Ouachita River School District

ORSD - Acorn and Oden campuses ATLAS INTERIM TESTING
Week of Tuesday, December 2nd - Friday, December 5, 2025

In the best effort to help students be ready and better prepared for this week's upcoming ATLAS INTERIM TESTING, students need to do the following:

- Get plenty of rest & sleep
- Practice & review
- Eat healthy meals & snacks
- Be mentally prepared
- Be at school each day and arrive on time

Students MUST bring their school -issued Chromebook fully-charged to school each day for testing. Thank you for partnering with Ouachita River School District to ensure testing week is a success!

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Winter Break Announcement

The Ouachita River School District – Acorn and Oden Campuses will be closed December 22nd through January 5th as we celebrate the Holiday Season with our families.

Staff Development Meetings will be held on Monday, January 5, 2026
The Monday Program for students will not be in session on Monday, January 5, 2026
School resumes on Tuesday, January 6, 2026

The ORSD family wishes you peace, joy, and happiness throughout this holiday season! 🌟

2025-2026 Career Expo

On November 20th, area high schools from Polk and Montgomery Counties in partnership with the University of Arkansas Rich Mountain Community College and area, regional and statewide businesses, industries, organizations and agencies hosted the 2025-2026 Career Expo event in the Dick and Frances Carver Grand Hall of the Ouachita Center on the University of Arkansas Rich Mountain main campus. The event was from 9-11:00 a.m. with over 75+ career representatives from business, industry, agencies, organizations, military branches, and higher education institutions.

High school juniors and seniors from each of the five high schools were represented: Cossatot River School District - Cossatot River High School and Umpire High School, Mena School District, Ouachita River School District - Acorn High School and Ouachita River School District - Oden High School. The event involved career representatives sharing information, training and career opportunities both current and future for students to learn about and help develop their postsecondary plans. Students were tasked with asking questions and obtaining signatures from career representatives they met with during the event in an effort to facilitate opportunities for employment, internships, apprenticeships, job shadow experiences, education, and training based on students’ career pathways, skills, and career goals. Students also learned about potential career and occupational pathways to explore as a result of this experience. The event was a huge success for students, career and community partners, and school districts.

A huge “THANK YOU” to our community partners and career representatives in attendance:
- University of Arkansas Rich Mountain - Cosmetology Program
- University of Arkansas Rich Mountain - Advanced Manufacturing Machine Tool Program
- University of Arkansas Rich Mountain Library Services - PreEducator Program
- USDA - U.S. Forest Service
- Progressive Therapy.
- Healthy Connections, Inc.
- Dequeen/Mena Education Service Cooperative
- Union Bank
- Chambers Bank
- City of Mena & Mena Fire Department
- Mena/Polk County Chamber of Commerce
- Mena Regional Health System
- The Mena Star & Ouachita Trading Post
- KENA & KQOR Broadcasting
- Repops
- Queen Wilhelmina State Park
- Rich Mountain Electric Cooperative
- Southwest EMS
- US Army National Guard
- US Marine Corps
- US Army & Army Reserves
- National Park College
- Heavy Equipment Operating Academy
- Select Realty
- Polk County Developmental Center
- Choctaw Nation Careers
- Cossatot River State Park
- We Believe Nationwide Roofing & Exteriors
- Cypress Creek Forestry
- JLM Delivers (Trucking)
- UA Cooperative Extension Service
- Central South/Southwest Carpenters Millright
- Arkansas Workforce Connections
- Bradley’s Garage
- Western Arkansas Planning & Development District

Area high schools will be hosting the annual CAREER CONNECT - Reverse Career Fair for seniors on Wednesday, March 4, 2026 - 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM in the Ouachita Center on the UA Rich Mountain main campus. This event will involve seniors from five high schools participating in interviews and providing their resume to career and community representatives. Career and community representatives interested in participating in the reverse career fair event to interview seniors, please contact: Tammy Young at (4790 394-5544, x.104 or tyoung@orsd.k12.ar.us

Our school districts and counselors would like to extend our gratitude to the University of Arkansas Rich Mountain, DeQueen-Mena Education Service Cooperative, Western Arkansas Planning & Development District, Mena/Polk County Chamber of Commerce and all of the career and community representatives and partners! Thank you for sharing your time, talents and important information with our students in helping them be better prepared for life!

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