Mena School District

Hi everyone! I’m Natalie Smith. I am originally from Louisiana. I was a teacher there for 3 years before my husband and I moved here to Mena. I'm so excited and look forward to starting this new journey teaching at Holly Harshman Elementary!

Hey everyone! I’m Jennifer Philpot. My husband, Clay, and I have lived here our whole lives and together we have five kids. I’ve been with the Mena School District for four years now as part of the Louise Durham family. I’m looking forward to another fantastic year as I continue my journey as a 1st grade teacher, and I’m very excited to meet my next class of students!

Hi, I’m Amy Montgomery, Assistant Principal at Mena
Middle School. With 24 years of experience in education,
I’ve had the privilege of serving as a classroom teacher,
instructional facilitator, curriculum director, Mena High
School assistant principal/AE director, and novice
teacher mentor. I’m a proud mom of two, Luke, a 2022
MHS graduate, and Avery, a rising junior at MHS. I’m
excited to join the Mena Middle School community and
look forward to serving our students, staff, and families.
It’s a great day to be a Bearcat again!

Hi everyone! I am thrilled to begin my 4th year of teaching as part of the 2nd grade team at Louise Durham Elementary! My husband, Chet, and I are proud Mena natives, and we love calling this beautiful community home. We have a sweet 10-month-old daughter, Lynlee, and enjoy spending time outdoors—especially riding horses or gathering with family. I’m so excited to be joining the Mena Public Schools team and can’t wait for a fantastic year ahead!

Mrs. Krystal Titsworth and MK Poo-ai are attending the National Technology Student Association Conference. MK finished 1st in Promotional Design at the State Competition to qualify.

Hello, everyone! My husband Adam and I are Mena natives and we have four kids - Macy, Maddox, Makenzie and Myles. I have a degree in Early Childhood Education from SAU and this will be my first year teaching kindergarten. I’m so excited to meet my students and see how they learn and grow this year!!

Welcome Liliana Roberts to the team at HHE! I graduated from Southern Arkansas University in 2020 with my Bachelor’s in Elementary Education. I will be entering my 6th year of teaching and I can’t wait to see what this new school year brings at the Mena School District.

Mena School Counselors are attending the Arkansas School Counselors Association Conference this week at the Hot Springs Convention Center.

Guin Nash enjoyed a stack of pancakes at the Skyline Cafe for meeting her accelerated reading goal at Holly Harshman Elementary.

Welcome Kloey Eakin to the team at Louise Durham Elementary. This will be my second year teaching Kindergarten, and I am excited to be a part of the Mena School District. I look forward to starting this year!

Mena High School rising senior Mallori Brotherton is the daughter of Greg Brotherton and Christy Thrailkill. Mallori was a delegate to the American Legion Auxiliary Arkansas Girls State 2025 and was sponsored by the American Legion Auxiliary. Mallori was elected by her peers to be a District Court Judge. “I would like to thank the American Legion Auxiliary for allowing me to attend Girls State 2025. All throughout the week I was able to make new friends, learn new things, and see new places. I will forever cherish the memories that I was able to make and the friends I made while doing so! I hope to one day have an opportunity to use some of the knowledge I learned during my time away because I didn’t just learn more about the government, I learned more about myself as well. Once again, thank you so much to the American Legion Auxiliary and the other sponsors that helped make this possible for my classmates and I. I will forever be grateful!!” - Mallori Brotherton

WE have the rest of the yearbooks in!!! IF we owe you a yearbook- please come & pick it up anytime at Holly Harshman Elementary: Summer Hours 🌞 MONDAY-THURSDAY 7:00am~5:00pm Or give us a call ☎️ to set up a time! and…. we ordered a FEW extra 📚if you didn’t order one the first round!!

The Jr. Ladycats spent Monday and Tuesday at the Morrilton Team Basketball Camp.

We’re gearing up to Stuff the Bus for all area schools, and we need your help! 🎉 📍 This Friday, June 20th 🕗 8 AM – 6 PM 📍 Mena Walmart Parking Lot We’ll be collecting school supplies for students across Polk County to help them start the school year prepared and confident. Let’s make a big impact together! 📝 Most needed items include: #2 Pencils ✏️ Crayons 🖍️ Glue & Glue Sticks Pencil Boxes & Zipper Bags Colored Pencils Plastic & Paper Folders Composition Notebooks 📓 Loose Leaf Paper (Wide & College Ruled) 📅 Can’t make it this Friday? Mark your calendar for our next Stuff the Bus date: July 18th! Let’s pack the bus and set our students up for success!

Mena High School rising senior Katherine Wilson is the daughter of Phillip and Kristi Wilson. Kate was a delegate to the American Legion Auxiliary Arkansas Girls State 2025 and was sponsored by the Veterans of Foreign Wars. She was elected by her peers as a Senator for the Nationalist Party. "I want to give a big thanks to the Veterans of Foreign Wars for giving me the opportunity to attend Girls State. It was a great opportunity to meet people and immerse myself in the mock-government experience that Girls State provides. It was a very interesting, crazy week that I won’t forget anytime soon! Also a huge shout out to the American Legion Auxiliary for putting on the program. I’m very thankful to be part of such a supportive community that enables so many opportunities for my classmates and me." - Kate Wilson

Mena High School rising senior Eli Swall is the son of Steve and Stacy Swall. Eli was a delegate of Arkansas Boys State 2025 and was sponsored by Ginger Sterner of Edward Jones. "Participating in Boys State was an unforgettable experience that gave me a powerful introduction to leadership and how government works from the inside out. I want to sincerely thank Ginger Sterner and Edward Jones for their support, and express my deep appreciation to the American Legion for organizing this outstanding program. Boys State was more than just an event, it was a transformative first step into civic engagement, and I’m incredibly grateful for that opportunity." - Eli Swall Eli is pictured with the elected State Treasurer of Arkansas Boy’s State, Zeke Young. Zeke selected Eli to be his Chief Deputy and Eli was able to meet Treasurer Thurston and some of his staff.

Mena High School rising senior Jackson Thompson is the son of Cory and Candace Thompson. Jackson was a delegate of Arkansas Boys State 2025 and was sponsored by Brian Erickson of Freedom Pharmacy. "I want to thank Brian Erickson of Freedom Pharmacy for giving me the chance to experience something such as Boys State. I learned a lot alongside my fellow classmates and youth of Arkansas and hope to implement it in our community. I also want to thank the American Legion program for organizing the overall experience of boys state and am grateful for the opportunity!" -Jackson Thompson

Welcome Leilani Day to the team at Mena Middle and Mena High School. I am so excited to be back home and have the opportunity to coach the sport I enjoy so much as well as teach the subject that made me want to become a teacher. I am excited for the school year and all the new beginnings it will bring.

Welcome Lindsey Sawyer to the team at Louise Durham Elementary. My little family and I moved back to Mena to be closer to family after 3 years in Siloam Springs. This will be my fourth year teaching 1st grade! I am so excited to pour into Mena students as my teachers once did for me.

Mena Public School Administrators have been attending the Leadership Institute hosted by the DeQueen Mena Education Service Cooperative at Degray Lake State Park this week. Mena staff continues preparations for the 2025-2026 school year which begins on August 13th. See the complete school calendar at the link below. https://www.menaschools.org/page/school-calendars