Grants help Tharptown shine in athletics, the arts
RUSSELVILLE — Recent Northwest Resource Conservation & Development Council funding is giving students at Tharptown High School new opportunities both on the field and on the stage.
Baseball coach Lucas Craft said a grant will provide uniforms, baseballs, bats, catcher’s gear, a new pitcher’s mound and home plate, and a roll-away batting cage.
“We’re extremely grateful to be blessed with this opportunity,” Craft said. “It will all go into use this upcoming season.”
Players said the improvements will make a difference.
“I’m very thankful that we got this grant so we can have all this nice stuff to practice with,” said Christgin Willoughby, a junior.
Jackson Knighten said he plans to use the new batting cage “to get better at hitting this year.”
Principal Tyler Berryman said the cage will make practice safer and more efficient.
“Every good baseball program has one,” Berryman said. “We didn’t have one. A rollaway cage lets you take batting practice on the field without chasing foul balls, and it helps protect players from getting hit while waiting their turn.”
State Rep. Jamie Kiel said he was glad to see the funds come back to local schools.
“We’re glad to return the money back to the community where it belongs,” Kiel said. “Tharptown has a great school. They do great work here helping their kids, and so we want to make sure that we do everything we can to support them in their education.”
Lauranne James, executive director of Northwest RC&D, said projects like this are especially meaningful in smaller communities.
“It is always our pleasure to help with education projects and also athletic projects through the schools,” James said. “That helps the students with social skills and to be able to make a difference in their lives and possibly even their futures.
“It’s really cool to be able to help these smaller schools that wouldn’t necessarily have the funds to do the equipment, the uniforms, and all those things that are really necessary to protect the students while they are learning these skills.”
State Sen. Larry Stutts said he was pleased to see tax dollars come back into Franklin County.
“I’m very pleased to see some of the money coming back to a local Franklin County community where the people that are taking care of the money know the best place to spend it,” Stutts said. “I’m very thankful to see some of your tax money coming back and being used in a very good way in a local community in the county.”
RC&D funds are also helping expand opportunities beyond athletics.
English teacher Meletha Walker said the support has been vital in building a musical theater program.
The school has been able to upgrade its sound system, add headset microphones, purchase portable frames with backdrop drapes, and invest in new lighting trees and a spotlight.
“The kids got to dress up and make it more of a show,” Walker said. “Last year, because of the upgrades with the sound system, our solos could be heard. They were able to use the headsets, and it was just great.”
Walker said students are also being trained to operate the new lighting equipment, giving them hands-on technical experience.
The improvements benefit not only the theater program but also the band, which can now integrate live music into performances.
Dr. Susan Hargett, who has written multiple grants for Franklin County schools, said investments like these help smaller schools give students skills they might not otherwise gain.
“Not only are they doing the arts where people can find jobs, they’re also teaching how to run lights and sound,” Hargett said. “That’s workforce development for kids.”
Earlier RC&D allocations at Tharptown included $15,000 for football equipment at the high school and $5,000 for acoustic improvements in the elementary school gym.
