>>Rameen Karbassioon: Next on City Spotlight, we are talking education in Arthur with the superintendent of Arthur schools, Kenny Schwengel, and Buck Condill, the principal at Arthur High School.

We will discuss how the Arthur school district has changed over the years, what impact having students from different counties have had on the school district.

And also, we will talk about the latest activities and projects going on in the Arthur school district.

That's all coming up on City Spotlight.

[music plays] City Spotlight is supported by Consolidated Communications.

CCI is honored to salute the cities and their leaders in the area, as well as providing TV, Internet, and phone service for the local homes and businesses.

We live where we work, and are proud to support the communities we serve.

More information available at consolidated.com.And welcome to another edition of City Spotlight.

Today we're talking about education in Arthur.

And joining me today is the superintendent of Arthur schools, Kenny Schwengel.

>>Kenny Schwengel: Hi.

>>Rameen Karbassioon: And Buck Condill, the principal of Arthur High School.

>>Buck Condill: Hello.

>>Rameen Karbassioon: Gentlemen, thank you for being here.

>>Kenny Schwengel: Thanks for having us.

>>Rameen Karbassioon: Excellent, and your first time on City Spotlight.

We've had Arthur on in previous episodes.

And first off, if you guys tell us a little bit about yourselves.

Kenny?

>>Kenny Schwengel: I've been superintendent now for 11 years, nine years at Atwood-Hammond and two years in Arthur.

And it's about my 30th year in education.

>>Rameen Karbassioon: Excellent, and Buck, your the principal at Arthur High School.

Please tell us a little bit about yourself, please.

>>Buck Condill: This is my second year in that position.

I was at the Arthur Grade School for five years before that as principal.

And I've taught for seven years before that, so.

>>Rameen Karbassioon: Excellent, and both of you guys have been in different places in the school district.

And we'll talk about exactly where, and what, and who's all in the school district.

But what are the advantages of having been in the school district at different positions?

Kenny?

>>Kenny Schwengel: I think it helps get to know everybody that's involved, whether it's non-certified staff or teachers, or other principals or administrators.

I think it just gives you a better background of everybody that's involved in the process.

>>Rameen Karbassioon: Okay, Kenny.

Your thoughts on that being a different part of the school district, and now you're at the high school?

>>Buck Condill: Yeah, I think the relationships that have been built, you know, through both places we've been in and me being a teacher previously, and then a principal in another building, and now a principal in the high school, it just helps build that team and get, you know, involvement and input from a lot of different teachers and a lot of different people in the community, too.

>>Rameen Karbassioon: Excellent.

Again, thank you guys for being here.

Kenny, I think a good place to start is the physical layout of the Arthur school district.

Can you tell us about the schools that you have, and from there can you tell us about any recent physical changes to them?

>>Kenny Schwengel: Okay, basically we're in the fourth year of an annexation with Lovington.

This is the second year for Atwood-Hammond.

So, in keeping that going, we have three kindergarten through eighth grade buildings.

We have one at Lovington, one in Atwood-Hammond, and one in Arthur.

And then, we brought all the high schools together in Arthur.

>>Rameen Karbassioon: Junior high was moved out of the high school, into the Arthur Grade School?

>>Kenny Schwengel: Yes.

>>Rameen Karbassioon: Talk about that component.

>>Kenny Schwengel: Before Atwood-Hammond came aboard, they added 10 additional classrooms to the Arthur Grade School.

So, that allowed the high school to move those junior high classes out, and make more room for the high school students as they came in.

>>Rameen Karbassioon: Okay, and some of these changes obviously, how has Arthur been able to take on all these other students?

We're talking about students, and I'll probably bring this up a couple times, students from three different counties we're talking about, different school districts.

How has Arthur been able to take all these students in?

>>Kenny Schwengel: It's actually five counties because we have Piatt County and Champaign County, as well.

But basically moving the junior high students made a big difference.

There's, none of the elementary buildings are large enough to take all of the elementary students.

So, we're most likely going to have three elementary buildings, you know, as we go forward.

But again, moving the junior high kids out gave us the space at the high school, and makes everything work just great.

>>Rameen Karbassioon: And Kenny, with the different towns, Arthur, Lovington, Atwood-Hammond, and the different qualities and things that go on in these communities, how has the process with the annexation, how were they able to merge all that go on in those different communities altogether, the dynamics of that?

Was that a challenge at all?

>>Kenny Schwengel: The three communities basically are very similar.

So, I think it was kind of a natural fit bringing all three communities in.

The other aspect of that is our Amish community.

We have 70-plus student that attend the public school there in Arthur.

There's about 4,500, I think, Amish in the area.

And then, talking about integrating technology and so forth.

They do utilize some of the technology within the classrooms.

They don't take technology home.

But they benefit from that, as well.

>>Rameen Karbassioon: A common question, or something that's just popped in my head is why would, why is this a good move for Arthur to be able to take on these other students in the, kind of a, your own little regional hub for schools?

>>Kenny Schwengel: Sure, I think the annexation allows for the stability of Arthur and our education in the area, for Lovington and Atwood-Hammond, as well.

I think it provides that stability where a lot of other schools are struggling.

And we're not far from that.

I mean, all schools in Illinois right now I think are struggling.

But this has given us the stability we need to go into the future, and then also provide better education for our kids.

>>Rameen Karbassioon: And a move for some of the other towns that are kind of now a part of the Arthur school district.

You're talking about Lovington, Atwood-Hammond, and you guys have kind of been around in the district.

For those communities to come into another town where the schools are, I wonder what that's got to be like.

>>Kenny Schwengel: I think it was a very good transition.

I think we co-oped in sports, Lovington and Arthur have done so for 20 years.

Atwood-Hammond and Arthur did for two years prior to the annexation.

But I think that kind of set the tone.

It was a successful co-op, and to kind of smooth things over I guess as a transition into one big district.

>>Rameen Karbassioon: And Buck, I'm just curious.

You're at the high school.

It was a junior-senior high school, but now it's just all high school.

And to have kids from different towns, and they were probably in sports.

Some of them were rivals, and now they're all on one team.

What's the atmosphere like with having kids from many different towns?

>>Buck Condill: It's fantastic.

We haven't had, we have had no issues with the kids coming together.

Having those co-op relationships in sports really helped a lot because they were teammates before we brought them into the school.

And like Mr. Schwengel said, it just helps the kids be a part of something a little bit bigger and more sustainable.

And they've ben great in the hallways, and the classrooms, and the sporting events.

It's like they've always been together.

It's been really nice to be a part of.

>>Rameen Karbassioon: And you guys are, again, kind of the central location.

You have all these people, traffic flow, whether it be for school or sports activities.

What's that like, and how do you think that's been a positive thing for Arthur?

>>Kenny Schwengel: I think it's a great thing for Arthur.

Whereas Lovington and Atwood-Hammond may have shopped in different places, now they're shopping in Arthur.

And there's a lot, Arthur provides a lot for the area.

So, I think it's been a boost for probably the economy in Arthur, as well as just the togetherness, bringing everybody together.

>>Rameen Karbassioon: And really, I mean we just talked about, you said five counties of kids and people that are kind of coming to Arthur.

It's, really takes a lot of teamwork and communication to, you know, because you're all in one boat tighter, to be able to make this work.

I mean, is it working like you would want it to?

>>Kenny Schwengel: I think it's, yeah, exactly I think like we would like for it to work.

We've been blessed to have very good staff in all three prior districts.

They all come together, they've all worked very hard.

We're all, I think, student centered, student focused.

And I mean, there's been some bumps along the way, but everybody has the same focus, the same goal.

And I think we're coming together.

>>Rameen Karbassioon: I probably should have asked this question maybe a couple questions ago, but we've heard the terms annexation and co-op, and co-op is affiliated with sports.

If you could maybe give us a definition of what annexation and co-op are.

>>Kenny Schwengel: Right, annexation is just a different type of reorganization or consolidation.

A lot of times when two districts come together, they consolidate, you give up both identities and you become a new district number, a new district name, new school name.

With annexation you're basically just taking that old district in.

You're still the same district, but in our case, with three different districts coming together, we renamed the high school, but the district name is still the same.

Co-op typically refers to the athletic teams.

Atwood-Hammond used to co-op with Bement.

And like I mentioned, prior to the annexation two years we co-oped with Arthur.

And Lovington has done that for a number of years before annexing, as well.

>>Rameen Karbassioon: Okay, so for co-op, for sports it's Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond?

>>Kenny Schwengel: That's the name of the high school.

>>Rameen Karbassioon: Okay, very good.

Alright, okay, very good.

And interested to hear your comments, both of you, on this.

You're in a smaller school district in Arthur.

How have you guys been able to manage through the years with the current state budget issues that we've had in Illinois?

>>Kenny Schwengel: It's definitely been a struggle.

I think we were put in a good position by the previous administration, the previous board members.

Our current board has been forward thinking.

And I think that's allowed us to do the things that we're doing right now financially.

Without a doubt, we're going to struggle.

We're of course eager to see what's going to happen with the state budget.

We received incentive money for the reorganization.

Unfortunately, we haven't received any of that money this year.

And that's going to hurt us, you know, considerably if we do not see that money.

>>Rameen Karbassioon: Okay.

>>Buck Condill: And I think from a curricular standpoint, an academic standpoint, we have great teachers and good leaders in each building.

And the work that's being done to up our offerings, up our course offerings for the students has been outstanding.

And through this annexation process, you know, like Mr. Schwengel said, where some schools are really struggling to keep a full staff and keep a full slate of offerings for their students, and we've been able to actually add programs.

So, it's been good.

>>Rameen Karbassioon: And I find it very interesting that, you know, small towns such as Arthur that, you know, has a nice business district, you have lots of activities, and you have all this community, all these people that are coming into your town and becoming kind of its own-- I mean, I'm re-emphasizing the whole, you know, school district with so many people coming in from different places.

It's got to give Arthur a great sense of pride to have so much of this East Central Illinois area in its town.

>>Kenny Schwengel: Oh, absolutely.

It is, I wouldn't necessarily call it a destination spot, but I mean there's a lot that Arthur has to offer.

I think there's over 450 businesses in the greater Arthur area.

And you can get just about anything in Arthur.

>>Buck Condill: And the sporting events not only benefit the Arthur residents, but we've seen an uptick in housing, you know, the sales of houses and rentals in Lovington, in Atwood and Hammond, and the surrounding areas.

People want to be a part of that district.

And just, what are we, 252 square miles?

So, it's a big are.

People, families can move in anywhere in that district, and be a part of something special, so.

>>Rameen Karbassioon: We've talked about the students coming from different points, counties, cities.

What about staff?

Have some of the staff from other schools and other towns been able to merge in with the Arthur?

>>Kenny Schwengel: Absolutely, that was part of the incentive funding, is to bring those staff members along, as well.

And then, we're probably, we knew going in we were probably going to be a little overstaffed.

But through retirements and so forth, we knew we'd get down to that number.

But that's also allowed us to offer more that we wouldn't have otherwise.

But, so yeah, we brought all the staff members from each district.

>>Rameen Karbassioon: So, you have multiple grade schools, and the junior high's over at the Arthur Grade School.

You didn't have to physically increase, like add on to the buildings to accommodate?

You were able to just move people around, and it's kind of all worked?

>>Kenny Schwengel: Just the junior high.

We added 10 classrooms to accommodate the junior high to the grade school.

But otherwise, we have the space.

Like I said, we don't have enough room for one elementary or two elementary's because, you know, our numbers seem to be increasing.

>>Rameen Karbassioon: Okay.

Next two questions I probably could ask in any order, but I'm curious, when was your last referendum, and do you have one coming up?

>>Kenny Schwengel: Well, the last referendum would have been for the annexation with Atwood-Hammond a couple years ago.

But we haven't, none in sight at this point.

>>Rameen Karbassioon: Okay, very good.

And time to go back to the buildings.

Do you have any building improvement projects that have transpired recently or that you're eyeing that you could maybe talk about?

>>Kenny Schwengel: Nothing immediately.

There's been some discussion about adding an additional gym to the Arthur Grade School.

We've also talked about a possible vocational type center.

Vocational education is very important in our district, and very important in our community.

And we have a number of community groups that are interested in trying to expand that, as well.

So, there's some discussion about that.

>>Rameen Karbassioon: Okay, excellent.

Well, we're in a new school year here.

We're taping this in December.

People are seeing this here at the start of the new year.

I want to talk about some of the activities, projects that are going on in the Arthur school district.

Buck, anything unique going on at the Arthur High School?

>>Buck Condill: Sure, we're right in the middle of our one-to-one initiative, which is putting a Chromebook, a laptop in every student's hands.

So, we have, currently our sophomores and juniors all have their own device.

Hopefully, next year we'll outfit everybody else, so our high school will truly be a one-to-one high school.

And integrating that technology into our classrooms has been I think better than expected so far.

The students and teachers have really embraced it.

And the sky's the limit.

There's a lot you can do with that technology.

So, that's one of our biggest projects that we've been working on.

And through the community's support, we have donors and money coming in from organizations that has just been outstanding to help us fund that.

So, it's been impressive.

>>Rameen Karbassioon: And that's a very good point.

In this technological, digital age that we're in, you're seeing more of this digital learning platform in schools.

Is that something that's been a focus of to integrate into the Arthur schools?

>>Kenny Schwengel: Oh, absolutely.

There's been a concerted effort to make that happen.

And beyond the high school, we're putting Chromebooks into grade schools, as well.

Not quite at the same numbers, but in trying to do it proportionately based on enrollments.

But little by little, we're adding more and more technology to each building.

And we had a big project this summer to increase our bandwidth within the high school, into the gyms and so forth.

And I think we're being very progressive about that.

>>Rameen Karbassioon: Buck, you're a principal at a school in Arthur.

How does this new digital learning platform, how does it help students learn maybe differently or better?

>>Buck Condill: It's, I think the best way to describe it is that it gives them more opportunities to collaborate.

Students working with students, students working with teachers.

You know, things don't necessarily have to happen in the classroom anymore.

We are a Google based school, so you know, they can share documents, they can email each other, they can message each other.

And if you have a group project and, you know, all the kids are at home in an evening, you can still go online and pull up that project, and everybody can contribute to it from where they are.

And we've seen a lot of good things come out of that.

So, it's just helped with those relationships and collaboration efforts.

>>Rameen Karbassioon: Are there any projects that the students now in the school district are involved with the community outreach and helping, any programs like that?

>>Buck Condill: Yeah, especially this time of year.

We have a very active FFA chapter and an FCCLA chapter, student council's very active.

They're right in the middle of the canned food and toy drive that all our communities are a part of.

Our kids just had a spaghetti supper and raised a bunch of money, and donated to the drives, not only in Arthur, but in Lovington and Atwood-Hammond, too.

So, that's been one of our big pushes this year, is service and getting our kids to be more involved in the community.

And we have community members coming in all the time, we have students going out all the time.

And it's been a really big emphasis for us to really get that service oriented feeling around the communities.

So, it's going well.

>>Rameen Karbassioon: And Kenny, the community support, I mean schools, and I'm probably going to ask this question here shortly, but the schools are the heart of a community.

How has the community support been to make all of this transition, to where you have all of these communities working together?

How has it worked, and what are you seeing?

>>Kenny Schwengel: The communities have been very supportive.

of course the schools always seem to be the focal point, you know, of the community, and the greater community bringing in Atwood-Hammond and Lovington.

But we've got all kinds of help.

People are always willing to step forward and help.

Businesses, just the public in general have been very supportive of this process, and I think they realize we're all in this together.

>>Rameen Karbassioon: And you're all in this together.

And now you have, you know, you have Arthur, Lovington, Atwood-Hammond all together.

Is that it?

I mean, there's no more coming in or any of them leaving any time soon?

>>Kenny Schwengel: No, at this time that's it.

We don't have any future plans to expand.

And we just want to build on, you know, what we're doing now, and do a great job at it.

And we've got great staff and a great team, great community, and we want to make the best of it.

>>Rameen Karbassioon: Okay, excellent.

I have a couple more questions left, and I'll direct this one to Buck.

Kind of asked him about, you know, the schools are the heart of a community.

Talk about why people, they live in the Arthur school district, whether they live in Arthur, Lovington, Atwood-Hammond, what makes the Arthur school district so great.

>>Buck Condill: I think it starts with what happens at home.

We've got great families, and you know, a lot of good values and hardworking people.

And Kenny mentioned earlier that you can get just about anything you need in that area, just the industrious nature of the communities is just outstanding.

And it starts at the home, and then we see these kids come up through the schools.

And they know right from wrong, they have good manners.

You know, they know how to work.

And that's just a great base to build from.

I think the area attracts hardworking families.

And as a school, you know, we benefit from that.

So, then of course from the families, the teachers take it from there.

And pre-K through, you know, senior level classes, we've got teachers that care about kids and that care about their families.

And if you have that, then you can do anything, so.

>>Rameen Karbassioon: Well said.

And Kenny, can you add anything to what Buck has said here about, yo know, people living in Arthur, around Arthur, and they're coming to the school district.

What, in your opinion as a superintendent, what makes the Arthur school district and Arthur a great place to be?

>>Kenny Schwengel: Well, we're a bigger district, but we're not a big district.

I mean, we're still a small, you know, rural school.

I think we have those same values that a lot of people, you know, want, and they want their kids to grow up that way.

So, I think we still have that small school feel, but we can provide and meet the needs of all the kids and the parents.

>>Rameen Karbassioon: And you know, this is our third episode we've done with Arthur, and we've learned a lot about the businesses and the hardworking people in Arthur.

And does that reflect the school district in any way?

Do the kids see the hardworking people in and around Arthur?

>>Buck Condill: Yeah, and we're having, like we said earlier, we're having a big vocational push.

We have great partners from the industrial side, from the business side, from the community development side.

You know, we go to meetings all the time with community people and business leaders.

And we haven't even scratched the surface, I don't think, on how we can plug our students in to those businesses.

We have a great work co-op program that we started last year, and our kids can come to classes in the morning, and then they go out to the job site in the afternoon.

And they get credit for it, and they get a paycheck.

So, that's been going very well, it's growing.

We have great partners in the area.

And you know, just teaching those kids how to work.

Soft skills, you know, show up on time, and come back the next day after you get your paycheck.

You know, I mean knowing how to hold a job and to communicate.

Those are all things we work on.

And I think that the community partnership with that has been just outstanding.

>>Rameen Karbassioon: Excellent, and we've been talking about education in Arthur today with you, gentlemen, and the comments have been great.

And just in general, what makes Arthur, and branching off of the education for a second here, what makes Arthur a great community?

Kenny?

>>Kenny Schwengel: It's the people.

I mean, it's the whole package.

It's what Arthur has to provide, you know, to its community members.

School, health care, just every aspect of the community and the people involved.

It really is the people that make it a great place to live.

>>Rameen Karbassioon: And Buck, I've attended the Fourth of July celebration stuff, and it's amazing.

I've been to it a few times.

But seeing the most recent one and the turnout, a lot of people flocked in for that, and it's great.

Some of the unique things that you like about Arthur.

>>Buck Condill: Well, you know, I'm biased, I grew up there.

So, we have a very entrepreneurial spirit, I think.

People want to work and want to host, and you know, make things not only good, but you know, elite with our programs.

We have something going on almost every weekend in town.

It's amazing.

And with the Amish community around, of course that's a big draw.

But just the cottage industries, the small, you know, entrepreneurial industries that are just unique.

And you know, people can go get a dozen eggs and then go get a side of lamb, and you know, go down the road and get their shoes fixed.

And I mean, it's kind of that small town, throws you back in time a little bit.

The pace is great.

We don't take things too quickly around there.

So, it's just a great place to raise a family, and the school's strong, and the people are strong.

So, that's why I'm sticking around, so.

>>Rameen Karbassioon: Excellent.

Gentlemen, my last question here as we wrap up here talking about education in Arthur.

We're taping this kind of in the middle of December, but Happy New Year to everybody, happy 2016.

What's something either one of you are looking forward to in 2016, whether it be in Arthur or in the schools?

Kenny?

>>Kenny Schwengel: I think from the school standpoint, taking where we're at now and just building upon that, and seeing how far we can take it.

I mean, we have high expectations.

I think our staff has high expectations.

And just continue to try to meet the needs of the students the best we can, and excel in that regard.

>>Rameen Karbassioon: And Buck, what's something you're looking forward to in 2016?

>>Buck Condill: I think just getting further down the road.

Annexation is not easy.

It brings staff together, it brings students together, families together that kind of had their own identity.

And so, we have a lot of work left to do, but we've got the right people in the right spots.

And so, I'm just looking forward to getting further down the road.

Time will tell, and I think we're off to a great start.

And we feel solid and good about what we've done.

We still have a lot to do, but we're ready for it.

>>Rameen Karbassioon: Sounds like you're off to a great start with the annexation and moving forward.

Arthur, Lovington, Atwood-Hammond all in the school district together.

And learned a lot here today.

I've learned a lot, and hopefully our viewers have learned what's going on and how the Arthur school district has gotten to this point.

So, Kenny Schwengel, superintendent of Arthur schools, Buck Condill, the principal of Arthur High School.

Thank you very much for coming on, gentlemen.

It's been a pleasure.

>>Kenny Schwengel: Thank you for having us.

>>Rameen Karbassioon: I'd like to thank all of you for joining us on this latest episode of City Spotlight.

As we wrap up here, let's take a look at some of the upcoming activities going on in Arthur.

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We live where we work, and are proud to support the communities we serve.

More information available at consolidated.com.

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