Administrator Spotlight:
Mark Lewis
Principal, Jim Stone Elementary, Conway Public Schools Mark Lewis, Principal at Jim Stone Elementary in the Conway School District, has spent the last 26 years serving the students of Conway Public Schools. He says "I taught third grade for three years at Ida Burns Elementary before being hired as an assistant principal for both Theodore Jones Elementary and Jim Stone Elementary. After 5 years in that role, I was selected to be the principal of Jim Stone Elementary where I’ve been for the last 16 years." Mark credits his mom with pushing him to follow her footsteps in the education world. However, while she was a big influence on his decision, he says few know the ultimate reason he became an educator: In the summer between high school and college he was asked to help coach a U16 baseball team. "The head coach told me after the season that I had the makings of an educator. The next season I was asked to head coach a new team that was an 'expansion' team. Basically, this means the other teams sent me the players they didn’t want. We went undefeated and one of my pitchers threw a no-hitter.” According to Mark, being a principal is sometimes like being a trash compactor, explaining " You answer to people above, below and around you. We just feel squashed." Outside of the pandemic, the most challenging part of his job is unfunded mandates and not being able to help ease the stress on his staff. As for his favorite part, he says "No contest. It’s the kids. They are the bright spot every day." He says the biggest changes he's experienced in education over his career come from a tie between data and technology, stating " Not everyone even had a computer when I started and now even the kids have some form of technology of their own. Data is the other. When I started, test results went into a file in your desk drawer and were never discussed. Now, every single decision you make is based on data." Mark is most proud of the teachers and staff he has assembled at his school, saying nobody else compares. He states, " It is not a cliche to say we are family. It’s the truth." He also marvels at the success his district has in transporting almost 10,000 kids to and from school each day with few issues. For future goals, he says that through PLCs, his staff is focused on increasing academic achievement as well as supporting the socialemotional well-being of every Jim Stone student. Coworkers might describe Mark as "the old war dog" because he says, "I’ve been in the principal seat longer than anyone in our district. They’d tell you I love listening to new ideas and sharing mine, but it will come with a few funny (to me) stories they don’t have time to listen to." During his time off, he says he loves his Peloton Bike, working out, golf and just being at home watching TV with his wife. "If you can’t find me at any of those places, then I’m cooking on my Blackstone or my smoker." As for his future career plans, Mark says in five years he'll still be right at Jim Stone Elementary, and that he "wouldn’t want to be working anywhere else." 7
