Old High Middle School (Bentonville, Arkansas)

Bentonville High School
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location	406 N.W. Second St., Bentonville, Arkansas
Built	1928
Architect	Almand,John Parks
Architectural style	Colonial, Spanish Colonial
MPS	Benton County MRA
NRHP reference No.	87002339
Added to NRHP	January 28, 1988

Old High Middle School is in the building which was once Gaylord High School, and is located at 406 NW 2nd Street, Bentonville, Arkansas. Construction costs when it was built in 1928 were $25,000. It was designed by John Parks Almand, in a combination of Spanish Colonial, Mission and Mediterranean styles.

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988 as Bentonville High School.

History

The campus of Old High Middle School is a landmark for the community of Bentonville. The main structure was built in 1928. After years of serving as an elementary and high school campus, in 1990 Old High Middle School was established. 1990-1991 also brought about renovations to the beloved auditorium. The Bentonville/Bella Vista Rotary Club worked with the community to renovate the original structure with one third of the monies raised coming from a concert by New Kids on the Block. In May 2015, Old High Middle School's auditorium was chosen as one of the venues for the Bentonville Film Festival. After many preparations to the school, including refinishing the stage, touch-up painting, and updating the dressing rooms backstage, it was concluded that the popularity of the film festival demanded a larger venue.

Academics

Old High Middle School teaches more than 600 students in grades five through six. The wonderful staff is committed to excellence and making data-driven decisions, which support a student’s academic, social, emotional, and artistic qualities. The school's top three priorities are relationships, literacy, and calculated risk taking. Old High is organized by Teams into which students are placed. Jeffrey Wasem is the Principal of Old High Middle School. Jason Brunner is the Assistant Principal. Mr. Brunner was selected as the Arkansas Assistant Principal of the Year for 2013-2014 by the Arkansas Association of Middle Level Education.

Core Beliefs

On August 11, 2014, the entire staff of Old High Middle School participated in a power session of collaboration to create and articulate a set of core beliefs. These core beliefs are the very commitments that the faculty and staff of Old High make to the students and their families each day.

Academic We believe that academics, when supported by a culture of high expectations for all students, should be purposeful and engaging with understanding that can be demonstrated and will inspire life-long learning.

Arts Arts are integral to student growth and development within the school environment. We believe the arts expand the opportunity to:

◘ Establish a sense of self within the global community.

◘ Deepen an understanding of all content areas.

◘ Express creatively through multiple intelligences.

◘ Develop confidence and intrinsic motivation

Emotional By providing a safe, welcoming environment, we, the teachers and staff of Old High Middle School, will be intentional about connecting authentically with our students and families to nurture success.

Social Old High Middle School maintains a caring community that fosters social development by:

◘ Building authentic relationships through respect and compassion.

◘ Developing good citizenship.

◘ Respecting diversity and differences.

◘ Taking personal responsibility.

◘ Holding each other accountable.

Clubs

Art Club

The recycled arts club is available to fifth graders and sponsored by Mr. Dezaldivar.

Chess Club

Old High Middle School's Chess Club is open to all students who love to play chess or want to learn. Chess Club does not hold competitions (at the present time). Students are welcome to join Chess Club at any time during the year. Chess Club meets Thursday mornings in the library. This club is sponsored by Carie O'Banion.

Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA)

Teacher/Volunteer-Mentored Book Clubs

Girls On The Run

Girls On The Run meets every Monday and Wednesday after school. The coaches are Natalie Young, Kate Chambers, Mary Cabrera, and Laura Merriman.

Knightly Gardeners

The Knightly Gardeners meet once a month during lunch to learn about plants and processes used in gardening. The Bentonville Garden Club sends a different expert each month to work with the student gardeners. Julie Knight is the chairman for the Youth in Education Committee who support the club with projects and experts. Students also work after school on occasion to help keep the Butterfly Garden and other areas around the school beautiful. This club provides for a great community partnership between Old High Middle School and the Bentonville Garden Club. Knightly Gardeners is sponsored by Penny Holland.

MATHCOUNTS Club

MATHCOUNTS Club is open to all 6th grade students who are interested in challenging their math minds! Student Mathletes will train and compete in competitions at the regional and state levels. Five of the eight competition team members from the 2014-2015 school year advanced to compete at the state level.

Odyssey of the Mind

Old High Middle School's Odyssey of the Mind team is coached by Tina Hoisington. The 2014-2015 team went on to compete at the state level and was awarded the coveted Ranatra Fusca for exemplary creativity in problem solving.

Student Council

Student Council members are "elected" within their homeroom classes. Student Council is sponsored by Ron Seim and Laura Linares.

Technology Club

Technology Club is open to all 6th grade students who are interested in technology or want to learn about technology! Technology Club has Skyped with employees from Google and has been visited by a Senior Computer Engineer from Walmart. Students also get the opportunity to practice coding.

The Giving Tree Club

The Giving Tree Club's concept is based on Shel Silverstein’s book, “The Giving Tree,” about a tree that finds joy in giving without expecting anything in return. Students of the Giving Tree come up with numerous great ideas for projects to help others. From cleaning up litter to helping others in need, this club is all about service. The Giving Tree invites guest speakers from various organizations to come in throughout the year to talk to Old High Middle School students about ways they can help the school, the community, and the world.

YESKIES

The motto for this club is "Knowledge is Power!" This club is sponsored by Ron Seim.

Community Involvement

Arts and Academic Night

Old High Middle School partners with various organizations from the community to present Arts and Academic Night. This event is organized such that all guests move through stations to explore and experience the arts and academics. For the most recent Arts and Academic Night, Old High Middle School was joined by organizations such as the Scott Family Amazeum, the Bentonville Public Library, Bugs, Bugs, Bugs!, American Taekwondo Association, First Tee of NWA, and more. Each year, a large auction takes place during Arts and Academic Night. The Parent Teacher Organization (PTO), students, families, and teachers of Old High partner with local businesses to create the auction that serves as a great fundraising opportunity for the school. This annual event provides fun and learning to everyone in the community.

Earth Day Fair

Old High Middle School presents a yearly Earth Day Fair on the lawn of the campus. The Earth Day Fair is created, set up, run, and cleared away all by the work of students who are assisted by the science teachers. Members of the community regularly attend and participate in this fun and educational event.

TEDxFayetteville

On April 11, 2014, students and families of Old High Middle School were featured in the TED Talk of Jennifer Gilder titled, "The Universe is in Us." This wonderful experience was made possible when a local artist, Jennifer Gilder, met a science teacher, Amy Van Pelt, from Old High. Together, with the support of the Principal, Jennifer Gilder and Amy Van Pelt gave the students and families of Old High Middle School the chance to connect science and art. Ms. Gilder continues her partnership with Old High Middle School by participating in Arts and Academic Night each year.

The Amazeum's Inaugural Tinkerfest Presented by 3M

In cooperation with the Arkansas Discovery Network and “makers” from around the region, the Scott Family Amazeum held its inaugural Tinkerfest from 10am - 3pm, Saturday October 4, 2014, at Old High Middle School in Bentonville, AR.

Tinkerfest was a one-day festival that celebrated the creative, curious, and innovative spirit in everyone. The Amazeum, with the help of Old High Middle School, brought together makers, artists, and tinkerers to showcase their work and invited attendees of all ages to join in the DIY (do it yourself) fun. Tinkerfest brought technology together with craftspeople, educators, families, and artists who could all learn from each other. Tinkerfest was a great family and community activity where beginners and avid tinkerers alike could experiment and learn things together. Ages 4–104 all found tinkering experiences to explore.

Tinkerfest activities included a wide range of tinkering experiences from High Tech Tools to the Art of Tinkering to a Projectile Zone. Participants created jewelry from unexpected objects, constructed machines that created artwork, painted with light, experienced 3D printing, and learned how to solder electronics. Gigantic bubbles were created, rockets were launched, and even a car was taken apart. The youngest of tinkerers also had their own spaces to be creative and explore. This successful event provided fun, creativity, and learning to everyone in the community.

On October 10, 2015, Old High partnered with the Amazeum again for Tinkerfest 2015. The Stomp Rocket Booth was run by students from Old High who were assisted by teachers.

Fall Carnival

The wonderful PTO and families of Old High Middle School present a fun-filled Fall Carnival for students, families, and the community. The carnival offers booth after booth of carnival games, face painting, a bake sale, and more. Carnival goers in 2014 even got the chance to see Mr. Wasem, Old High's Principal, in a dunk tank. The carnival on October 23, 2015, featured teachers who volunteered to receive a pie in the face from students.

Scott Family Amazeum Grand Opening

On Wednesday, July 15, 2015, at 9:00 am, the Scott Family Amazeum opened its doors for its Grand Opening. The Knight Jammers of Old High Middle School, created and directed by Jo Dunlavy, were honored with an invitation to be the Amazeum's first ever live performance. Ms. Dunlavy and the members of the Knight Jammers spent countless hours preparing for the performance. The performance was emceed by Brock Short of Brock Entertainment and was a huge success. The first ever members of the Knight Jammers Percussion Ensemble were Amelia, Andrew, Anna, Averi, Caitlyn, Caleb, Chris, Dallin, Drew, Ella, Emma, Ethan, Harrison, Isaias, Kai, Katherine, Marcus, Max, Sam, Sean, Shaelyn, Thomas, and Zoe.

See also

• Bentonville High School, the current high school.
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Benton County, Arkansas

External links

• Old High Middle School