First Day of School

Summer is officially over and school is back in session.  The Ron Clark Academy welcomed back its ninety-eight students, marking its first year serving all grades from 5^th-8^th.  “We’re really excited about this school year, “ said Ron Clark.  “We are welcoming a new class of exceptional fifth graders, and we’ll be graduating our first class of eight graders.  This really is a milestone year for us.”

As tunes of “We Are Family!” careened over the outside sound system, students arrived at the school gates to find RCA staff and faculty eager to greet them.  But there was something a little different: staff and faculty were on roller skates!  “Each school year, it is our goal to start the school year off with a bang, “ explained Kim Bearden, Co-Founder and Executive Director.  “We know our students love to roller skate, so this year we decided to let them roll, glide, and slide into the new school year with some fun.”   A big shout out and thank you to Golden Glide Skating Rink in Decatur for assisting us with the skate rentals! 

In addition, to starting things a little differently, there are other traditions that mark the first day of every school year at RCA.  After skating for about an hour, students donned their blazers and quickly prepared to properly welcome their new fifth grade classmates.  Each fifth grade student’s name was called, one by one, and that student spun the Great Wheel, immediately running up the stairs to slide down the Big Blue slide for the very first time.  Whichever House the wheel lands on is the House that the new fifth grader will belong to for his/her duration at RCA.    “It’s truly a special moment,” said Bearden.  “It’s the essence of who we are as a family; it’s our returning students and staff embracing the newest members of the family.”