As we settle into the heart of December, the spirit of learning and community shines brightly across our Roanoke Rapids Graded School District. 

Here's a look at the exciting highlights from last week and what’s ahead in the coming days:

Clara Hearne Pre-Kindergarten Center

Mark your calendars for Cookies with Santa this Thursday, December 12, from 5:00–6:30 PM at Clara Hearne Pre-Kindergarten Center. This family-friendly event promises holiday cheer for our youngest learners and their families.

Belmont Elementary School

A big thank you to Girl Scout Troop 110 for their generosity in purchasing toys for Belmont Elementary School’s toy drive—your kindness will make a difference for many children this season. Also, last Thursday’s Literacy Night and Book Fair was a tremendous success! Seeing so many families come together to celebrate reading was truly inspiring.

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Manning Elementary School

Our third graders at Manning Elementary School recently completed an exciting project inspired by Balloons over Broadway: The Inspiring True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade by Melissa Sweet. After studying Tony Sarg, the creative mind behind the Macy’s Thanksgiving parade balloons, they designed and built their own balloon characters. These creative projects are now on display and showcase their innovation and teamwork.

Chaloner Middle School

The Quiz Bowl Team at Chaloner Middle School made us proud at the 30-20-10 National Competition this past Friday. Competing against over 400 teams, they displayed impressive knowledge and poise in their first event of the year. We are excited to watch them continue to grow as they prepare for league play starting in January.

Meanwhile, the Roanoke Riverbots Lego Robotics Team traveled to UNC-Wilmington (UNCW) last Wednesday to see the Mohawk ROV in action. The Mohawk ROV is part of UNCW’s Center for Marine Science’s Undersea Vehicles Program. The Mohawk ROV is a fly-away, medium-sized remotely operated vehicle (ROV) that can be deployed rapidly and provide georeferenced HD video and digital still photography documentation and multiple sample collections for a variety of scientific objectives (e.g., multibeam ground truth, habitat characterization, marine archeology, biological behavior monitoring, and site reconnaissance).

This experience ties directly into their Innovation Project and coding work for the upcoming state competition, which will be on Saturday, January 11, 2025, in Greensboro, NC. Keep up the great work, Roanoke Riverbots!

Roanoke Rapids Early College

End-of-course testing begins this Friday, December 13 for Roanoke Rapids Early College. Scholars, remember to arrive on time, be prepared, and give it your all. Your hard work and dedication will pay off!

Roanoke Rapids High School

Tonight, our Roanoke Rapids High School Concert Choir, Men’s Choir, and Women’s Choir will perform a Christmas Concert at 7:00 PM at Rosemary United Methodist Church. This free concert promises to fill the evening with holiday spirit. Please join us to support these talented performers and receive a Christmas blessing from their performance.

Districtwide Highlights

This past Sunday, we were excited to join the Roanoke Rapids Christmas Parade on a float with Clements Mechanical, Clements Family Farm, and Big John’s Store. Featuring the beautifully decorated Big John’s Store Covered Wagon, it was wonderful to see so many students, families, and community members along the route and wish them a very Merry Christmas.

On Saturday, Public Information Officer Mandy Clark and I were grateful to join with our local police officers, firefighters, and other community leaders for Christmas for Kids. This experience is one of the most special of the holiday season for us, as we each get to know one of our young people as we shop together in Walmart for their Christmas presents. We are thankful for each adult, student, and family member who brought the students. A big thank you goes to Tina May who works so hard each year to make this event a success.

Board of Trustees

Tonight, December 10, the Board will hold Committee Meetings in Building A at Central Office.

Policy and Finance/Personnel discussions start at 6:00 PM, followed by Curriculum and Facilities/Safety at 7:00 PM. These meetings are open to the public, and we welcome your attendance. The next Board Meeting will be Tuesday, December 17.

Dr. Mike Williams, our Board Chairman, was recognized at this week’s State Board of Education meeting for his service over the last year as the Local Board Advisor to the State Board of Education (a position awarded to the annual winner of North Carolina School Board Association’s [NCSBA] Raleigh Dingman Award). In his final comments, Dr. Williams highlighted three major takeaways: (1) the State Board of Education and North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) are full of guardians of the right to a sound, basic education for every child in North Carolina’s public schools, (2) overseeing all of the public schools at the volume NCDPI does can be overwhelming, but the high level of competency among staff is unwavering, and (3) the North Carolina General Assembly should be encouraged to hold statewide and local education leaders accountable, but in conjunction with freedom and support. NCSBA will continue to benefit from Dr. Williams’s work on the NCSBA Board of Directors. Those of us at RRGSD join with the NCSBA to say for all you’ve done, and continue to do, we thank you, Dr. Williams.

Thank you for your continued support of our schools and students during this busy and joyful season.

Together, we succeed as we make great strides in education and community engagement. Wishing you a wonderful week ahead!