On Thursday, the Batesville Area Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for The HUB, Batesville School District’s new family resource center. The HUB is located in the former Federal Building (the home of the Batesville Post Office) at 490 E. College.
Batesville School District (BSD) opened its new facility, The HUB, to serve as its family resource center, enabling them to work towards its strategic goals of “maintaining effective facilities and increasing parent and family engagement,” the chamber said in a release.
Batesville School District Superintendent Dr. Michael Hester recognized the community’s role in helping BSD achieve its goals, saying, “In my 38 years of experience, I’ve never had such a partnership and community-mindedness as I have experienced in Batesville.”
“Through our chamber, with our board members and their vision and participation, [developing this space] for partnerships in the community and efficiencies in the district was able to happen.”
The HUB was renovated with a $475,000 DHS grant and will be “the hub” for parent resources, student registration, and programs serving students and families attending Batesville School District.
“Our plan and hope for The HUB is for this to become a place where families throughout Batesville can come if they need help with a job application or clothes for an interview,” said Assistant Superintendent Jennifer Douglas. “We want this to be a usable space for our entire community, and we want families to feel comfortable coming in.”
The HUB will house a food pantry, clothes closet, and offices for the district’s fourteen home visitors, who offer parenting skills training and in-home visits. The HUB is a centralized location for parent education and engagement events, like the upcoming Safety Baby Shower, where every family can take home a car seat or other safety item for their child.
“I am so proud of how much this District—from the staff to the teachers to the administrators, the leadership, the school board, everyone—puts students first, said BACC Chief Operating Officer Jamie Rayford. “But they don’t just put students first; they also put families first. And this space is all about that, and I’m very excited for this to be revealed.”
Ambassadors in attendance included: Mary Duvall (Bad Boy, Inc), Tammy Foster (First Community Bank), Eva Henriksen (Merchants & Planters Bank), Lori Tacker (Batesville Eye Care Center), Christina Watts (LaCroix Precision Optics), Jesse Cargill (UAMS), Brittney Harris (Independence Off-Road), Lindy Hopper (First Community Bank), Amy Crouch-Howard (Weichert, Realtors – The Property Shoppe), Adam Curtwright (Centennial Bank), Ashley Engles (Citizens Bank), Amy Finster (White River Health), Kirsten Harvey (Arkansas Sherriff’s Youth Ranch), Aaron Herndon (Citizens Bank), Dana Millikin (White River Now), Aaron Moody (Independence County Sheriff’s Department), Megan Renihan (Batesville School District), Peter Rouiler (First Community Bank), Justin Russell (Bank of Cave City), Kimberly Williams (First Community Bank), Micah Moody (White River Health), and Lindsey Dingman (Bryants Pharmacy and HealthCare Center).
Above image: Batesville Area Chamber of Commerce
