Cutter Morning Star High School hosted its second annual Signing Day on Thursday at Eagle Arena, in which 58 seniors signed their letter of intent for continued education or the workforce.
Colleges and workforce representatives at the event included Rocky Mountain College of Art & Design, Southwest Mississippi Community College, University of Central Arkansas, National Park College, Henderson State University, Ouachita Baptist University, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, U.S. Air Force, and the Arkansas Division of Workforce Services.
CMS Superintendent Nancy Anderson spoke on the importance of "having a plan," whether that entailed college, trade school, or the workforce. As part of the Signing Day initiative and the district's focus on students being prepared for life after high school, each senior is asked to fill out a form regarding their interests and post-high school intentions.
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"A couple of years ago, we have a graduation effort at the end of May every year, and I happened to run into some of our students that had graduated that year," she said. "It was like June, July, August, and I talked to them and I'm like, 'What are you doing? What's your plan? Are you going to school? You working? What are you doing?' And that's exactly what happened, they looked at me and they had no plan. So it dawned on me that we need a plan. Every kid, 100% of the kids that walk out of this building on May 18, needs a plan."
She said while many students do know if they are going to college or have a job plan, a large number of them have "no idea" what they are going to do. The important thing, she noted, realizing one's options and knowing they do not necessarily have to go to college.
"Plans are different. Everybody's not going to go to college, and that's fine. We need different people in walks of life. ... We are an education institution, but we realize that everybody, their plan isn't college. But you still have to have a plan," she said.
She also pointed out the importance of perspective, noting that when the seniors graduate, it is not the end, but rather the beginning of their lives and what they make of it.
"While it may be the end of your formal high school education, it is not the end ... It is the beginning for some of you to continue your education. It is the beginning for some of you to go into the workforce. It is the beginning for some of you to go to a trade school. It depends on what your interest is," she said.
Anderson told the high school student body that even though they may graduate, they are still a Cutter Morning Star Eagle and that will never change. She encouraged them to keep in touch with their classmates after high school and to also maintain a relationship with the school itself, noting, "I want you to also know we are always going to be here for you; we have prepared you."
"It doesn't matter what you need in six months from now or what you need in six years from now," she said. "We're here for you, and not just to come get your high school transcript because you need it for another job or whatever. ... We'll do anything we can because your success is a result of your teachers' hard work."
Cutter Morning Star School District Superintendent Nancy Anderson talks about the importance of having a plan for after graduation during the school's annual Signing Day. - Photo by Lance Porter of The Sentinel-Record
Cutter Morning Star senior Jacob Barrett, at right, looks on after signing his letter of intent to attend Henderson State University in the fall, as HSU admissions counselor Steven Garner holds up Barrett's letter. - Photo by Lance Porter of The Sentinel-Record