DECATUR -- It is time to put in some extra study time once again for students at Decatur Northside Elementary as the state required assessment test rapidly approaches. One local official came to the school to help the students prepare for the task ahead.
Decatur mayor Bob Tharp was on hand to give a little pep talk April 15 to students in the school cafeteria.
"How many of you like math?" Tharp asked.
Almost all the students raised their hands.
"How many of you like tests?" Tharp inquired.
The response was a little slower but a few students raised their hands.
The third-, fourth- and fifth-grade students were preparing to take the Arkansas ACT Aspire assessment on April 19-21.
The ACT Aspire assessment is administered to students in grades 3-10. The 4.5-hour-long testing period assesses each student's performance in reading, writing, English, math and science. This is the reason Tharp stressed the sleep fact to each of the student during the assembly.
"You need to get plenty of rest, eat right and do a little extra studying this weekend to prepare for your test next week," said Tharp.
The Decatur School District will receive the results sometime in late August or early September. This assessment will be compared to other districts in the state and graded accordingly.
At the end of the event, Tharp told a story of a boy who struggled with low self esteem and parental problems. As the boy grew into a young adult, he turned his life around. He eventually received a bachelor's degree from Columbia University in New York and a law degree from Harvard. He holds one of the highest offices in this country.
"Can you guess who he is?" Tharp asked.
A few students responded to his question with the correct answered.
"That's right," said Tharp. "It is Barack Obama, our current president. With hard work in school and the will to overcome adversity, you can achieve anything."
General News on 04/27/2016