April 24, 2019
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Westin Named Superintendent of the Year in Arkansas Cannon Interviewed for State School Board Magazine (MENA) Mena School Superintendent Benny Weston was named as the Arkansas Rural Education Association Superintendent of the Year. Mr. Dale Query made a special effort to attend the Mena School Board meeting Tuesday night at the administration building to present the award. Weston humbly accepted the award, with board members, administrators & others in attendance that quickly ap-
plauded their approval. Congratulations to Mr. Weston in winning such a prestigious award. Meanwhile, Mena School Board Member Kyle Cannon was featured in the March issue of The Arkansas School Board Association’s monthly magazine. Cannon, 45, was interviewed by the publication and talked about his experiences of being a director. Cannon is the Wickes branch manager for Union Bank of Mena.
Steinmetz Scheduled to Deliver Commencement Address at UARM (MENA) UA Rich Mountain Chancellor Dr. Phillip Wilson is pleased to announce that the University of Arkansas – Fayetteville Chancellor Dr. Joe Steinmetz will deliver this year’s commencement address. Dr. Steinmetz has served as the flagship’s chancellor since 2016. A nationally respected behavioral neuroscientist, Dr. Steinmetz was recognized in 1996 by the National Academy of Sciences for his contributions to the fields of experimental psychology and neuroscience. In 2012 he was named an AAAS Fellow. “It is both an honor and a privilege to not only have Dr. Steinmetz on our campus, but to deliver the commencement address. I’m not at liberty to give details but can confirm that Dr. Steinmetz will be delivering a tremendously exciting announcement that will be of great importance not only to this year’s graduates but for future generations.” Dr. Steinmetz’s research interests include neuroanatomical and neurophysiological substrates of learning and memory; the effects of alcohol on neural and behavioral function; neurobiological and behavioral models of fetal alcohol syndrome; and the neurobiology of simple human learning, memory, and cognitive function. Commencement ceremonies are scheduled for Thursday, May 9 at 6 p.m.
on the front lawn of the campus. In the event of rain, ceremonies will be moved to the Union Bank Center (the new gym). The public is invited to attend and celebrate this accomplishment with the UA Rich Mountain Class of 2019. Mena Superintendent, Benny Weston is presented the Superintendent of the Year Award by Dale Query.
Mena School Board Approves Personnel Contracts
Dr. Joe Steinmetz, Chancellor of the University of Arkansas - Fayetteville
(MENA) The board of directors of the Mena School District met Tuesday, April 16th and discussed various items of interest. The board approved the renewal of the Certified and Classified Personnel within the district. They also accepted numerous retirements and resignations of district employees. Superintendent Benny Weston discussed the recognition of all of the 2019 Student Awards from the entire school year, which will come to a conclusion with graduation on Sunday, May 19th at 3pm in Bearcat Stadium. The board got an update on various issues relating to the maintenance upgrades presently underway at district facilities. A
recent inspection of the bus fleet resulted in no issues found. The board was introduced to the new Mena High School principal David Maxwell. Maxwell has been balancing his time between his current job in Arkadelphia and here in Mena. Maxwell has been spending at least one day a week in Mena; but, plans on starting to get up to speed on his new job sooner than expected. Maxwell has been getting high praise and reviews according to Superintendent Weston on his interaction with the high school staff and students, going so far as to giving staff and students his email address, so that he may receive their input on issues.