Mayor Jordan sure is proclaiming lots of days isn’t he? Local musicians day, New School day…better be careful Mayor Jordan we only have 363 days left. Shouldn’t we conserve some? If we just give days out all willy nilly like they will be gone before you know it. And then what happens when something really big happens like Fred Savage visits Fayetteville or something and you want to give him a day but you can’t b/c you gave it to the New School already!?
Todd
May 4, 2009
New School Fred Savage Day!
skalmt
May 4, 2009
I guess it will have to be now…
Total Bastard
May 4, 2009
Total Bastard Day.
Scott Stapp of Creed
May 4, 2009
FRED SAVAGE IS COMING TO FAYETTEVILLE???
The Dude
May 4, 2009
Are you kidding me? I’m with skalmt. What’s the point?
Dummy
May 4, 2009
It seems like one of the main critiques of Dan Coody was his “desire to hold press conferences” as if they were a means of self promotion.
I see Jordan doing a whole lot more posturing in the media, but not really doing anything of substance on the job.
But at least he gave everybody construction paper and crayons so their “voices could be heard.”
Meanwhile, convenience stores and apartments continue to be built sprawl style on the west side, and the only job creation so far has been for Don Marr.
At least Steve Clark is getting a chance to retool his image and clean up his resume so it has something on it besides “convicted felon”. If you think his support of Jordan was about anything else, you’re kidding yourself.
The Dude
May 5, 2009
Hey Flyer dudes – you removed the censored profanity from my comment and now the tone of it is all off. You already censored it; what gives?
Anna
May 5, 2009
I’m so glad I live outside the city limits so I don’t have to have an opinion. Or at least mine doesn’t count… :P
Todd
May 5, 2009
@The Dude, I think the tone of your comment remains. There are some posts where vulgarity, censored or not, will most likely get removed and since this story is about a local school that serves children from Preschool to 7th grade, it’s one of ‘em. Cool?
Todd
May 5, 2009
Usually, proclamations are requested by the public in order to recognize and commensurate special occasions or significant community or individual achievements. Generally, they’re thought to be a good way to help increase public awareness of your organization since you can usually convince the Mayor to stop by for a photo op.
In some cities, there’s a required written request involved and certain criteria must be met.
In Fayetteville, there’s no formal rules written out but in order to even be considered, the event must have some kind of cultural, social or historic significance to the City. For individual proclamations, the person must play or have played some kind of significant role in the community.
In other words, these proclamations aren’t conceived in the Mayor’s office but are rather provided as a service to the public by the Mayor’s office.
So as much as we’d like to see a Taco-thon Day here in town, that’s probably not gonna fly.
George
May 5, 2009
Went and toured The New School today with Mr Mandrell and came away super impressed. He dropped everything at a moments notice and took over an hour out of his morning to show me around. It truly made me want to quit my job and teach there. Wow! Now I know why it’s so pricey. I’m guessing worth every penny.
been around
May 5, 2009
Todd said it right, but maybe it was too strange a concept for Coody loyalists.
Lioneld hasn’t been holding press conferences to announce what a great mayor he is but rather has been busy recognizing the contributions of others. It’s different. Way different. Way better.
Coody held self-serving press conferences signifying nothing but his overly high opinion of himself.
As for Lioneld not doing anything else, ask city employees about the rise in morale. Ask aldermen and citizens about the way meetings are conducted. Inquire of the 500 or so people who participated in the Fayetteville Forward events. Think back to the ice storm and see how far we’ve come. Talk to small business owners.
Mutual respect goes a long way.
Matthew Petty
May 5, 2009
I’m an Alderman and while I do not think Mayor Jordan is making these proclamations to be self-serving, I still don’t see the point. There are other ways to honor organizations and successes than proclaiming a day that would be more meaningful, symbolic, and memorable.
Matthew Petty
May 6, 2009
Plus, that guy receiving the award looks exactly like me. Scary.
George
May 6, 2009
The Coody vs Jordan debate is really getting tired. I voted for Coody, but Jordan has exceeded my expectations. He’s doing a fine job moving our fair city forward.
Let it go people…..move on.
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