As has become my habit, I often work out Saturday morning at the Rogers Fitness Center then retire to the Chick-Fil-A for a late morning snack.
Last week, I overheard the always talkative and friendly manager who is usually there on Saturdays converse to a couple of young folks who had just moved to the area from Memphis. As they sat down right next to where I was, I felt compelled to welcome them to the area.
As is often the case, the pair came to the area due to employment with Wal-Mart. They knew very little about the area and so I let them know of the many places of interest that they might eventually visit. I also inquired as whether there were any children in their family.
The couple didn't have children yet but planned to embrace that aspect of life. I then suggested that when they had children of school age that they might consider checking out Pea Ridge schools for their education.
Being from Tennessee, they were not aware that Arkansas law had recently been amended to allow children to attend the school of their choice, or their parents' choice anyway. They were surprised to learn that any state would allow that, and that led to a discussion about the differences between education in a large school as opposed to the same experience in a smaller setting.
It popped into my head that a single word would go a long way to explain the many differences and nuances that separate the large and small school experience. The word that I was thinking of was "community."
In the city or large town environment, a multiple child family would likely have children going to multiple schools in multiple locations. Pea Ridge, for example, has 10 of the 13 grades operating on a single piece of real estate with the other three grades a few blocks away.
In Pea Ridge, we are all Blackhawks whether it is the tiny tot cheerleader program or the high school football team. With the smaller numbers in the small school setting, any sport or activity on any level is open to just about anyone who wants to participate. The thing that drives all the programs is the sense of community.
Students who attend large schools may be an Eagle for a time, then a Bulldog, later a Wildcat, then finally whatever is the symbol for their high school. With the moving, changing and being funneled into ever larger student bodies, the sense of community is a tough thing to achieve.
Here in Pea Ridge, athletic teams are formed for fourth-graders and up, playing contests with other similarly sized schools on an annual basis. The student athletes get to know one another better with a camaraderie and loyalty that will serve them well later on.
Larger towns and cities rely on Boys and Girls Clubs, YMCAs and other youth organizations to provide the venue for children to participate in athletic programs. There is little common community for these aspiring athletes, with the result that the children are understandably much more concerned with their own success than with their team of the moment. Make no mistake, these programs do perform a valuable service, but they lack an aspect that is sorely needed for our country's future.
It is no coincidence that outstanding small school athletes tend to want to play for the college or university of their area or state while big school star athletes tend to want play for schools where they would get the most national limelight, where ever that might be.
The University of Kentucky's basketball program has degenerated (in my opinion) to the point that it has become a one-year NBA tryout camp. High school superstars hope to go there, spend less than 10 months then make their way to the NBA and the big money. Did they ever feel any sense of allegiance or loyalty to the university or the state? Likely not.
Conversely, one of the best high school players in the nation in the person of Little Rock's Bobby Portis was a Razorback fan from his youth, and always wanted to play for his home state. He turned down offers from every top school in the nation to come to Fayetteville this year and play for a team that has been far from the top the past few years. Portis is also know as a great leader and student, and is someone who will make his mark.
I was at the Razorback/LSU game recently when they welcomed back players from past years of Arkansas glory. One of the most cheering was reserved for Russellville's Corliss Williamson who, like Portis, turned down all the best programs in the country to play for his home state. He led the Hogs to their only NCAA championship and came back to the state after his NBA career concluded.
With the times such as they are, our country needs all the loyal and unified citizens that it can muster. An indifferent and divided people cannot long last and prosper in a world populated with people and movements bent on things that can only be described as evil.
It used to be that the big selling point for the bigger schools that there was supposedly so much more opportunity for the student there. A tour of the local school with its new and spacious school buildings, unparalleled athletic facilities and high academic achievement would put the lie to that argument.
Someone recently asked me: "Doesn't encouraging people to transfer to Pea Ridge have the effect of turning us into the big school that you think is a bad thing?"
My reply is that students who attend this school will be the better for it, and so will be the society at large. Our nation's greatness was built on people who had developed pride in their local community, which led to greater pride and loyalty to their state and nation.
While we can't change the nation by ourselves, we can be a part of the solution. Teaching and showing our children that we will all prosper or fail together in a very real sense, and that we can all do our part to help each other to succeed.
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Editor's note: John McGee is an award-winning columnist and sports writer. He is the art teacher at Pea Ridge elementary schools, coaches elementary track and writes a regular sports column for The Times. He can be contacted through The Times at [email protected].
Editorial on 02/26/2014