We are so excited about all that has been taking place at Russellville City Schools over the past several weeks. Our students and teachers have been busy both inside AND outside the classroom learning, growing, and showcasing their skills, and it has definitely shown.
This has been a very active time for our athletic department with all of our spring sports in play, and we couldn't be more proud of the hard work and dedication these students and coaches have shown.
In their inaugural season, the boys’ soccer team is entering the second round of the playoffs this week and was able to clinch the area title, while the girls’ soccer team showed great improvement throughout the season. Our baseball team is headed to the third round of the playoffs this weekend and clinched the area title for the third straight year. Our softball team has had a great season so far and will be playing in the area tournament this Thursday. Several of our track athletes have qualified for state in the 400 meter, the 100 meter, the Long Jump and Triple Jump, Javelin, 1600 meter and the 4x4 Relay Team events. Our boys’ and girls’ golf teams have had great seasons and are currently competing in the section tournament to qualify for the state tournament. Our girls’ tennis team made school history by becoming the Section 8 champions for the first time while the boys’ tennis team secured the runner-up spot at sectionals. And both the girls’ and boys’ tennis teams had a strong showing at the state tournament with the girls finishing 10th overall in the state.
This past month has also been busy for our Fine Arts Department, which is chalk-full of talent.
The RHS Marching Hundred represented Russellville City Schools at the Cherry Blossom Festival Parade in Washington, D.C., which was a great honor and a great experience for these students. We are proud of them for representing our schools with class while on this trip and receiving compliments from many who crossed their paths!
The Russellville Secondary Performing Arts department has lit up the stage with two performances recently – "Into the Woods Jr." and "Honk Jr." The amount of talent these students have has no limit, and I can only imagine that these students have bright futures ahead of them. If you haven't been able to catch one of these performances, you'll have one last chance for the school year to see the entire Russellville Secondary Performing Arts department in action at the 9th Annual Summer Slam on May 18!
The Russellville Education Foundation also hosted their annual fundraising banquet this past month, and we are so grateful to those who supported this event and who have supported the Foundation throughout the past year. Your support allowed 11 seniors to receive scholarships this year, and it also allows teachers to receive grants to enhance the learning in their classrooms.
And as has been the case throughout this past school year, our teachers and students never cease to amaze me when it comes to learning and growing inside the classroom. Each day I see teachers using fun, inventive, hands-on activities to get their students excited about learning. I constantly see students who are engaged and thriving in their classroom settings. I see students who can't wait to get to the After School Program and who are sad to leave at the end of the day because the STEM activities they've participated in are so fun. I see teachers engaging in professional development to better themselves and our schools. I see administrators working hard at all four of our schools to make sure we are providing the best learning environments possible. And most importantly, I see students, teachers, administrators, and community members all working together toward the common goal of student success.
With all the activities and events that have taken place this past month, the word that keeps coming to my mind is support. We have received a tremendous amount of support from students, from faculty, and from our wonderful community. I am proud to be part of this community that cares so much about its students and its schools. That support means a lot to us and a lot to our students, and I am thankful for that.
These were only the highlights from a month that was jam-packed with fun and learning! If you want to keep up with what's going on at RCS on a daily basis, make sure to follow our district Twitter (@RussellvilleK12) and Facebook accounts as well as the Twitter (@Russellville_HS, @RussellvilleMS, @ResElem, @Westatrcs) and Facebook accounts for each of our four schools.
As always, it's GREAT to be a Golden Tiger!
Heath Grimes
Superintendent
Russellville City Schools
