Melanie Nichols 4 Gravette

Melanie Nichols 4 Gravette As a mom, educator, and community member, I believe our kids need both: strong roots here in Gravette and wings to carry them wherever their dreams lead.

There’s something about seeing the first one go up. 🧡More than fifty families and businesses across Gravette, Hiwasse, B...
09/10/2026

There’s something about seeing the first one go up. 🧡

More than fifty families and businesses across Gravette, Hiwasse, Bella Vista, Sulphur Springs and Maysville have said yes to a sign this fall. A lot of them are the same folks who said yes back in the spring, and that continued support means a lot.
Every one of those is a neighbor lending me a corner of their yard, and I don’t take a single one for granted. Good people land in different places on election decisions. What matters is getting to know the candidates and making an informed choice.

More signs going up over the next couple of weeks. If you’d like one, just say the word.

Matt and the boys spread signs across the living room floor after dinner and helped me work through the stack — peel, li...
09/08/2026

Matt and the boys spread signs across the living room floor after dinner and helped me work through the stack — peel, line it up, smooth it down, next one. The dog supervised. 😆

Nobody asked to be doing this on a Monday night. And that’s the part I keep thinking about. Running for school board isn’t a solo thing. It’s your family on the floor with a roll of vinyl because they believe you should do it. I couldn’t do this without my family’s support. 🧡

November 3 is a long ballot with several important races — please vote it all the way through.

Today is Labor Day, and our schools are closed.Before the long weekend gets away from us, I want to say thank you to the...
09/07/2026

Today is Labor Day, and our schools are closed.

Before the long weekend gets away from us, I want to say thank you to the people who make our schools run and rarely get named for it. The cafeteria staff who have fed hundreds of kids before most of us have finished our first cup of coffee. The bus drivers who are out before the sun. The custodians who reset an entire building every single night. The paraprofessionals who sit beside a kid who needs someone beside them.

None of that shows up on a test score. All of it shapes a kid’s experience at school.

Enjoy the weekend. You've earned it.

What a Friday! 🧡🖤It started at Kiwanis, where the principals shared about what's happening in their schools — Glenn Duff...
09/05/2026

What a Friday! 🧡🖤

It started at Kiwanis, where the principals shared about what's happening in their schools — Glenn Duffy's new outdoor classroom, district safety, collaboration between buildings, Leader in Me, and the importance of using RTI time to challenge kids at every level, not just the ones working to catch up. That last one stuck with me.

One of the best moments of the morning was at my own table. Titus was the one who asked Dr. Barrett to tell everyone about Dot Day, and then filled in some of the details himself: they're going for two records, longest celebration and largest.

Here's the part he didn't know yet. That afternoon he found out he'd been selected for the Lighthouse Team this year. He'd already spent the morning doing exactly what those teams do - speaking up in a room full of adults about something he cares about. That's the kind of leader our schools are building in our kids.

Then Friday night. First home game of the season, new uniforms on the band, the new scoreboard lit up, and a Lions win.

I watched the band warm up at sunset in their GHS Bands shirts and come back out under the lights looking like that. They've been at it since summer and it shows - they did such an amazing job!

Morning to night, it was all the same thing. People here deciding our kids are worth it. This is the spirit I want to see continue in Gravette, and it's a big part of why I'm running.

Go Lions. 🧡🖤

I'd rather hear what you're actually thinking than guess at it.There's a short form in my bio. A few lines about who you...
09/04/2026

I'd rather hear what you're actually thinking than guess at it.

There's a short form in my bio. A few lines about who you are, and one real question: what should the board be paying attention to?

Ask me something. Tell me what's on your mind, or what's been bothering you for three years. Every response gets read, and I make it a goal to answer within a week — usually much sooner. Before November and after.

[tinyurl.com/MelanieNichols4Gravette]

Deep Roots. Strong Wings.

Sunburned, sore-footed, and already looking forward to next year. 🙌Spent most of yesterday at THRiVE Athletics’ Take Fli...
09/02/2026

Sunburned, sore-footed, and already looking forward to next year. 🙌

Spent most of yesterday at THRiVE Athletics’ Take Flight Night, and I don’t think I sat down for more than a few minutes all day. Worth every step.

Our teams have been running this meet since the very first year, back when it was a fraction of this size. Watching what it’s become — the number of schools, the crowd, kids warming up on every open patch of grass — is something special. And what a night for our Lions. Our boys went 1-2-3, with a fourth runner in at 11th — four medalists to kick off the season. 🧡🦁🖤🏃 Congratulations to Coach Wood and Coach Lindsey and every one of our running Lions.

Cross country might be the best-kept secret in high school sports. Everyone runs the same course. Every runner has a race to be proud of, whether they’re chasing a medal, a PR, or just the finish line. And when that last runner comes in, there are still people waiting to cheer them home.

Shout out to NWACC for the facility, to the timing company who kept things rolling smoothly, to the DJ who kept the vibe hopping, to the NWACC students who volunteered, and to all the coaches, families, and runners who show up and keep making this night better every year.

Can’t wait until next year — with sunscreen and better shoes.

Take Flight Cross country meet today at NWACCNo bench, no cuts, everybody runs, and the kid coming in last gets cheered ...
09/01/2026

Take Flight Cross country meet today at NWACC

No bench, no cuts, everybody runs, and the kid coming in last gets cheered as loud as the kid coming in first. Hard not to love a sport built that way.

Good luck today, Lions.

Deep Roots. Strong Wings.

I'm running for Gravette School Board, Position 3.I've spent 25 years in early childhood education and I serve as direct...
09/01/2026

I'm running for Gravette School Board, Position 3.

I've spent 25 years in early childhood education and I serve as director of a preschool. Most of that work is the unglamorous kind: hiring good people, watching a budget, and answering parents. It's the same skill set a school board needs.

My parents worked in Gravette. I've been in Northwest Arkansas since 1991, and Matt and I chose this district for our own kids. All three of them are Lions, and most of what we do outside of work has a Gravette kid attached to it somewhere — PTO, Band Boosters, the wrestling club, Project Prom, Kiwanis.

A school board doesn't run the schools. It hires well, asks good questions, watches the money, and stays reachable when a family in this district needs an answer.

Working the concession stand at the junior high tournament this weekend, I got asked about the land sale, the dress code, and Wednesday evenings — all while grabbing popcorn and ringing up soda. People don't wait for a meeting to have a question.

There are members of this board who take being reachable seriously and do it well. I intend to be one of them. If you email me, I make it my goal to respond within a week — usually the same day.

I'd like your vote on November 3.

Deep Roots. Strong Wings.

Starting tomorrow morning, I'll be at Table au Pain in Bella Vista every Monday from 8:30 to 9:30, right through Electio...
08/30/2026

Starting tomorrow morning, I'll be at Table au Pain in Bella Vista every Monday from 8:30 to 9:30, right through Election Day.

No agenda and no presentation. If you have a question about the schools, something you think the board ought to be paying attention to, or you just want to know who's on your ballot in November — come find me. I'll be the one with the blueberry scone.

(Taking Labor Day off.)

Strong Schools. Strong Future.

Working the concession stand at the JH volleyball tournament today. Come say hi — I'll be the one handing you popcorn.Go...
08/29/2026

Working the concession stand at the JH volleyball tournament today. Come say hi — I'll be the one handing you popcorn.

Good luck, Lions!

Strong Schools. Strong Future.

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