TERESA RAGSDALE Superintendent of Schools

I would personally like to welcome you to Hartford Schools. I have 25 years experience in education ranging from elementary through college. Of those 25 years, 10 years have been in administration. I was raised in southwest Arkansas in a community the size of Hartford. As a child, I vacationed in western Arkansas around Mena. These are just two of the reasons I took the job in Hartford. I have big plans for Hartford Schools and desire you to participate in them. Please feel free to contact me any time.

DAVID LEE, M.Ed Elementary School Principal

As Elementary School principal, I would like to welcome you to Hartford Schools. I grew up in New Mexico and graduated from Brigham Young University with a Bachelors Degree in Spanish,and coaching. I also added an additional licensure in English. I earned my Masters of Administration from Harding University, and my licensure for Curriculum Coordinator from the University of Arkansas. I began my teaching career in New Mexico where I taught for 5 years. While there I taught Spanish and English, and was a high school basketball coach. We moved to Hartford 26 years ago. During my time at Hartford I have worked as a Spanish teacher, English teacher, assistant football coach, assistant basketball coach, baseball coach, Dean of Students, Assistant Principal, Administrator of Curriculum, and Principal. I have been married to Lynn Lee for 31 years. We have been blessed with 5 children who all attended school at Hartford from Kindergarten through their graduation. It has also been our privilege to sponsor 2 foreign exchange students at Hartford. Four of our children have obtained their college degrees and the youngest is currently working on his. We are also the proud grandparents of 4 beautiful grandchildren. It has been my privilege to live and work in this community for all these years. Hartford has been a great place to raise our family, and we are grateful for the excellent education our children received as students of the Hartford School District.

BRENDA ACKERSON, M.Ed High School Principal

Brenda Ackerson moved into the Hartford community from North Little Rock. She has a M.ED in educational administration from LSU and is certified in math, English, and curriculum development. Her 36-year career has taken her to Louisiana, Texas, and California. "I'm very excited and looking forward to the opportunity the Hartford School District has vested in me," she says. "Arkansas is my home. I'm from a small rural community just south of Batesville and have always been a country girl. I wanted to come to Hartford and live in a community that cherishes small town values. Community and school pride are extremely important to me. I'd like to establish a Hartford Pride committee made up of community and district employees that will dedicate themselves to making our hometown and school district a place of pride. I've already met a number of very concerned citizens and parents who care deeply about their schools and I am very impressed. My motto is "We are the village." It means that community/school improvement takes all of us working together in a positive direction."