The Year in Review, 2005-06
By Brett King, RMCA Headmaster
The month of May is always a time of reflection
and celebration for me. This edition of “Perspectives” is
dedicated to celebrating a few of the great things that happened at
RMCA this year. There
are certainly more that deserve recognition, and many that went unnoticed.
But as I walked through the building each day and conversed with
many of you each week, I noticed some noteworthy accomplishments
during the 2005-06 school year:
The 5 Pillars of Character. Are you ready? Was
that respectful? Were you considerate? Is that honorable? Was that
grateful? These questions,
formed around our school-wide character development inititive, could
be heard in every classroom. The clear expectations and common language
helped further compliment the intentional strategies we use every day
to hone students’ character.
Washington DC Trip. Our middle school history teachers,
Corey Piper and Bill Watkins, along with their wives, accompanied
19 energetic
7th and 8th graders on a tour of Washington DC over Spring Break. It
was a heart-shaping and mind-stretching trip as the students discovered
our country’s Christian heritage.
Hymn of the Month. My heart melted as I listened
to the elementary students sing with confidence and joy many of the
historic hymns of
the faith. This sweet harmony, combined with the “prayer, praise,
and presentation” focus in our weekly assemblies (a.k.a.
Convocare), again reinforced my conviction that the Christian education
our students are receiving is making and will make a lasting difference
in their lives.
History Curriculum. Last summer, the K-8 history scope and sequence
was updated and revised to better reflect our classical distinctive.
This resulted in the adoption of a new history text, The Story of the
World, at the elementary grades. This age-appropriate narrative helped
students better know and understand the world around them as well as
the times that preceded them.
Band Program. RMCA’s new band teacher, Bill Wilkinson, drew
on his decades of experience to catapult our band program to a whole
new level. Over 60 students were involved in beginning band, intermediate
band, and for the first time this year, jazz band! And at the ACSI
music festival, their ability was affirmed by receiving superior
ratings from the judges.
Online Communication. Knowing that school/home
communication tends to get trickier as students get older, we launched
an online communication
tool, “Edline,” for 5th - 8th grade families. This enabled
parents and students instant access to their grades, class assignments,
and vital class and school information, all at the click of a mouse.
I know this proved too good for one student, who lamented that his
mom knew his grades before he came home!
Extension Program. Responding to the need to offer
families with young children greater flexibility, we added an early
childhood extension
program. This allowed parents the convenience of putting their children
in a safe and enriching environment after their regular Mom’s
Day Out, Preschool, or Kindergarten class ended. And based on the smiles
of the little ones, it was a hit!
Educational Leadership. Dr. Robinson took over
the full management of the Kindergarten -8th grade instructional
program. Her work supervising
teachers, supporting students, and working with parents has been truly
exemplary. Her focus on implementing RMCA’s Christian and classical
mission “today” enabled me to work with the school board
and church on sustaining RMCA’s vision for “tomorrow.”
There is no doubt that this year was a resounding success. In many
ways, it was our best ever. And 2006-07 promises to be no different.
Record enrollment, in addition to a stable and competent staff gives
me ample reason to be optimistic! Thank you to all of you for your
support, gratitude, and commitment to equipping students to impact
their world for Christ.
