Roanoke Rapids Graded School District held its annual Convocation on Thursday, August 17th in the Roanoke Rapids High School auditorium. Superintendent Julie Thompson welcomed all staff back and introduced the theme for the year: Together We Succeed: Our Game Plan for a Winning Season. Thompson stated that she “hoped that staff consider today to be a pep rally to get all of us excited about this school year.” Mrs. Thompson’s encouraging message reminded staff that we can do hard things kindly as we focus on enthusiasm and encouragement; improving attendance; teaching and growing social-emotional skills; setting, communicating, and enforcing expectations; and aligning curriculum, instruction, and assessment.
The pep rally atmosphere was aided by performances from the Roanoke Rapids High School Marching Yellow Jackets, the RRHS Cheerleaders, and RRHS chorus member Lydia Carroll, who sang “The Star Spangled Banner.” RRHS JROTC Cadets presented the colors and the RRHS football team made an appearance, which only added to the school spirit on display. A surprise performance by the RRGSD Alumni Cheerleaders was met with cheers and applause from their coworkers.
There were many celebrations throughout the morning, beginning with an announcement from NC House Representative Michael Wray. He announced that Kim Collier, a science teacher at Chaloner Middle School, had been awarded a NC Youth Outdoor Engagement Commission Go Outside Grant in the amount of $9,133.95. This grant will provide a Climapod Greenhouse for CMS to promote STEM education among our middle school students. Celebrations also included the recognition of the Support People of the Year, the Beginning Teachers of the Year, and the Teachers of the Year from each of the district’s schools and/or sites. Sydney Smith, an English teacher at Roanoke Rapids Early College High School was named the 2023 Beginning Teacher of the Year, and Laura Manning, Director of Bands at Roanoke Rapids High School, was named the 2023 Teacher Ambassador of the Year. Lastly, Trina Robertson was recognized for being named the 2022-2023 EC Teacher of Excellence.
To finish out the program, speaker Thomas Dismukes delivered a motivational message full of hilarious and heartwarming stories. Dismukes broke a world record for balancing 95 glasses on his chin and demonstrated this unique talent on stage by balancing two 6-foot ladders on his chin. He also reenacted the time he entered a rodeo competition, having never ridden a horse before. During this story, Dismukes spoke of looking for balance in life and challenged the RRGSD staff to “hang on” to their goals and dreams. Each staff member was given a copy of his bestselling book, A Leader’s FOCUS.
