For news from the current school year, click
here.
For news from the 2003-04 school year, click here.
For news from the 2002-03 school year, click here.
For news from the 2000-01 school year, click here.
Headlines from the 2001-02 school year:
Class of 2002 Does Well With College Scholarships
Six RMA Seventh Graders Receive State Recognition for SAT Scores
RMA Produces Another State Handwriting Champion
RMA Takes First Place in Eastern NC Math Contest
RMA Teams Take First Place in Odyssey of the Mind Regionals
Author of 2002 Best Children's Book in America Visits RMA
Katie Bynum Makes 1-A All State Basketball Team
Debra Morgan of WRAL-TV Reads to RMA Lower School
RMA Swimmer Wins Silver Medal in State Championships
Six RMA Students Are Young Author Winners in School's First Year of Competition
RMA Quiz Bowl Team Places Second in Local Competition
RMA 7th Graders Assist City and State with Mosquito Relief
2001-02 Brain Game Team Takes First Place in Competition
RMA Finds Ways to Show Patriotism in Time of Nation's Tragedy
2001-02 Year Opens With Largest Student Body in 24 Years
Class of 2002 Does Well With College Scholarships
Five of the 20 members of the RMA Class of 2002 received college scholarships totalling $102,200. At the end-of-year Awards Ceremony, it was announced that Matt Alston, Leslie Dickens, Shelly Lehnes, Lindsay Mitchell, and Parker Shields were the recipients of these scholarships.
Alston received two four-year scholarships from N.C. State University -- the NCSU Honor Scholarship and the College of Engineering Dean's Scholarship Award. Dickens was named a William Louis Poteat Scholar at Wake Forest University. She also received scholarships for academic achievement from the N.C. and Rocky Mount Junior Miss programs. Lehnes won a scholarship from the Boy Scouts of America and Sprint Academic Excellence Award and the DAR Good Citizen Award. Mitchell was awarded the Mrs. B.C. Taylor Scholarship for community service and the Robert Chadwick Scholarship. Shields won the Duncan Scholarship for Leadership and Achievement from Randolph-Macon College.
"We have fulfilled the RMA Mission with the Class of 2002. We have prepared them for college, and all 20 graduates are on their way to the next phase of their education. We are particularly happy for these five students who received these scholarships. They have been successful in their studies and have made significant contributions to our community and life at RMA," Headmaster Tom Stevens said.
Six RMA Seventh Graders Receive State Recognition for SAT Scores
Seventy-five percent of the 7th grade class qualified to take the SAT this year as part of the Duke University Talent Identification Program (TIP). Six of the students who chose to take the college entrance exam were recognized by the State of North Carolina for their outstanding performance on the test which is normally taken by high school students. Emma Dare Barnhill, McKenzie Carr, Michael Collins, Adam Hodges, Daniel Hood, and Chris Jensen scored at least a 510 on either the verbal and/or the math section of the SAT.
Duke invites seventh graders from around the state to participate in its TIP program based on the fact that each has scored at or above the 95th percentile on the national norms of a standardized achievement, aptitude, or mental ability test.
RMA Produces Another State Handwriting Champion
Rocky
Mount Academy first grader Elaine Day has the best handwriting of any first
grader in North Carolina, so says Zaner-Bloser, the nation’s leading
publisher of handwriting materials. Elaine,
a handwriting student of first grade teacher Ann Duke Cobb, took part in a
National Handwriting Contest in which 110,000 children competed.
Elaine will now compete along with other State Champions from grades
1-8 for the title of National Grade Level Champion and Grand National
Champion.
The
contest is in its 12th year, and, for four out of the last five
years, Rocky Mount Academy has produced the State Champion.
Last year, RMA had the State Runner-Up Champion.
Brenda Kirkman of Zaner-Bloser said, “I attribute these consistent
wins from Rocky Mount Academy to the teaching staff because they take the time
to teach handwriting and see the importance of it in their curriculum.”
TOP
RMA Takes First Place in Eastern NC Math Contest
State Finalists and Coaches
Rocky
Mount Academy took first place honors in the Private School division of the 25th
Annual Eastern North Carolina High School Mathematics Contest.
The team placed first among eight private schools from eastern NC. The contest is sponsored annually by the N.C. Department of
Public Instruction and the N.C. Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
In
addition to being the overall first place winner, the RMA team won first place
in Algebra I. RMA 7th
grader Chris Jensen placed third in that category, and 8th grader
Leigh-Ann Bender placed fourth. Ninth grader Mike Alston, twelfth grader Matt
Alston, tenth grader Alex Gould, Bender, and Jensen all qualified to move on
to the State competition.
There
were four areas of competition: Algebra
I, Algebra II, Geometry, and Comprehensive.
The students were given exams that were constructed to test speed as
well as technical competence.
TOP
RMA Teams Take First Place in Odyssey of the Mind Regionals
For the third year in a row, two teams from
Rocky Mount Academy have won first place in the Odyssey of the Mind regional
competition. “We feel so lucky
to have won again. Each year, we
are up against outstanding teams from public and independent schools in our
region. It makes a statement
about the dedication and creativity of the persons on these two teams,”
Headmaster Tom Stevens said.
Odyssey of the Mind, an
extracurricular activity in schools around the world that promotes creative
thinking and problem solving, develops several problems each year for the
teams to solve. The team members
choose one, develop a play around it, make all their props and costumes, and
perform the solution to the problem which always has certain required tasks.
Their coaches are not allowed to assist them.
The
Middle School team of Catherine Hood, Clare Mayo, Morgan Minges, Amelia Nash,
Emily Urquhart, and Ashley Warren solved the “Ostrich Factor” problem.
One of their requirements was to make a character invisible five times
while on stage. They pulled off
this assignment by putting the bookworm’s nose, and entire torso, in a book,
thereby making her invisible.
The Upper School team
of Liz
Boddie, Alice Frohbose, Katie Frohbose, Anna Mayo, Kyle Minges, and Eleanor
Redhage had to apply the theme
of a famous fable to the storyline of their play, which they did with the
fable “Andracules and the Lion” who formed an unlikely bond and saved each
other’s lives. In their play,
the horse fly and the venus fly trap had the same relationship. The Upper School team was coached by Barbara Frohbose and
Cantrell Minges.
TOP
Author of 2002 Best Children's Book in America Visits RMA
Linda Sue Park showed the students a copy of her picture and first writing that she had published. She was a young girl growing up in Illinois, and her writing appeared in the local paper.
Linda Sue Park, 2002 Newbery Medal winner, visited Rocky Mount Academy on March 13 and spoke to all grade levels about the triumphs and the agonies of being a great writer.
Park, author of A Single Shard which received the award for being the best piece of children's literature in America last year, was inspirational, particularly to the middle and upper school students. She told them about the long, drawn out process of "getting published." Park shared with the students that, when writing her most recent book, When My Name Was Keoko, she had 37 versions of the manuscript on her computer. "I remember thinking around the 13th revision that I hoped this was my last one. If I had known that it was going to take 37, I don't know what I would have done." She answered her own curiosity by saying she was sure she would have finished the task because of all the work she had already put into the project. She also talked about the editing process and being told by her editor to change her manuscript of which she was so proud. These requirements of a nationally renowned author were appreciated by young writers being advised by teachers on how to perfect their skills. She also explained to them the illustration process and how her work and the illustrations are combined for the publication.
Park read some of her poems and short stories to the younger students. She explained to the children that her love of reading led her to writing. She also told them bits of the Korean culture that were used in her first four novels. She said that an author is not told that her book is being considered for the Newbery. So, she was quite surprised to get the call saying that she had won the award.
Students
were able to buy copies of her award-winning book in advance and have her
autograph them at a book signing. She also met over lunch with the fifth
grade book club to discuss A Single Shard.
TOP
Katie Bynum Makes 1-A All State Basketball Team
RMA Junior Katie Bynum was named to the 1-A All State Girls Basketball team at the completion of the 2001-02 season. She was one of eight girls in the 1-A division to make the team. She was elected by six coaches, one from each of the 1-A conferences in North Carolina. Bynum won the honor based on her statistics this season and her overall value to her team.
"Katie is certainly a deserving player. I'm glad to have her represent Rocky Mount Academy on the All State team," her coach Billy Colbert commented.
This
is the second year in a row that Bynum has made the All State team. She
was also the Most Valuable Player in the CPIC this season.
TOP
Debra Morgan of WRAL-TV Reads to RMA Lower School
Debra
Morgan, WRAL-TV newsanchor reads "Daisy-Head Mayzie" by Dr.
Seuss
while daisy-head Carolyn Boddie stands by.
As part of "Read Across America" Day, Rocky Mount Academy welcomed news anchor Debra Morgan of WRAL-TV to the school. Morgan read Dr. Seuss' "Daisy-Head Mayzie" to approximately 200 children, many dressed as Seuss characters, and parents. It was an appropriate choice since it centered around a little girl who quits school to become famous but starts to miss it and her friends. It also includes an illustration of a news anchor with a daisy on his head, getting in on the craze of being daisy-headed, which came naturally to Mayzie.
Morgan told the children that, even though it looks as if she only talks in her job, she actually does a lot of reading for it. She explained to the students that reading increases one's knowledge, and knowledge is power.
"Read
Across America" is sponsored by the National Education Association.
This is the fifth year that the NEA has promoted literacy in connection with
Dr. Seuss' birthday. Since his birthday is actually March 2, schools
across the nation were celebrating on March 1.
TOP
RMA Swimmer Wins Silver Medal in State Championships
RMA seventh grader McKensie Carr won a silver medal in the 2002 NCISAA State Swimming Championships held recently at the Mecklenburg Aquatic Center in Charlotte. McKensie finished second in the 100 yard free style with a time of 59:85. She improved her personal best record by two seconds and lost to a tenth grader who came in just barely ahead of her at 59:83. She also won a bronze medal for finishing third in the 100 yard back stroke event. Each competitor is permitted to enter a maximum of two individual events.
Congratulations to McKensie and thanks for
representing RMA so well!
TOP
Six RMA Students Are Young Author Winners in School's First Year of Competition
(Seated) Elaine Day is flanked by fellow Young Author winners (left to right) Tripp Andracchio, Paige Cobb, Michael McLaughlin, Chase Daughtridge, and Craig Park.
Six
students at Rocky Mount Academy, in grades 1-6, were among the winners of the
2002 Young Authors Project, and one of the students’ works has been selected
for statewide competition. This
is the first year that RMA has participated in the event.
First
graders Tripp Andracchio and Elaine Day, third grader Paige Cobb, fifth
graders Michael McLaughlin and Craig Park, and sixth grader Chase Daughtridge
submitted winning selections in the contest sponsored by the North Carolina
Reading Association and the Nash-Rocky Mount Reading Council. They competed against 500 local entries from 17 public and
independent schools All
winners will have their stories published in a local book.
Elaine Day’s work was chosen as one of the best and has been entered
along with 17 other works by local students into the state contest.
She will read her story, “Ducks in the Pool”,
at a celebration at Winstead Avenue School on April 16.
Selections
could be of any type, including personal narratives, poems, interviews, or
book reviews and had to follow the theme of “A Funny Thing Happened…”.
Day chose to write a narrative about an experience that she and her
friend had at the pool last summer. “We
were resting in the chairs beside the pool when, all of a sudden, about five ducks walked in!” the
first grader wrote. She went on
to explain that the ducks were “very happy…It was very, very, very funny…I
was glad when a man came to spray the ducks with a water hose.
They scrambled to get out of the pool and flew away.”
Day
said she was surprised to find out that she was a winner and that her
narrative was chosen for state competition.
She did not realize that she is such a good writer. “It was so funny,” she said of her reaction.
Tripp
Andracchio was the first Young Author to say that he wants to be a writer.
He said his first book will be about “Bananaland”, a fictional
place in the Caribbean Sea. “The monkeys will love it,” he commented.
The best book he has read thus far, Andracchio said, is Treasure
Island. His favorite part in the
book is the gruesome pirate fights.
Writing
is fun, they all agreed. Michael
McLaughlin said that writing gives him “a way to express (his) creativity.” Craig
Park, whose aunt just won the esteemed Newbery Medal for children’s
literature, said he writes better when he initiates the project, not when it
is an assignment.
Chase Daughtridge concurs. She
said it is certainly more fun “when you make it up, not when you’re doing
research.” Paige Cobb could not
have made up all the bad things that went wrong during her stay in an Orlando
hotel. Sometimes truth is
stranger than fiction, but it made for a winning entry in her case.
“We
are very proud of our Young Authors. We
stress to our students the importance of
writing well and the fundamentals that build the foundation for good
writing. This is a gratifying and
convincing reward for their hard work and achievement,” RMA Headmaster Tom
Stevens said.
TOP
RMA Quiz Bowl Team Places Second in Local Competition
The
Quiz Bowl team of James Porter, Alex Gould, Max Miller, Matt Alston, Shelley
Lehnes and Mike Alston made the school proud when they placed second in the
February 2 local competition in the brand new Braswell Public Library.
Competing against 9th-12th graders from other area schools, our team came in
only five points behind the winner. There can be only one winner, but we
are still quite pleased with the performance of our entire team who got us to
the final round: Matt Alston, Mike Alston, Anna Vaughn
Creech, Meredith Custer, Trey Daughtridge, Leslie Dickens, Alex Gould,
Michael Hall, Edward Hunter, Shelly Lehnes, Danny Mears, Max Miller, Kyle
Minges, James Porter, Parker Shields, and Kelly Spivey.
TOP
RMA 7th Graders Assist City
and State with Mosquito Relief
The seventh grade Life Science class at Rocky
Mount Academy is undertaking a task which will potentially benefit the health
and wallets of all Rocky Mount citizens.
The students are tackling the problem of mosquito control in the
surrounding region, aiding efforts underway by city and state officials.
“One
day, we were discussing the heightened problem with mosquitoes since Hurricane
Floyd, and the class decided that they wanted to do something about it,” Dr.
Bob Koszelak, their Life Science teacher, explained. While it was originally considered as a project for this
school year only, it has grown into a plan with on-going potential for the
seventh grade Life Science course.
The
students have been coordinating their activities with local and state vector
control specialists. They have
consulted, and will continue to consult, with state vector biologists, experts
at North Carolina State University, specialists at the Dept. of Environment
and Natural Resources and local professionals to determine a proper strategy
for this project. Their goal is
to use biologic/environmentally friendly means to decrease mosquito
populations in Rocky Mount.
The
first phase of the project will involve surveillance and gathering of data on
local mosquito populations to determine the scope of the problem, the major
breeding areas, and the number of
mosquito species involved. The
students will install mosquito traps on the grounds of RMA during the first
week of April and send the specimens to the State for positive identification.
Since not all species are treated the same, the State experts are
particularly interested in this data, as it will help them to determine the
most effective control mechanisms to implement in the Rocky Mount region.
If
their original predictions of species are correct, the student scientists say
that a very important component of this project will become community
education. Certain species breed
in any container of water that they can find, such as buckets, old tires, and
small regions where water pools. Elimination
or reduction of these breeding sources will substantially reduce the mosquito
populations. An effective public
education plan will help achieve a significant degree of control.
The
class is in the process of developing a pamphlet which will educate the Rocky
Mount citizens as to how they can personally play a role in mosquito
reduction. They have contacted
city officials to discuss ways of distributing the educational piece to
citizens, such as a statement stuffer in utility bills.
Their
initial concept for the next phase was to use biologic controls such as purple
martins, mosquito fish, dragonflies, bats and insect-repelling plants in an
effort to achieve a reduction in the mosquito population.
On further research, the budding scientists, as often is the case,
found a weakness in their plan and changed their methodology.
They rejected their original idea of using bats and insect-repelling
plants but will continue with their plan to use the biologic controls of
purple martins, mosquito fish, and dragonflies.
While they will not completely eradicate the problem, these measures
can help to further decrease the mosquito populations.
“The
encouragement that we have gotten from the State and the City has really
motivated the students. To be so
young and to have government officials looking forward to receiving their
research has been quite motivational,” Koszelak commented.
“These controls could translate into financial benefits for the City of
Rocky Mount, with less need for the costly spraying of insecticides,”
Koszelak explained. “Because
encephalitis, West Nile virus, and several other diseases are contracted from
mosquitoes, any reduction in the mosquito population could potentially be
life-saving,” he went on to say.
TOP
2001-02 Brain Game Team Takes First Place in Competition
Scott Strickland, Alex Gould, and Kyle Minges on the set of
"Brain Game" after they successfully completed the
competition. The game aired on November
17.
Rocky Mount Academy students competed in the Nov. 17 telecast of Brain Game and won in a big way. Brain Game is an educational program of WRAL-TV and pits high schools from the WRAL viewing area against one another in a battle of knowledge.
The RMA team consisted of tenth graders Alex Gould and Scott Strickland and ninth grader Kyle Minges. They answered questions from the courses taken by ninth- and tenth-graders throughout the state. The questions can include anything from math and science, to arts and current events.
Competing against South Granville High School and Jordan Matthews High School, RMA scored 625 points. This was the highest score earned by any school this fall and put RMA solidly in first place, automatically qualifying them for the playoffs. Only one other independent school made it to the semifinals. No public or independent school teams from the Nash-Edgecombe area qualifed for the playoffs besides RMA.
RMA competes against South Lenoir High School and Bunn High School on December 15 in the semifinals. The show will air on December 29 at 10 AM. Six other teams compete in the semis. The three teams with the highest scores at the end of the semifinals compete in the Brain Game final round. The champions get a new IBM computer for their school. Last year, the RMA team placed fourth overall in the competition.
RMA Finds Ways to Show Patriotism in Time of Nation's Tragedy
The
students and faculty of Rocky Mount Academy gathered around the flagpole at
RMA on October 12 to participate in a nationwide, synchronized Pledge of
Allegiance with other public and independent schools across the U.S. .
At precisely 2 PM, over 400 people recited the pledge as part of “Pledge
Across America”.
Shown here in the crowd are students in RMA’s Lower School, looking
upward at the stars and stripes as they make the pledge.
U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige said, “Together we can send a
loud and powerful message that will be heard around the world:
America is ‘one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and
justice for all.’”
True
to the spirit of the RMA community, faculty and students went to work quickly
following the September 11 attacks to find ways that we could express our
feelings about the events and help in the relief efforts.
Everyone raced to find red, white, and blue items to wear and display.
The Parents Organization made hundreds of ribbons for the student body
and faculty to wear.
The
Fellowship of Christian Athletes sponsored a prayer service on the afternoon
of September 12 which was attended by persons of varying faiths within the RMA
community. Before the varsity
soccer game on Friday, September 14, at 7 PM, all persons in attendance
participated in the nationwide candlelight ceremony which was followed by a
prayer from Headmaster Tom Stevens.
Second
grade teacher Libba Weaver and Head of Lower School Blair Davis created a
unique fundraiser entitled “Buy a Piece of America for Peace in America”.
Art students outlined a map of the U.S. over a painted version of the
American flag and divided the map into 1000 blocks.
Each block sold for $1, and all proceeds will be donated to the
American Red Cross.
Mrs. Bellefeuille’s fourth grade class penned eloquent letters to the President expressing their sympathy, courage, concern, support, and patriotism. One of the fourth graders wrote to Mr. Bush, "You must be having a hard time with all the choices you have to make...I look up to you how you kept calm." What a history lesson!
2001-02 Year Opens With Largest Student Body in 24 Years
All signs at Rocky Mount Academy pointed to a successful year as the students returned to school on August 27, 2001. Enrollment was up 11% over last year, far surpassing the school’s goal of 345 students. On the first day of school, RMA had 362 students enrolled as compared to 327 on opening day last year. This is more than double the growth rate of the previous two years. It is the largest student body since 1977.
"I believe parents are looking for what is best for their particular child. No school can be right for every child, and our parents believe we are the best for their child. I think more families have been able to learn more about our school and are now aware of the quality of education that is being delivered here," RMA Headmaster Thomas R. Stevens suggested as reasons for the increased enrollment.
Stevens also said that, due to this larger-than-expected growth and normal faculty changes, the school has hired 16 new teachers about whom he is quite excited. "I know there is a teacher shortage out there, but we were very pleased with the number of applications that we received and even more so by the quality of them. This is as good a class of new faculty as I have ever had the opportunity to hire," Stevens said. One of the assets of independent schools such as RMA is the low student:teacher ratio. At RMA, there is a 10:1 ratio.
RMA has seen the largest growth in its middle school grades over the last few years. As a result, this year, grades 6-8 have been separated from Upper School, and a Middle School division has been officially structured. Stevens has hired Sue Appelby, the former Head of Middle School of Aiken (SC) Prep School to be Director of Middle School.
Students and faculty came back to school amidst several construction jobs on campus. A new soccer field is being leveled and seeded. The project, funded by the Booster Club, will also include team benches, bleachers, goals, and a scoreboard.
At another location on the school’s 44 acres, six tennis courts are being built with funds from an anonymous donor. These courts will be near the baseball field, which is also scheduled to be improved before the 2002 season.
To accommodate more cars and traffic, construction crews were also putting the finishing touches on parking lot improvements.
"It’s a great way to start a new school year. We look forward to the
students having a good educational experience in a positive learning
environment," Stevens said.
TOP
Calendars
2003-04 Calendar
Weekly Calendar