HOPE – The Hope Public School District is calling for nominations to its 2020 Hope Educator Hall of Fame class. Hope Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Bobby Hart said the district wants to sustain what is now a new tradition begun with the selection of the inaugural class of honorees in 2018.
“We have had two great classes, and we know there are others that need to be recognized,” Dr. Hart said. “Please consider nominating a teacher that made an impact on you or your family.”
Nominations will be solicited from the community, from professional education organizations and from education-related organizations. Nominations will be reviewed by a committee selected through the office of the superintendent.
Eligibility requirements for nominees include:
--Nominee should be retired from the field of public education in the Hope Public Schools.
--Nominee should have a minimum of 10 years of active service as an HPSD educator, administrator, or support professional.
--Posthumous nominations will be accepted. Nominations should be made by letter addressed to Hart, and should include the following nomination criteria:
--Name, tenure of service, and brief personal biography of nominee.
--Brief narrative of significant educational contributions of the nominee.
Nomination letters should be delivered to the HPSD Administration Building, 117 E. Second St., in Hope, by June 1.
Selected honorees will be recognized in ceremonies during the Fall, 2020, semester, pending the resolution of COVID-19 restrictions, and in compliance with state and federal guidance.
Honorees or their family representatives will receive a plaque commemorating the honoree’s contribution and service to public education in Hope.
Recognized in the 2019 HPS Educator Hall of Fame class were Edith Brown, first principal of Brookwood Elementary School, renamed in her honor in 1976; Beryl Henry, second woman in Arkansas to serve as a school superintendent, 1929-1942, and namesake of Beryl Henry Elementary School; James H. Jones, third superintendent of the HPS from 1942-1973 was noted for financial guidance of the district, particularly during World War II; Ruth Flowers Love, teacher at H.C. Yerger High School; George Straughter, teacher and coach at H.C. Yerger High School, and teacher and counselor at Hope High School; and, Alice Straughter, teacher at Shover Street Elementary School and later in elementary grades of the HPS.