Siloam Springs Community Guide

20 | 2023 Siloam Springs community guide Ken Ramey, former superintendent of Siloam Springs School District, has been a staple in the Siloam Springs community for decades. Ramey, a modest servant of the community, has been announced as a recipient of the 2023 Pioneer Citizen Award, which was awarded to him at the Siloam Springs Chamber of Commerce annual banquet held on ursday, Feb. 2, at Camp Siloam. Ramey says that he doesn't like to draw attention, but noted that he is very humbled and appreciative. "I feel very humbled about it," Ramey said. "I even question why I would be a designated honoree for it, but I'm very appreciative for it." Leading the School District Ramey, who spent 27 of his 52 years in education working in Siloam Springs, has played a pivotal role in the growth of the school district. Before he came to Siloam Springs for the 1992-93 school year, he spent time as a middle school principal at Prairie Grove and as a high school principal at Lincoln. He started his career at Siloam Springs High School as the principal, and moved up to assistant superintendent before becoming the superintendent in 2001. While he wasn't starting from scratch, Ramey said there was work to be done. "ere was negativity there and trust issues, and other things that we just had to overcome when I was getting my start in Siloam," he said. "You had to live and work through that and it wasn't easy." "We came from a pretty limited scope," continued Ramey. "We started off with a very strong anti- tax sentiment when I first came here. People were frustrated about things in society, and oentimes what happens is society comes back into your local community. It affects those that have to have schools based on tax dollars." While there was distrust in the beginning, there was also hope. "When I came here, there was a real core group of strong teachers who made a ton of difference in Siloam Springs," Ramey said. "Plus, the community valued education. ey wanted to improve education and they wanted us to work hard at our jobs. ey wanted a leader that they could trust." Ramey eventually hit his stride, nurturing the growing district and winning many awards along the way, his favorite of which was the Superintendent of the Year Award during the 2016-17 school year. e award, which came from the Arkansas Association of Educational Administrators, was a shock to Ramey. "It was a complete surprise to me," he said. "e whole association was just very good to me and very kind to me and I was proud to win it." roughout all of the triumphs and tragedies, Ramey says the people are what kept him going, and that some of his favorite moments from working in Siloam Springs are the relationships that he built and the trust that he formed. "Beginning to work closely with the school board, developing trust and building relationships were some of the best things I did here," he said. Ramey also noted that building the high school was a huge accomplishment and one that he is proud of. "I'm most appreciative of being able to build a high school, something that you don't build every 45 to 55 years," he said. Now Ramey watches from the sidelines. "I've tried to stay completely out of the way and not judge on anything that's going on," he said. High Praise for Ramey Despite taking a step back from the world of public education, the district's school board members, four of which were first elected under his watch, are still his biggest cheerleaders. "I had the pleasure of serving a short time on the school board while Mr. Ramey was superintendent, however our family was blessed over many years by his leadership," said school board member Travis Jackson. He continued, "With my wife, Monica, being a teacher during his tenure and with all of our children coming through the school system, we experienced firsthand his love and devotion to the children and staff of our district." Audra Farrell, the school board's vice president, also chimed in, noting how Ramey is deserving Sonic Drive-In 1134 Hwy. 412 West, Siloam Springs 479-524-5800 We Serve 1700 S Lincoln St Siloam Springs, AR 72761 479-524-5151 www.jetstreampipes.com http://www.serfcopestcontrol.com • Licensed in AR, MO and OK • Bonded and Insured for your protection • Locally owned and operated Commercial – Residential Member of National Pest Management Association, inc Arkansas Pest Management Association Protecting you, your family and your home since 1974. oce: 479.273.2220 toll free: 1.800.495.2220 fax: 479.273.3401 Serfco POH & Garden AD 0117.pdf 1 1/24/17 11:20 AM • Licensed in AR, MO and OK • Bonded and Insured for your protection • Locally owned and operated Commercial – Residential Member of National Pest Management Association, inc Arkansas Pest Management Association Protecting you, your family and your home since 1974. oce: 479.273.2220 toll free: 1.800.495.2220 fax: 479.273.3401 Serfco POH & Garden AD 0117.pdf 1 1/24/17 11:20 AM 2023 Pioneer Citizen Former SSSD superintendent Ken Ramey reflects on decades of service | By Spencer Bailey Reprinted from a previous edition of the Siloam Springs Herald-Leader

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