GRAVETTE — Friday, Oct. 6, was a red letter day for the students at Gravette Upper Elementary School. They gathered shortly before 10 a.m. on the campus behind the school and surrounded the new library courtyard. They were joined by several adults. Many had balloons. You could feel the excitement in the air as they celebrated the grand opening of the new Upper Elementary library, an event they had eagerly anticipated since the beginning of the school year.

The recently constructed Upper Elementary addition added seven new classrooms and almost doubled the size of the school's library. The renovated library space features new shelving, lighting and furnishings and more modern decor. It includes a new learning center with cheery yellow walls and an outdoor reading space for children and adults. The classroom space was ready for use when the school year began, but the library was only completed a few weeks into the term. The Gravette Public Library shared books with the students in the interim.

Guests were welcomed to the grand opening ceremony by Aubrey Russo and Jace Keller, fifth-grade students who are members of the Lion Pride News team. The LPN team reports weekly on happenings at Gravette Upper Elementary and the district. They are learning about journalism, writing, and public speaking.

Mandy Barrett, the Upper Elementary principal, spoke to the crowd and thanked everyone who helped make the new addition possible. She told how the students, teachers and staff all appreciated their lovely new surroundings very much.

Special guests included school board members Hope Duke, John Edwards, Heather Finley, Jodi Moore and Ty Russell, BILD architects Michael Spaeth and Clay McGill and representatives of Nabholz Construction.

A second focus of the day's celebration was the kickoff of the school's Reading Initiative for Student Excellence (RISE) Arkansas program. The RISE Arkansas campaign, promoted by Governor Asa Hutchinson, asks schools to commit to promote a culture of reading, build community partnerships and strengthen reading instruction.

Richard Page, the superintendent of schools, addressed the group and announced the implementation of the RISE Arkansas initiative. "Reading is not easy," he said. "Students have to decode words, practice reading fluency and read for comprehension before they can begin reading for enjoyment. This is so important because we know good readers do well in school and in life."

Page explained that the RISE initiative has three main goals:

1) Increase the number of students in grades three through eight who meet the ACT Aspire reading readiness benchmark by 10 percent within three years;

2) Rise above the bottom third in state comparisons within five years on the fourth-grade NAEP reading assessment; and

3) Increase the number of graduates meeting the ACT reading readiness benchmark by 10 percent within five years.

"There is no doubt reading is a top priority for our district and, through this initiative, the district will partner with students, parents and community members to build a culture of reading in Gravette," he concluded.

Gravette author Nicole Morrow spoke about what books meant to her as a child. She told the students that books could help them cope with troubled times in their lives, could allow them to be whatever they wanted to be and could help them decide what occupation they would choose as an adult. Morrow announced that she was donating three of her children's books to the library.

Following Morrow's remarks, members of the Bella Vista Sunrise Rotary Club presented a check for $5,000. The Rotary Club purchased the "soft seating" area of the library, including couches, chairs, bean bags and rugs. In return, principal Barrett presented club president Sean Crider with a plaque in appreciation for the Rotary donation.

Finally, came the moment for which the youngsters had been waiting. Brittany Gripes, the Upper Elementary librarian, cut the ribbon for the new library and all released their balloons. As hundreds of brightly-colored balloons floated upward, Principal Barrett invited all guests to come inside. A reception followed in the library, where cake, punch and coffee were served.

Community on 10/11/2017