GARFIELD, Ark. — After the City of Garfield bid farewell to its elementary school this past spring, a new charter school is filling that void.
"Back in 2023, we learned that Rogers Public Schools was closing the elementary school here in Garfield, Arkansas," said Dr. Melanie Kennon, CEO of the new school. "We felt like the people of Garfield deserved a community school."
That's where the new Garfield Scholars' Academy (GSA), a "tuition-free, public charter school," came in.
"The mayor reached out to us when they decided to close the Garfield school, and said, 'Hey, we need a place to meet,'" Pastor Gary Thomas said. "We brought it to our church for a vote, and it was unanimous. We charge no money, and we feel like it's a contribution to our community."
The school is located inside the First Baptist Church of Garfield at 17784 Marshall St.
"Time and again, I've witnessed this community come together for the children of the community," Mayor Gary Blackburn said. "We had a dynamic duo in Ms. Joy and Ms. Melanie, and they've poured their heart and soul into this endeavor. There's no doubt in my mind that it will succeed."
Around 90 students from kindergarten to 5th grade are expected to begin on Aug. 21. The 2024-25 school will wrap up on May 15.
"We have plans for years down the road, but we're very excited to have all of the families that have joined us already and we're happy to have any other families that want to come," Joy Johnson said.
For this school year, Director Cheryl Harrison said more students are enrolled at GSA than the last round of students at Garfield Elementary School.
"We actually have more students now than were at the previous Garfield elementary, and we're recruiting a lot of home school families," she said. "We've had some people from other communities around here too, so we're really excited about that."
The application deadline for next school year's enrollment will be in March 2025. Applications are available on GSA's website.
"We want to make sure that everybody understands this is a publicly funded, open-enrollment charter school," Harrison said. "All students are welcome."
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