Why Arlington?

By: Carson Essinger

When choosing a school for your children to attend, there are a lot of factors that play into your decision. Factors such as, “What is the community like?”, “What is the school atmosphere?”, “What does the school have to offer?” and finally “Why Arlington?” As a senior at Arlington, and a long time community member, I feel qualified to answer these questions for you, and shed some light on why Arlington Local School could positively impact your child’s life.Arlington has a lot to offer, whether it be the quiet atmosphere, the communal support, the small businesses, the school district, or the sense of safety you feel when you enter the town.

We are a town of 1,500 people, which to many seems like nothing, but this little town is a place I am proud to call home. We are a family, and just like a family we don’t all like each other, agree with one another, and some people we can’t even stand to be around. It’s kind of like the crazy Uncle Joe, that you know is about to do something dumb, or the annoying Aunt Jane who you are just waiting for to start some sort of drama, but also like a family we have each other’s backs. Arlington has some of the most nosy people in the entire world, but they are nosy because they care. I remember when I was younger a family in Arlington had their house burn down, and for weeks the entire town collected and donated clothes, food, and furniture to try to help this family get back on their feet. Another time a little girl in our school was diagnosed with a disease, and our entire volleyball team wore jerseys in honor of her to help support her and her family. The kindness exerted is not only shown through major crises. It also is shown through simple things such as a neighbor mowing a lawn to help someone out, or parents helping each other out by carpooling with kids to get them to different events they are involved in. All of these examples are just a few out of hundreds of ways that we display how important our neighbors and their lives are to us.

We support our community to the nth degree, but we also support our school with more pride than you could imagine. At football games you will never see the bleachers empty, and at basketball games the gym is practically a sauna from all the people piling in to watch our student athletes play the game they love. However, it doesn't stop at athletics. The amount of community members and volunteers that come in and help elementary students read and high school students create productions to sing and perform in is incredible. Not only that but we have amazing parents that create events for kids to participate in, go on field trips as chaperones, and help out with anything that they possibly can. The community has always and will continue to do a wonderful job supporting our school, but without our impeccable teaching staff, there would be no school to support. We are so lucky with our teachers at Arlington. They truly care not only about what we learn in school, but also about our well being. The small class sizes give students and teacher opportunities to create strong relationships that are key to the success of the classroom. It gives us the opportunity to gain one on one teaching that benefits, the students more than we will ever know.

Along with the communal support directed toward the school, we also have an amazing support system in place for our local businesses. Business such as the banks, the vet clinic, the doctor’s office, the IGA, the pool, and our restaurants stay open because of the community customers who utilize them. We are very lucky to also have our own Fire Department and EMS within our town. Not all towns as small as we are have the ability to sustain services such as these within their limits. All of these businesses and services continue to help keep our town safe, and create an environment that you would want to raise a family in. We also have a closed Facebook group for the community to post updates about events occurring, safety concerns, school functions, volunteer opportunities, and overall questions about the town in general.

Arlington may be small, but as I previously mentioned we are a family. Whether it is in our school or in our community we support each other. The question, “Why Arlington?” shouldn’t be question at all because if you bring your child or your family to this town you will not regret it.

If you have any additional questions after reading this article contact:

Arlington Local School: (419)-365-5121

or visit our town website: