Essentially, what this means is by next year there will be no school operating in Holly Grove. All children in Holly Grove will be bussed to Clarendon and will attend classes there. -- Jane
from the Jan. 11, 2007, Monroe County Sun:
Clarendon School Board voted five to one Monday evening to renovate the current Clarendon Elementary School bulding in an effort to house the approximately 80 Holly Grove Elementary School students displaced when the school was destroyed by fire Dec. 16.
Superintendent George LaFargue recommended that instead of having two elementary schools that the school renovate and add on to the current Clarendon Elementary School building to house all elementary students on both the Holly Grove and Clarendon campuses. LaFargue noted that this would be the most cost efficient route for the school.
Voting for the recommendation were board members Margaret Simpson, Bryan Smith, Jackie Jones, Ricky Beck and Tina Wofford. Board member Lula Tyler voted against the recommendation. Board member Robert Artis was absent.
In a phone interview Wednesday morning, Superintendent LaFargue noted that he felt the decision was the best option for the school. LaFargue pointed out that insurance monies from the Holly Grove Elementary School fire would pay for the necessary renovations to Clarendon Elementary.
Holly Grove Elementary students will remain at their new location of the former Holly Grove High School building while the renovations and additions are completed, LaFargue said.
"We're going to make the move in a timely manner," he said. "We're not going to uproot the students in the middle of a nine weeks, etc. They will remain at their current location until the construction and renovations at Clarendon are complete."
Planned renovations at Clarendon Elementary are to expand the building large enough to house the 80 Holly Grove students as well as do away with the current portable buildings on the Clarendon Elementary campus.
"We're looking to house kindergarten, our Pride Center and resource classes in this expanded facility. We won't have any more portable buildings. There's also the possibility of a new physical education facility included," LaFargue said.
LaFargue also noted that the Nelson family has generously donated the triangular piece of land east of Clarendon Elementary to the school for the expansion.
An architect is scheduled to look at the site next week and begin plans. Plans are hopefully to begin the renovation process in June.
"The renovation process will be going on while students are in school next year and once everything is completed, then we'll move our Holly Grove students up here," LaFargue said.
The newly renovated Clarendon Elementary will meet all state standards and be brought up to state codes, LaFargue said.
-- Edited by Jane Dearing Dennis at 10:52, 2007-01-18
Holly Grove Elementary School students are scheduled to return to classes Monday, Jan. 8, at the fomer Holly Grove High School building.
Renovation crews have been working on getting the building ready for students since Dec. 20 following a decision by Clarendon School Board to sub-lease the building from Kingdom Builders Ministries after Holly Grove Elementary School was destroyed by fire in the early morning hours of Saturday, Dec. 16. Fire departments from Brinkley, Clarendon, Marvell and Holly Grove fought the blaze for several hours. The fire is believed to have started in the front of the building and spread through the roof. Winds were also a factor in the spreading of the blaze. Superintendent George LaFargue reported that the school's insurance adjuster has a fire marshal on the site of the burned school building gathering information to determine a cause of the fire. A cause of the fire has not yet been determined, he said.
LaFargue noted Wednesday that desks were expected in that day and final preparations for students would be made in the next couple of days.
"We're looking to have classes and serve meals Monday, Jan. 8," LaFargue said.
Holly Grove Elementary teachers were to report to school today, Thursday, Jan. 4, and Friday, Jan. 5.
Principal Ruby Ellis commented that the community and surrounding areas have been very supportive and generous with donations for the school and its students.
LaFargue noted that a school board meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Monday, Jan. 8, at the Clarendon High School auditorium where facilities plans will be discussed.
I felt so bad when I heard the news of the school burning. I was as troubled as I was when I came to know that the school district would be consolidated with Clarendon.
I'm curious to know if the attitude of board member Ricky Beck is shared by the majority of the school board and the community at large. What all does Mr. Beck imply when he says "their children need a building?" How effective can this board be in ensuring a quality education for these kids when some of the students are referred to as their children?
I pray that they can put ALL their differences aside and do what whats best for ALL the children involved.
Clarendon School Board voted unanimously in a called board meeting Wednesday evening to enter into a lease with Kingdom Builders Ministries of Holly Grove to sub-lease the former Holly Grove High School building to house displaced students due to a fire that destroyed Holly Grove Elementary School early Saturday morning.
The sub-lease with Kingdom Builders Ministries will be for an initial $3,000 start-up fee or down payment and $1,000 a month for a 12-month period with the option to renew for six months at the end of the lease period.
Clarendon School District donated the former Holly Grove High School building to the City of Holly Gorve in mid-2005 when the high school students began attending Clarendon Public Schools as part of a state-mandated consolidation. The City of Holly Grove currently leases the building to Kingdom Builders Ministries for the amount of $100 per year.
Board member Ricky Beck showed his opposition of the lease agreement following Superintendent LaFargue's recommendation to accept the lease.
"Don't we have any other options? We're going to lease something, pay for something that we gave them (City of Holly Grove) and it's their children needing the building," Beck said.
LaFargue noted that the money for the lease would not come out of the school's general fund but would instead be paid for by insurance monies. He also noted that the second option of portable buildings would cost the school as well.
"Either way we're going to be paying," LaFargue said. "And our insurance adjuster has recommended that the lease for the Holly Grove High School building would be the best option for us at this time."
LaFargue noted that the school's insurance covers the monthly lease until the school decides what it's going to do, whether it be renovated, rebuild, etc.
"Right now we're looking at the next 10 days. What we need to do to get these children back in classes by Jan. 8. We'll look at what to do further down the line in the next four months, six months or year," LaFargue told board members.
In September, voters overwhelmingly refused a proposed millaage increase that would build a new elementary school in Clarendon large enough to house both the current Clarendon Elementary School and Holly Grove Elementary's 80 to 85 students in grades kindergarten through six.
LaFargue reported that crews were on standby to begin renovating the Holly Grove High School building for the 80 to 85 elementary students beginning Thursday, Dec. 21. He noted that they will be working weekends in an effort to have classes resume by Jan. 8.
A motion to accept the lease was made by board member Jackie Jones. Beck reluctantly seconded the motion. Other board members unanimously approving the motion were Margaret Simpson and Tina Woofrd. Board member Lula Tyler was asked to excuse herself from the vote due to a conflict of interest in the matter. Tyler's son, Scot Tyler, is on the board of Kingdom Builders Ministries. Board members Bryan Smith and Robert Artis were not present.
Following the passing of the motion, board member Jackie Jones addressed the board.
"By this time next year, I think those 80 kids need to be up here," Jones said.
"I fully agree," said board member Beck.
Board member Tyler commented that she didn't understand by the board didn't want anything in Holly Grove.
Holly Grove Elementary Principal Ruby Ellis and three of her staff members were present at the meeting. Ellis commented that her staff has been great through the ordeal.
"My staff has stuck by me through this instead of going on their Christmas break, which began at noon today. We've also had so much outpouring of concern from across the state. People have called wanting to make donations, and someone left a gift of school supplies for my teachers on my door step today. Everyone's been great, " Ellis said.
Holly Grove Elementary burned in the early morning hours of Saturday, Dec. 16. Police received a call at around 12:40 a.m. and fire departments from Brinkley, Clarendon, Marvell and Holly Grove were on the scene within minutes. The fire is believed to have started in the front of the building and spread through the roof. Winds were also a factor in the spreading of the blaze, said HGE Principal Ruby Ellis.
"It was a very intense fire," Ellis said. "I've never seen anything like it. The center of our building was engulfed and the roof was burning with the winds blowing from the north and then to the south. Local fire officials reported that nothing was broken, all the doors were secure and no windows were broken until the heat from the fire broke them out," Ellis said.
Superintendent LaFargue reported Wednesday evening that the cause of the fire has not officially beenn determined yet but that the school's insurance adjuster will travel from Memphis Thursday to look at the site and try to determine the cause.
"Our teachers are devastated," said Principal Ellis. "We've all cried and cried. But we're ready to push up our sleeves and get to work to get the Holly Grove High School building ready for our students."
-- Edited by Jane Dearing Dennis at 01:00, 2006-12-27
Blaze ravages Holly Grove’s last school Town mourns; 80 students displaced BY VAN JENSEN ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE Holly Grove Mayor Lula Tyler stood before her town’s elementary school in the darkness Saturday morning as flames raced along the roof, buffeted by a crisp breeze. The fire spread quickly above the classrooms in the large brick building where Tyler had gone to school - then her children, then her grandchildren. It was the site of basketball games and large funerals and the annual Fourth of July party in the town of 722. Tyler hoped the quick response of firefighters from around Monroe County could save “Elementary,” as she calls it. But with the blaze tearing through, she found herself lowering her hopes and wishing the gymnasium where she’d played more than 40 years ago would survive. But by morning’s light, the structure had been reduced to a still-burning skeleton. Two years after a forced consolidation of grades 7-12 with nearby Clarendon, Holly Grove residents were left wondering Saturday where their 80-some students in kindergarten to sixth grade will go now - and whether the town has lost its last school. “When you take a school out of a community, it’s like taking a heart out of an individual,” Tyler said. “You know what happens then.” The cause of the blaze at the school, built in 1945 and renovated in 1984, still was under investigation, Holly Grove Police Chief Jason Johnson said. A fire marshal from another town will lead the probe, he said. Police received a call about 12:40 a.m., Johnson said, and fire departments from Brinkley, Clarendon, Marvell and Holly Grove were on the scene within minutes. “The response was absolutely phenomenal,” Johnson said. “We had more firemen than we could ever hope to have. The wind was just against us.” The fire was believed to have started in the front of the building and spread through the roof, he said. A fire that destroyed Cabot Junior High School in April spread above the classrooms as well. Firefighters battled for about a half-hour before the roof began to collapse in sections. “It just happened so fast,” Johnson said. “That was the fastest fire I’ve seen in 20 years. There was just no way.” Firefighters continued to douse the blaze until late Saturday morning, though most agencies left by 5 a.m., Johnson said. As they worked, people came from across the small town, all upset. Johnson thought of the Christmas party the Police Department and city had been planning for the schoolchildren on Monday. Like so many others, Johnson wondered what to do now. “It’s a real tragedy for our little town,” he said. The Clarendon School District decided to start Christmas break for the students of Holly Grove Elementary School on Monday, meaning the semester has ended, said Superintendent George LaFargue. It wasn’t clear when the students would be able to take semester tests. A meeting of school employees was scheduled for 9 a.m. Monday at the Clarendon High School auditorium. Jan Hodge, a counselor in the Clarendon district for 20 years, went to the scene Saturday and struggled to recognize her desk amid the charred remains. “It’s a tragedy for the children, for the community,” she said. “I imagine Monday will be a very long day. I haven’t been told any [plans] as of yet.” LaFargue said he would contact the state Department of Education to discuss options for the displaced students. Tyler, who has been on the district School Board for more than 30 years, said the elementary school in Clarendon, about 12 miles away, doesn’t have the space to accommodate the Holly Grove students. Holly Grove still has a high school building that was converted to a day care and other offices after the state mandated in 2004 that the school consolidate because of declining attendance. The town has fought to keep its elementary students. A recent millage vote that would have raised money for a new elementary school in Clarendon large enough for Holly Grove students was voted down by a large margin. Though the town’s old high school would have to be restocked with supplies and further readied for students, Tyler said it’s the best option. “We don’t want these small kids to have to get up and catch the bus,” she said. She hadn’t yet spoken with LaFargue. Scott Tyler, Lula Tyler’s son, was in Alabama when he heard of the fire. Saturday afternoon he drove back home to talk to his three children who attend the school. He also hoped that the high school would be reopened. “It’s certainly built to have school there,” he said. “It’ll be interesting to see what [the School Board’s ] response is going to be.” Sylvia Jackson, who has two children attending the elementary school, ages 7 and 10, said she also doesn’t want them riding the bus. Saturday morning she stood near the school, where flames still jittered among collapsed remains. She said her son yelled that his jacket had burned up inside, along with his books. “Just about the whole town [showed up] ... walking around, shaking their heads. Just sad,” Jackson said. As a siren sounded, she said her children had asked what will happen. “They want to know, ‘What we gonna do now, Mom?’ I said, ‘I don’t know.’” Standing nearby, Lula Tyler thought of the building and her 1962 high school graduation. The building was converted from a high school to an elementary several years ago. She said it was a nice building, beautiful and clean with air conditioning, computers and tile floors. “Elementary is where I attended school, it’s where I played ball, it’s where I served on the School Board,” she said. “It’s everything to this community. “I never thought I’d wake up and there wasn’t no school. It’s terrible, sickening.” Scott Tyler said the fire is especially disheartening coming so close to Christmas. On Friday, the school had hosted a Christmas potluck for parents, teachers and students. The uncertain future spreads to the owners of stores and restaurants who count on students and teachers to spend money, he said. “To drive by and see the rudiments of what used to be your elementary school... that puts a damper on the Christmas spirit,” he said. “It’s a big loss. ... I can’t even describe how huge of a loss it’s going to be.”
