WYNNE, Ark. — March 31, 2023, is a day that lives in the memories of many in Northeast Arkansas, but for the residents of Wynne, the destruction left behind is still evident.
The EF-3 twister ravaged the Cross County town, injuring almost two dozen people, killing four others, and taking aim at Wynne High School.
Aaron Russell, the school district’s Communications Officer, told NEA Report that, despite the extensive damage, students were back in class within five days.
Upon return to class, Wynne High School art teacher Jessica Doyle described how students got back into the swing of things, “embracing the new normal.”
That new normal means Wynne High School students are attending class on a make-shift campus of tents of sorts, blocks from where their original school once stood. “Just our whole school being on a temporary campus, students try to ignore that and just focus on being in high school and having that high school experience,” Doyle explained.
Doyle described how the students appreciate the chance to express themselves through art and how that transcends to other parts of their academic careers. “It’s a proven fact that art supports students in their learning,” Doyle said.
According to Doyle, the art classes she teaches at Wynne High School are just the first step for many of her talented students.
“We have a ton of super creative students who blow me out of the water,” said Doyle. As for their futures, she continued, “There are at least 10 kids I can think of right now who could probably get scholarships in the art field.”
While Doyle is extremely proud of those artistically talented students, she takes special care to include all of her students.
“I know there are several students where art is not their first love or they don’t think they’re good enough,” Doyle explained, and for those students, she implores other methods, like working with them individually.
“I try to encourage them. I will work with them one-on-one and give them something simple to draw,” Doyle described the process before she reaches the goal to which all teachers aspire.
“Every teacher loves those a-ha moments when you can convince a student they can do something, even if it’s just a small mountain,” said Doyle.
Doyle said she’s also extremely proud of her work with special education students. She explained, “They really, really enjoy and appreciate doing things hands-on.”
There is no shortage of hands-on projects for students in this third-generation teacher’s art classes. Like her grandmother and mother before her, Doyle uses innovative methods to shape the minds of the next generation.
Even Doyle’s mother is getting back in on the action. She reported, “My mom is going to come in soon and teach my art classes how to crochet and knit.”
Though Doyle loves her students, she said there have been many inconveniences since the tornado. Her new classroom does not have sinks in it to clean the art supplies. She is using baker’s racks to provide temporary shelving, and some supplies were just swept away by the tornado.
Still, in the midst of tragedy, Doyle said she perseveres. “I guess I’m kind of used to winging it sometimes.”
While Doyle doesn’t mind adapting to the circumstances, Russell said work on the new school is moving along at a steady clip. He described the process of rebuilding, complete with jumping through hurdles with insurance companies and FEMA.
“I’m really proud of how we navigated through that. Everybody involved in that made the process go pretty smoothly,” said Russell.
Russell expressed how impressed the district is by the students and how they handled the tragedy of the tornado’s destruction directly on the heels of COVID-19. He said, “They’re super resilient, these kids.”
Russell, also a lover of the arts, holds a Master of Fine Arts degree. He said even in the temporary quarters, the importance of extracurricular activities, whether fine arts programs or athletics, can not be overlooked.
“Those things matter to kids more than I think people understand because that’s where the spirit of a school is,” Russell explained.
Now, with a 3-D rendering of the new campus released on the Wynne School District’s Facebook page, it looks like Wynne High School students will soon be back to normal and even better.
“It’ll be spring of 2027. We will be completely done, and we are super excited about it,” Doyle concluded.
Disclaimer: The NEA Education Spotlight is sponsored by Ramsons to highlight local schools and arts programs in northeast Arkansas. This article does not indicate that Ramsons has done or is doing construction at the featured schools.
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Wonderful article about a wonderful teacher and a great school! I personally know that Ms. Doyle goes above and beyond for all her students and helps decorate for certain events at her school.