Throughout its history, Buffalo Island has proven that even a small town can have its fair share of rich and deeply rooted culture. Today, people know Buffalo Island Central as a school of approximately 700 people who exhibit a tremendous amount of pride in their sports and academics. Young Mustangs are proud to don silver and blue and represent their small community, whether it be through EAST, ESports, or theater.

BIC has always been a rural school district set in the backdrop of a cotton field, this has remained constant. However, its name, size, and location have changed dramatically over the years as the district has adapted to meet the needs of students in the 21st century. The current BIC superintendent, Mr. Gaylon Taylor, detailed how the school modernized during his tenure as superintendent. “We had very few computers back then,” said Taylor, “We’ve invested a lot of money during my time here trying to get technology up to where it needs to be. If we didn’t have access to [technology], there’s no way that the kids could be prepared for college.” 

Despite its modernity today, BIC has a major historical foundation. In 1984, the Leachville School District and the Monette School District combined to create the greater Buffalo Island Central School District. This is known in this area as “the consolidation.” The event had major impacts on student demographics, educational opportunities, and student pride. 

The late Mr. George Holland, one of the first superintendents of BIC who served from 1990 to 2013, weighed in on the establishment of the school district. Mr. Holland passed away before the publication of this interview on February 25, 2025.  The consolidation, according to Mr. Holland, had very little opposition. The vote to combine the Monette and Leachville school districts passed the first time it appeared on the ballot. Although the two schools were rivals, all it took were a few basketball games and the student body was united. Buffalo Island school spirit bloomed from then on. 

Mrs. Stacey Qualls, a member of the very first graduating class of BIC and the current BIC elementary school music teacher said that as the first year together progressed, the Mustang pride only grew. “By the second semester, we realized we were stronger together than divided. Does that mean that we never disagreed on anything?  Absolutely not!  But we learned to make sacrifices for each other just like a real family – the Mustang family.”  Qualls recounted that at the beginning of the year, the atmosphere was uncertain, but by the time she graduated, many from Leachville and Monette alike had built lifelong friendships together.

However, school spirit wasn’t the only thing that flourished from the consolidation. Mr. Holland stated that in 1994, there were over 940 students attending BIC.  Student diversity was at a high rate as well, with many hispanic families visiting to work at the cotton gins in the surrounding area. The school population has decreased over the years, largely due to the decreasing average family size in our area, but recently due to new housing developments, it is expected to grow. Mr. Gaylon Taylor commented on this, stating, “Right now, both Leachville and Monette are seeing some population growth with the construction of new houses and apartments.” Says Taylor, “It’ll take a while to see how that affects population growth, but eventually there will be people moving in so our numbers should at least hold their own or increase a little bit.”

With the united school also came more academic opportunities, commented Mr. Holland. Technology was developing at a very fast rate at the time, and with the higher student body population, BIC became a paragon of education in the Buffalo Island area. These opportunities only served to unite the new mix of students even more overtime.

It is important to look at these events, even if they seem smaller the farther we come. By learning about the times, we can acknowledge a greater sense of community uniting Monette and Leachville. The consolidation of the two districts tells us a lot about our history, but most importantly, it shows us the way we were.

Thank you to Mrs. Nan Snider for her assistance with this project, as well as access to her photo collection.