Principal Shout Out

During Lynn Ryan’s senior year at Springdale High School she was considering her college choices when her boyfriend’s family recommended Southwest Baptist. There was only one catch. Her boyfriend had another year of high school and there was no guarantee he would follow her to Boliver, Missouri.

“My dad wanted me to get a college degree and he said he would pay for me to go to any school,” Ryan recalls. “Our family had a successful business so I wanted to do business. Sean Ryan, my boyfriend, and his parents recommended Southwest Baptist. I liked it so I went there.

“As a work study student, I was assigned to Eric Hutchinson, who was the recruiter for Northwest Arkansas. I made phone calls and sent out mailers. I made sure Sean and his family got plenty of information on Southwest Baptist.”

Convinced, Sean enrolled at Southwest Baptist when Lynn was a sophomore. He took extra courses so he could graduate at the same time as Lynn. As it turned out, he was six hours short but finished his work at the University of Arkansas.

“We got married when I was a junior and he was a sophomore,” Ryan explains. “Boliver was a nice place to live. We rode bikes, studied, worked and finished school. During one spring break I did my practicum at Westwood Elementary, where I had gone from kindergarten through sixth grade.”

Wait, practicum? What happened to pursuing business?

“As a senior at Springdale High I took a program called Cooperative Office Education,” Ryan responds. “We spent part of the day in school and part of the day in business. I was an office aide at Westwood. I did a lot of secretarial things like answer the phone and make copies. I loved interacting with the children. I had been babysitting since I was 12 and I really liked kids.

“I had never thought about education until that experience at Westwood. I told my dad I wanted to pursue teaching and he was thrilled.”

Ryan’s dad was thrilled even though his daughter would be leaving the family business, Easterling Real Estate and Construction. The family built houses and duplexes and handled rental property. Sean’s family was in business, too. His grandfather and dad owned and ran Ryan’s Department Store on Emma Avenue for years. Sean’s plan was to continue the family tradition.

“Sean was planning to move the store,” Ryan says. “It had always been downtown. But, his grandfather, Max, decided to retire and his dad, Bob, went into ministry. So, Sean went to work for my family. Looking back, it’s easy to see how God’s hand orchestrated all of the things that happened to us, including leading me into education.”

And, her education career was launched at the same place she started. She was hired at Westwood. But, she was only there a year before moving to Tyson Elementary, where she taught for five years.

“After my fourth year at Tyson I had twins, Adam and Andrew,” Ryan says. “I taught kindergarten during my fifth year, then left Tyson to stay at home with the twins and our newborn, Joshua.”

She enjoyed her time as a stay at home mom but “I wanted something more. I became a teacher at Mother’s Day Out at our church, Fellowship Bible. Eventually I became the director of the program. We lived in the Smith Elementary attendance zone and our boys were old enough for me to return to the classroom, so I applied to teach kindergarten at Smith.

“I interviewed with the principal, Linda Childers, one day, but learned she was going to Harp Elementary as principal. So, the next day I interviewed with Michelle Doshier, the new principal, and Cynthia Voss, the new assistant principal, at Smith. They asked me which school I wanted to work at and I told them Smith and I was offered the job.”

During Ryan’s three years of teaching kindergarten at Smith, she earned ESL (English as Second Language) endorsement and her master’s from Arkansas Tech. She became Smith’s ESL facilitator and spent three years in that position before moving to the district ESL department. She was a curriculum specialist, worked with all the elementary schools and helped launch five new Family Literacy programs after the district had started with three.

Because Springdale had the largest Family Literacy program in the country, the district’s school board members were asked to make a presentation at the National Family Literacy Conference. Then Superintendent Dr. Jim Rollins watched as Ryan coached the school board members through their presentation.

“Dr. Rollins asked me what my goals were and was I interested in administration,” Ryan remembers. “That got me to thinking. If Dr. Rollins thought I could do administration, I would enjoy having a greater impact. I was already working with our district principals as part of the ESL team. I got a lot of ideas from them. So, I got my administrative degree from the University of Arkansas.”

Finished with her degree work, Ryan applied for an assistant principal’s position at Sonora Middle School, which was about to open.

“During my interview Dr. Rollins asked me what I knew about middle school,” Ryan recalls. “I told him I was a mom whose three boys went through middle school. I had observed their transition from elementary school and I would use what I had learned as a parent. I got the job.”

Dr. Shawna Lyons moved from Colorado to become Sonora Middle School’s first principal. Jonathan Buchanan, now assistant principal at Southwest Junior High, joined Ryan as an assistant principal. Ryan spent four years there, including the first year Dr. Martha Dodson became principal.

“Elementary kids dream tons of things but in middle school they start narrowing down their interests,” Ryan says. “They understand their educational pathway in a deeper way. They have new opportunities, like school sports. I loved those years. At the same time, Dr. Dodson encouraged me to reach out for a principal’s job. Walker Elementary came open. I was hired and here I am in my fifth year.”

At Walker Ryan inherited a school “with incredible partnerships and a community that is always looking to help. There is nothing our teaching staff wouldn’t do to help every child. I would put my child in any teacher’s classroom in this school.”

Of course, there are challenges. Last year’s classroom teaching ended abruptly because of COVID and Ryan was sidelined for several weeks with COVID.

“We had a remote day on a Friday and I was feeling really tired,” Ryan says. “I thought I would just rest Saturday. Sunday, I felt a little better but couldn’t taste or smell my coffee. I tested positive. My symptoms extended for weeks, mostly fatigue, then coughing. It was about six weeks before I got my full energy back. The experience has given me additional empathy for anyone who goes through COVID.”

It’s hard to imagine Ryan without energy. She not only is principal at Walker, she teaches a class during the spring semester at John Brown University. She loves time with her family, including their fourth child, Jacob, a junior at the Don Tyson School of Innovation. Her parents are both deceased so Sean, Adam, Andrew and Joshua run the family business, now titled “Ryan Suites.”

“Adam, Andrew and Joshua went through Springdale Schools just like Sean and I did,” Ryan says. “They graduated from Har-Ber High. Joshua is also a realtor for Lindsey and Associates. I love seeing them all work together.

“We love recreational time together, too. I never camped as a kid but we bought a camper last year. It can sleep nine, although that makes it a little cramped. We go to Branson and state parks. If you would have asked me when I was 18, I would never have envisioned the way my life has turned out. I have just been open and receptive to when and where God has led me.”

Walker Elementary staff members, families and students are glad Ryan was directed to be their principal. She is another example of the extraordinary principals who help make Springdale Public Schools #THEChoice.