The end of the 2023-24 school year is quickly approaching for Roanoke Rapids Graded School District.

On Friday, May 24, 2024, our elementary and middle school students began their End-of-Grade assessments, and our high school students will begin Monday, June 3, 2024. 

These standardized tests, administered annually, serve as a measure of student proficiency and growth in reading and math in grades 3-8, science in grades 5-8, Math 1, Math 3, English II, and biology. 

They play a pivotal role in evaluating both student and school performance. 

• Click to open image! Click to open image!
• Click to open image! Click to open image!
• Click to open image! Click to open image!
•  

Students have dedicated countless hours to review sessions, practice tests, and collaborative study groups, determined to showcase their knowledge and skills, and our teachers have gone above and beyond to provide additional resources, personalized support, and encouragement to help students succeed. 

As students sit down to take their EOG assessments, they do so with a mixture of anticipation, apprehension, and determination. 

Their performance on these tests will not only reflect their academic knowledge and skills but also their resilience as these tests are long and difficult. 

While these standardized tests serve as important benchmarks in our educational system, it is essential for us to remember that our students are so much more than their test scores. 

Each student possesses a unique blend of talents, passions, and experiences that defy quantification. 

I am so grateful to be able to lead our school district and am blessed to go into our school buildings and build strong relationships with our students. 

In sitting and talking with them, I know that our students are artists, athletes, musicians, scientists, writers, leaders, and so much more. 

• Click to open image! Click to open image!
• Click to open image! Click to open image!
• Click to open image! Click to open image!
•  

They demonstrate creativity, critical thinking, resilience, and compassion in ways that cannot be captured by any single test score. 

Their contributions to our school community extend far beyond the confines of a testing room. 

At RRGSD, we work together to teach our students the content they need to succeed on EOG assessments, but even more importantly, we strive to empower them to embrace their individuality, pursue their dreams, and make meaningful contributions to the world around them.

On Tuesday night, our Board of Trustees met for the May meeting. 

In addition to hearing reports from all four Board Committees, they interviewed three candidates, Carlton Ansley, Jim Whitmire, and Mary Duncan, to fill the vacant seat. 

While the Board voted, they did not come to a majority decision, so they will reconsider this decision at the June meeting. 

Later, the Board approved two new administrators. 

Longtime Chaloner Middle School Assistant Principal Kirk Wynne will take on the role of Principal at Manning Elementary School in July. 

Mr. Wynne has been a part of the district for the past 23 years, having previously served as CMS Athletic Director, PE teacher, football coach, and basketball coach. 

Coordinator of Covid-19 Interventionists and Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) Krissy Martin will serve as the Director of MTSS and Exceptional Children. 

Mrs. Martin has been in public education for 21 years, having been with RRGSD for the past two years.

Prior to the regular Board meeting, the Roanoke Rapids Schools Foundation met and awarded two grants, totaling $4,000, from the Newsom Family Endowment for the Arts. 

Mac Newsom, who was a 1961 RRHS graduate, established the endowment as a way of giving back to the community and furthering art programs within the district.

Shelley Rideout, art teacher at Chaloner Middle School, and Christian Boletchek, band teacher at Chaloner Middle School, each received a portion of the grant to purchase needed items for their programs. 

To date, the endowment has awarded more than $22,000 to teachers in the Roanoke Rapids Graded School District.

I am excited to announce that some of our Chaloner Middle School students earned top honors for this year's Word Masters Competition. 

The WordMasters Challenge is a national competition that consists of three analogy tests that encourage growth in vocabulary and verbal reasoning and require both a mastery of the meanings of advanced vocabulary words and their relationships. 

Earning National Honorable Mention were sixth graders Sai Tiwari and London Sanders and seventh graders Robert Stallings and Avery Carter. 

Earning National High Honors was seventh grader Kahlyn Beach. Our top performer in eighth grade was Abraham Howell.

Across the district this week, many of our students made some special memories. 

Our Roanoke Rapids Early College graduates visited Kings Dominion. Our Roanoke Rapids High School seniors enjoyed their Senior Picnic. Our Manning Elementary students enjoyed Field Day. Our Belmont Elementary fifth graders participated in the annual Science Bowl and other grade levels went on field trips. Finally, our Clara Hearne students enjoyed visiting Manning and Belmont to get ready for kindergarten next year.

Lastly, it is the time of the year when we are writing grants to prepare for the 2024-25 school year. We had a Parent Advisory Council meeting on Thursday night to share information and listen to feedback on our Federal Programs (including Title I, Career and Technical Education, and Exceptional Children). If you were not able to join us, we would still love to hear your feedback. You can send ideas for next year to us by calling the Central Office at 252-519-7100 or emailing us via the RRGSD website.