Between Editions

From the Camden News:

Bearden High School students were evacuated from classes Friday morning while officials conducted a room-to-room search after a threatening note was found inside the school.

The school’s burglar alarm was tripped between 2-3 a.m. Friday. High school principal Jim Bonsall told the Camden News that two classrooms had been “dumped.”

Bonsall explained that desks had been turned over and things were thrown about. Three windows were also damaged, and approximately $80 in cash, along with five checks totaling $74, was taken from one of the classrooms.

“A little more than a prank,” Bonsall said.

He said the handwritten note was found inside the school, and that the note contained some type of threat. Ouachita County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Joe Strickland told the Camden News that his office is working with the school on the case.

Suspects in the case are juveniles.

The Christian Science Monitor published a story late last month on the El Dorado Promise. It has the usual quotes from locals who say they are very grateful to Murphy Oil for giving their children a chance at college. It’s a pretty good read. Click here for the story.

In conjunction with our print edition, we’ll be, from time to time, publishing drawings from area school children as part of the Newspapers in Education program.

The drawing seen here was made by Ali Bentley, 8. Bentley attends Junction City Schools.

By John Worthen
For Between Editions
City leaders and education officials in Kalamazoo, Mich., are taking a fresh look at their “Promise” program. Since 2005, they’ve pledged to pay college tuition for every graduate of the local high school — it’s the very plan that inspired Murphy Oil executives to create The El Dorado Promise.

But, like anything that looks good on paper, reality is often quite a different thing, as the British magazine The Economist reports in a Feb. 7 article:

“…the goal of creating jobs remains distant. The programme may indeed attract new companies one day. But at present the weak job market may deter some families from making the move to Kalamazoo. The region’s energetic economic-development leader, Ron Kitchens, has a daunting mountain to climb.”

It seems as if El Dorado has its own mountain to climb. If you’ve been to district court lately and seen dozens of our local youths being brought before the judge in shackles, then you’ll know that drugs and crime are a serious problem in the city.

Many local youths are still falling through the cracks. There’s no doubt that the El Dorado Promise is indeed helping things somewhat, but there are other problems that must be addressed before it will work to its fullest potential.

El Dorado gets a brief mention in the piece. Click here for more.

NBC’s Today Show visited El Dorado. Here’s the story.