The Ron Clark Academy Salutes the Class of 2011 at the Ferst Center

The Class of 2011 graduated from the Ron Clark Academy (RCA) at the Ferst Center for the Arts at Georgia Institute of Technology, on June 16, 2011.   The eighth grade class is the first to complete the entire four years of the Academy.  These graduates have been instrumental in building the foundation of RCA, including slide certifying more than 10,000 educators from around the world and traveling globally to countries such as Japan, South Africa, and England.

 “We consider this class to be founders of the school.  They have helped us welcome and celebrate the best in country, and they have proven to be true inspirations themselves,” says, Kim Bearden, executive director and co-founder of the Ron Clark Academy.

Several graduates graced the stage by sharing speeches about their memories and the lessons they learned while at RCA, including Arsene Lakpa, the valedictorian, who gave insight into the ideals he learned from his fellow classmates. 

Kennedy Guest Pritchett gave a compelling speech about the wisdom she gained from studying the perspectives of other people around the world.  Perhaps the most emotional part of the night came when student Seabon Davis was asked to give the commencement speech.  Davis, who resides in Athens, Georgia, shared how his parents had transported him over 129,600 miles to take him to RCA each day.  The topic of his speech was fitting: the importance of sacrifice.

However, the celebration wouldn’t be complete without a few surprises.  The graduates leaped from their seats in amazement when Bow Wow performed and provided inspirational words. 

Additionally, Brandon Smith, co-star on the hit Disney sitcom, Sonny with a Chance, appeared during the ceremony.   In 2006, Smith won a Family Television Award and a Young Artists Award for his portrayal as Tayshawn in the Emmy Award-nominated television movie, The Ron Clark Story. Smith shared how Mr. Clark spontaneously taught him on the set of the movie and how he had learned so much in the brief time that he had the privilege of being one of Mr. Clark's students.

Finally, the night closed with a performance by eight time Grammy nominated and American Idol star Fantasia as she brought down the house by singing “I Believe.”  Fantasia gave a compelling speech about her own journey and encouraged the students to continue to work hard to receive a good education.

RCA has proven that believing in your students is a philosophy that is essential to a child’s success; the twenty graduates earned more than $1.4 million in scholarships to attend private and boarding schools across the country.

“We are proud of our students and they are true rock stars.  At the Ron Clark Academy, we believe that we are building future leaders who will inspire people from around the world,” says Bearden.  “Our students graduate knowing that it is important to be of service and to always give back.  We consider ourselves blessed to serve them and to play a part in their development.”