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The holiday spirit was alive and well in our Roanoke Rapids Graded School District during the last week of classes as much of our district leadership team and I continued one of my favorite traditions: Delivering Christmas gifts to every staff member and spreading festive cheer to our students. 

On Wednesday, December 18, we made our rounds to each campus, classroom, and office, surprising staff with a warm RRGSD blanket and a heartfelt card. 

Our pre-kindergarten, elementary, and middle school students also received a sweet treat—a candy cane—to brighten their day.

In true holiday fashion, I embraced the role of a Christmas tree, complete with tinsel and decorations, and gifts to bring some extra joy to our schools. 

Seeing the students’ excitement and smiles as they posed for pictures with us was a highlight of my day. 

As I have often said, our district motto is “Together, We Succeed,” and I am deeply grateful for our incredible staff who embody this every day in their unwavering dedication to our students and each other. 

This day of giving allows me to show up for them as they so selflessly show up for our students, families, and community.

Our journey started bright and early at 6:30 a.m., and we wrapped up just as the final bell rang at 3:30p.m. Alongside Mandy Clark, our Public and Student Information Officer; Andrea Midgette, Chief Finance Officer; Sara Council, Director of Student Services; Lauren Hinnant, Executive Director of Instructional Services; Krissy Martin, Director of Exceptional Children; and Robbie Clements, Director of Facilities and Operations, we visited every corner of our district. Stops included Clara Hearne Pre-Kindergarten Center, Belmont Elementary School, Manning Elementary School, Chaloner Middle School, Roanoke Rapids High School, Roanoke Rapids Early College, ACES, our auxiliary areas of the Central Office at Medlin, and the main campus of Central Office. In the next few paragraphs, I will share some highlights and pictures from our special visits.

We began our visits at Chaloner Middle School and enjoyed the surprised looks and big smiles from our middle school students who can sometimes seem “too cool” for school.

At Roanoke Rapids High School, we were able to join Mrs. Temple’s and Ms. Carpenter’s classes for their Christmas party. 

Their warm hospitality reminded me of the incredible community we have here in RRGSD. We also had the opportunity to join Ms. Matte’s Spanish class as they made a music video to showcase their knowledge of Spanish vocabulary words.

At Belmont Elementary School, we enjoyed a Christmas musical performance by the Roanoke Rapids High School Choirs led by Mrs. Denise Hackenburg. 

The RRHS Choirs and Mrs. Hackenburg also performed earlier in the day at Manning Elementary School. On Thursday, we also enjoyed their Holiday Whobilation celebration.

At Manning Elementary School, we had fun joining Mrs. Andrea Ford’s music classes as they enjoyed ringing bells to Christmas music. 

We were excited to watch Mrs. Ashley Neal’s kindergarten class as they opened their twelfth day of Christmas surprise, which included books about Christmas cookies and later would have students decorating their own Christmas cookies. 

When we arrived in Mrs. Goff’s class, we saw students working on a writing assignment in which they explained whether they thought Santa would like Christmas tree cookies or gingerbread cookies better. On Thursday, we also enjoyed their Cookies with Santa celebration.

At Clara Hearne Pre-Kindergarten Center, we were excited to see our students and ran into another festive Christmas tree -- Mrs. Amy Parker. 

Our youngest learners have had a busy week, and we were so proud of them bringing joy to the residents of rest homes in our area. 

Clara Hearne also had a visit with Belmont Elementary School’s Principal Resident Josh Clark as the Elf on the Shelf.

As we celebrate the season, let’s carry the spirit of togetherness and generosity into the new year. Thank you to our staff for their hard work and dedication. It’s an honor to work alongside them to make RRGSD a place where students and staff alike thrive.

Wishing you all a Happy New Year 2025!