At the August Regular Board Meeting, the North Little Rock Board of Education approved the Superintendent’s recommendation to rename Seventh Street Elementary School to North Little Rock 6 Academy of Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences. The name change, which will go into effect in the 2025-2026 school year, is a nod to the six black teenagers who tried to integrate North Little Rock High School in the fall of 1957.
The story of the North Little Rock Six is largely unheard of as it sits in the shadow of the highly-publicized Little Rock Nine, who famously entered Central High School in Little Rock in 1957. But just across the Arkansas River, in the same year, Mr. Eugene Hall, Mr. Frank Henderson, Mr. William Henderson, Mr. Richard Lindsey, Mr. Gerald Person, and Mr. Harold Smith tried to enter North Little Rock High School. They, too, were met by an angry mob and by the Superintendent, who barred their entrance.
Students at the high school television center created this video and interviewed one of the members of the North Little Rock Six. This link takes you to the video.
Integration did not occur in the North Little Rock School District until the 1964-1965 school year, beginning with first and second grade students. Finally, twenty black students entered North Little Rock High School in the fall of 1966, in which five black students graduated in the following spring.
Theme Selected
In collaboration with the Seventh Street Community Advisory Board (CAB), made up of industry partners, parents, school staff, and community leaders, the school will implement a Veterinary & Agricultural Science-themed school. This theme comes as a transformational approach to better engage students in the teaching and learning process through real-world applications. Selecting the Agricultural and Veterinary Science theme will expose students to project-based learning and problem-solving strategies in all subject areas. This innovative approach, which encompasses the new vision of the North Little Rock School District, known as “E4,” can be read at this link.
“A veterinary and agricultural-themed elementary school is a great idea to add real-world relevance to learning any subject matter. I am excited to learn more about this new, innovative learning opportunity for the students who attend this unique school and how we can partner with them,” said Dr. Laura Rothfeldt, State Public Health Veterinarian at the Arkansas Department of Health.
This is a first-of-its-kind school in the North Little Rock School District. The North Little Rock Board of Education approved this transformation model in March 2023. The school, which currently houses Pre-K through fifth grade students, will be reconfigured into a Pre-K through eighth grade campus over the next several years.
A celebration to mark this milestone will take place in November.