2005-06 News

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Class of 2006 Leaves Its Mark on RMA

Headmaster Tom Stevens
congratulates a member of the Class of 2006

Rocky Mount Academy graduated its largest senior class ever on June 9. Forty 12^th graders received their diplomas in front of hundreds of family and friends, surpassing a record set over thirty years ago by the Class of 1975. This milestone in the school’s history coincides with the largest overall enrollment in the history of the school. There were 450 students at RMA this year. These record-breaking achievements are due, in part, to the fact that the school has grown 50% in the last seven years.

Leigh-Ann Bender was named Valedictorian of the Class of 2006. Daughter of Tom Bender and Melissa Solomon, Bender maintained the highest grade point average (GPA) in her class throughout high school. She was one of Rocky Mount Academy ’s Park Scholarship nominees for NC State University where she will be attending in the fall. She was also a National Honor Society Scholarship nominee and a finalist for the Boice-Willis Clinic’s Anne McBride Smith Scholarship given to a high school senior who is interested in a science or medical career.

Paton Steed, daughter of Tom and Beth Steed , was recognized as Salutatorian of her class. She had the second highest GPA in the Class of 2006. Steed, during the Awards Ceremony that morning, received the Headmaster’s Award for 12^th Grade for having the highest GPA in her class this school year. She will be attending NC State University in the fall.

This class was accepted at colleges and universities around the country. The RMA Class of 2006 received acceptances from Appalachian State University, Barton College, Belmont Abbey, College of Charleston, East Carolina University, Elon University, Emory and Henry College, Greensboro College, Guilford College, Hampden Sydney College, High Point University, Indiana University, Liberty University, Meredith College, NC State, Peace College, UNC-Chapel Hill, UNC Charlotte, UNC Pembroke, UNC Greensboro, UNC Wilmington, University of Georgia, University of South Carolina, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest University, Western Carolina University, Winthrop University, and Wofford College. The school was very proud of the fact that eight out of the class, or 20%, were accepted in Early Action at UNC-CH, which is a record for RMA.

Collectively, they were awarded $478,000 in merit scholarships from these institutions. In addition, two seniors won scholarships from local, regional, and national organizations. Anna Margaret Ballance was one of two recipients of the Rocky Mount Kiwanis Club Scholarship. She also received a Sprint Scholarship for eastern North Carolina . For the second year in a row, a Rocky Mount Academy senior has won the Rocky Mount Rotary Club Scholarship. This year’s recipient was John Hull of the RMA Class of 2006.
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A Little Doodling Yields Silver

No one has questioned where the idea for Doodle came from. Was it hatched in the margin of a composition notebook? Wherever the concept started, it ended up winning Frederick Frohbose a coveted Silver Award in The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards of 2006. The national competition included 17,000 works of art which were judged by a panel of distinguished artists, arts professionals and educators. Each piece was scored on the basis of originality, technique and emergence of a personal vision. Approximately 1200 artists were bestowed national Gold Awards and Silver Awards this year. Frohbose, an eighth grader at RMA, received a Silver medal, a certificate of achievement, and a place on the national awards recipients list.

Frohbose has not seen his award-winnnig work since it won accolades in the regional competition. Over 200,000 pieces were entered at that level. Doodle will be held for up to two years by The Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, sponsors of the competition, for possible exhibition around the country.
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Beth Covolo Named Head of Lower School

Rocky Mount Academy has announced that its new Head of Lower School (Grades PK-5) will be former Englewood Elementary School Principal Beth Barbour Covolo. She will assume her new duties on July 1, 2006.

Covolo, who headed Englewood for four years and served as Assistant Principal there for three years prior to that appointment, has also taught locally at Red Oak Elementary and Benvenue Elementary Schools . She graduated from Greenfield School , an independent school in Wilson , and did her undergraduate and graduate work at East Carolina University.

Rocky Mount Academy has conducted a nationwide search this year for a new Head of Lower School. In the end, RMA Headmaster Thomas R. Stevens said, “We found the best candidate right here in Rocky Mount . She’ll do a great job building on the fine program that our previous Head had built and taking it to the next level of excellence.”

“We are so pleased that Mrs. Covolo is joining our Lower School team. She has a fine reputation locally among families and educators. She is a graduate of an independent school and understands the value and expectations of such an education. She is just a great choice to lead a division of Rocky Mount Academy ,” Stevens elaborated.

Regarding her appointment, Covolo said, “I am extremely excited to be returning to a role that will allow me to work directly with students and alongside teachers who strive for excellence. I have had the opportunity to work with some great educators in my career, not the least of which are the terrific faculty members at Rocky Mount Academy . I am thrilled to be joining the Lower School team.”

Stevens said that, as with all changes in leadership, it is a good time to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the program and to make changes accordingly. “This change has occurred, coincidentally, at the same time that a new five-year strategic plan is starting to be developed for the school. We will be looking carefully at the data gathered on our Lower School and will set a course for continued success at that level,” Stevens commented.

Members of the Board of Trustees welcomed Covolo into her new position. Cantrell C. Minges, Chairman, said, “The Trustees are thrilled that Beth Covolo will be our Lower School Head next year. She is full of energy and ideas. Her enthusiasm is contagious, and she will be a tremendous asset to RMA. Beth believes that her emphasis should be on serving the teachers so that they can serve our students well. I think she’s going to have a good working relationship with the faculty so that they can do just that, ” she explained. “We are proud of all of our faculty members because they each have unique strengths and serve our students well,” Minges continued.

“I think our children are very lucky to have her,” stated Thomas W. Steed, Vice Chairman of the Board. “Having worked with Mrs. Covolo in the past, I know of her excellent education leadership skills, and I know she’ll do an excellent job in her new position,” he added.

Covolo is married to John Covolo and is the mother of three children who all attend Rocky Mount Academy . Her eldest son, Duncan Barnes, is an Ann MacPherson Weaver Scholar at RMA. Cameron and Clark Covolo are sixth graders at the school.
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Two RMA Basketball Players Receive Local Recognition

Congratulations go to RMA juniors Mike Schmitt and Phil Stephens of the Varsity Boys Basketball team. Schmitt made the First Team of the Rocky Mount Telegram All-Area High School Basketball Team, and Stephens made the Third Team. They were two of this year's team that were first runners-up in the CPIC Tournament.
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Buddy Tradition Continues at RMA

Large Number of RMA Students Choose to Swim This Year

Rocky Mount Academy Swim Team swam against seven other schools in Roanoke Rapids on November 18th. With exams all behind us and the swimmers focused on their first meet of the season, Coach Terri Dew said that they all need a big pat on the back.

This year's team has grown from four girl swimmers from last year to a male and female team of 16 swimmers. Congratulations to two of our new swimmers. August Redhage for placing 6th in the 100 Breast stroke with a time of 1:37.89. Brandon Robertson placed 4th in the 50 Free with a time of 27.95 and qualified to go to States in February.

Stuart Sanderson a return swimmer from last year was able to beat her own record in the 50 Free with a time of 30.67 and placed 4th also beating her times in the 100 Free with 1:12.37 and placing 3rd in this event. She has also qualified for the States in February in both events. Coach Dew congratulated the team on their outstanding performances.
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RMA Honors Veterans

The Rocky Mount Academy students and faculty gathered around the flagpole on Veterans Day to pay homage to the men and women who have served in our armed forces. Atlee Gulley, a veteran from World War II, and Steve Pridgen, a Gulf War veteran, joined in the ceremony. At 11 AM, an often chosen time in the day to honor the veterans (the 11^th hour of the 11^th day of the 11^th month), everyone stopped for a silent prayer. History teacher Paul Stone , a British citizen, spoke to the crowd about how much Europeans appreciate the service that American soldiers have given for the freedom of those countries throughout history. Headmaster Thomas R. Stevens made remarks, read the proclamation of the day from President George W. Bush, and led a prayer. Middle School Head Sue Appleby helped students to put into perspective how the sacrifice of the military has touched their lives by reading the poem, “ I Remember You”. The poet, Mary Kay Glunt, wrote about many of the freedoms that we have today and concluded, “When I remember you, I think of the sacrifices you made so I could have these things…I think of all that you have given so that I and those whom I love can be free.” The ceremony concluded with the RMA Kindergarteners singing the National Anthem.

The school also took the occasion to dedicate the newly installed flagpole as the Veterans Flagpole in memory of Capt. Christopher Cash who is the father of two RMA students and who died in 2004 while serving his country in Iraq . Capt. Cash’s sons, Christopher and Matthew, raised the flag for the first time as the Veterans Flagpole.

Before the ceremony began, Gulley brought WWII memorabilia to his great-grandson’s Kindergarten room and told those students about being a pilot in that war.
Go to Veterans Day Photo Gallery
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RMA Sponsors Year-long Series of Workshops for Parents

Rocky Mount Academy is kicking off another year of free workshops for parents who want to learn more about helping their children to succeed in school. On November 8, at 7 PM, in the school’s Proctor Auditorium, the first of six free workshops will take place on “Helping All Kids to Succeed.”

This and the other five workshops, which will be offered between now and next May, are open to the public. In January, the subject will be “Organization for Learning.” Then, beginning in February, RMA will team up with Understanding All Kinds of Minds™ to offer four of their Learning About Learning workshops that are being introduced nationally in 2006 and will benefit all kinds of learners. These workshops will center around “Paying Attention,” “Mastering the Challenges of Homework,” “Learning and Self-Esteem,” and “Building Alliances.”

Lydia Bardin, facilitator for these workshops, said that parents will gain from this series an understanding of a neurodevelopmental framework and its application to children’s learning, ideas for identifying and leveraging a child’s strengths and affinities, strategies and resources for supporting a child as a learner in school and at home, and the knowledge and language to communicate effectively with educators and children about learning.

Tom Stevens, Headmaster at Rocky Mount Academy , said, “RMA, in its Mission to prepare students for life and college, is proud to provide this service to the community. We are equally excited about our partnership with Understanding All Kinds of Minds™ and hope that many parents in the area will avail themselves of this opportunity to learn from one of the finest research groups for the way children learn.”

Understanding All Kinds of Minds™ is a program from the All Kinds of Minds® Institute in Chapel Hill . It was designed to develop a partnership between educators, parents, and children to help students be successful in life and school. All Kinds of Minds® programs are based on over 30 years of work by Dr. Me l Levine, one of the best known education experts and pediatricians in America today, experts at All Kinds of Minds, and other leading researchers in the field of neuroscience and education.

From these findings, Dr. Levine said, “We now know, in fact, that every child has within him or her a formula for effective learning and authentic success…To treat everyone the same is to treat them unequally. We are making a plea for the understanding of diversity…so that every child can find success in his or her own way.”

“This is why RMA has been helping both our teachers and parents become more aware of the needs of individual learners,” Stevens commented.

Bardin is a national facilitator for the Schools Attuned® Program and a faculty member at RMA. Schools Attuned® is the professional development program for educators from the All Kinds of Minds Institute.

Reservations are requested but not mandatory. Parents do not have to commit to attend all six workshops. To make reservations and to receive reminders of future workshops, call Lydia Bardin at 443-4126.
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Headmaster Praises RMA Football Program

In response to a negative comment made about the RMA Varsity football team by a sportswriter in the Rocky Mount Telegram, Headmaster Tom Stevens wrote the following Letter to the Editor.
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Girls Tennis Captures CPIC Title

RMA won three singles titles and two doubles to capture the Coastal Plain Independent Conference title. RMA finished with 13 points in the tourney while Greenfield had 12. Anne Garland Winstead of RMA was named tournament MVP. She trailed 6-3, 5-2 in the finals before winning the second set to force the deciding third game.

Courtesy of the Rocky Mount Telegram
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Cross Country Wrap-Up

All State Harrison Gould Senior Lee Proctor

This year’s cross country season began over the summer with four veteran runners and six beginning runners. With a total of five meets and the state competition, our runners learned what it means to compete and what it means to not give up. While the team finished second in several meets, both the boys’ team and the girls’ team took first place at two different meets in Goldsboro . Shin splints, sore muscles, and minor injuries were all a part of the season; however, by the state competition at the end of October, each runner had improved his/her times by a considerable amount, not to mention the confidence gained and the overall fitness level of each runner.
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Other Fall Sports Wrap-Up

RMA had a great fall sports season. We are proud of each and every team and extend our congratulations to all the athletes!

Varsity Football - Claimed their first victory with a 28-0 blanking of Northeast.
JV Football - won the Colonial-Carolina Football Conference North Division with an 8-0 record. They were first runners up in the Colonial-Carolina championship, suffering their first loss of the season in this post-season play off.

Varsity Soccer - Congrats to Gib Alligood for being named All-Region and Douglas Mackenzie and Rich Jared for being named Honorable Mention All-Region with Mackenzie also being named HM All-CPIC.
JV Soccer - won the CPIC Regular Season Championship with a 9-0-2 record. They were 13-1-2 overall.

Varsity Volleyball - Finished third in the CPIC (8-4) which is the best finish in school history and a 17-5 overall record.
JV Volleyball - Finished with a 7-7 record.
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Local Newspaper Q&A with Top RMA Tennis Player

Reprinted from Rocky Mount Telegram (NC)
October 18, 2005

Q&A: RMA tennis player Anne Garland Winstead
Author: Michael N. Graff, Rocky Mount Telegram

One day, Anne Garland Winstead will have the easiest access to financial advice. Her dad, Barden Winstead, is a financial consultant in Rocky Mount.

But for now, Anne Garland says she isn't exactly thinking about that type of stuff. The 16-year-old Rocky Mount Academy Tennis player has plenty of other things on her mind —from school to friends to a blossoming tennis season.

Winstead, playing in the No. 1 slot, has helped lead the Eagles to a 12-4 overall record as the season wraps up:

Q. How do you feel about how the team's doing? Aren't you guys about 12-4?

A: I think we've been doing well. We're kind of struggling more than before because we lost our No. 1 player, Catherine Woodard, and our No. 4 player also (in offseason departures). Everyone had to step up.

Q. Did you know you would be No. 1 coming into the season?

A. It's kind of close. We had challenge matches.

Q. Did you feel any added responsibility, being the No. 1 player and all?

A. It's been really hard. Every school you play, their No. 1 players are always good. You never have an easy match. Last year, I probably lost two matches. This year, my record's about even.

Q. Is this more fun?

A. It's more challenging. It's a lot more difficult mentally, but I like it. At the beginning of the season, I got discouraged, but then I got used to it.

Q. Explain to people how tennis is a team sport, not just an individual sport.

A. All the individual matches add together. Your whole team has to win overall. The people who don't play come anyway. And we all watch the other matches.

Q. What's your best individual moment playing tennis?

A. Catherine Woodard (who transferred to Faith Christian from RMA). I really liked to play her. Probably because we're old doubles partners. It's just like we're comfortable playing each other. We just play really well against each other.

Q. Who's your favorite tennis player, anyone you look up to?

A. My dad taught me to play tennis.

Q. OK, here's sort of a strange one. What do you eat before a match?

A. I don't know. Nothing really specific.

Q. You don't go in hungry do you?

A. No. I have … a sports drink. They bring snacks to the matches. I eat them before I play. I have to eat it before the match. The people who don't play and come to watch always eat it before I get off the court.

Q. So what is your favorite food?

A. I like everything. I guess I like Mexican.

Q. Speaking of favorites, who's your favorite teacher?

A. Ms. Baldwin, my French teacher.

Q. Why?

A. I don't know. French has been my favorite subject and I really like it with her.

Q. What is your ideal Friday night?

A. Just hanging out with my friends. Just hanging out at one of their houses.

Q. In contrast, what's your ideal Monday night?

A. That's a lot different. Monday night it would be going to bed early!

Q. And I guess it would be without homework?

A. Yeah.

Q. And what's the ideal way to end this season?

A. To win the CPIC tournament. And to do well during the state tournament, because it's our first time playing in the 2-A.

RMA Offers Space to Students Displaced by Hurricane Katrina

Rocky Mount Academy has announced that it will be offering space to students
displaced from Hurricane Katrina. The school is preparing itself to accept a limited number of
students from Louisiana , Mississippi , and Alabama who are relocating to the Rocky Mount
area and need a place to go to school temporarily.

Even though Rocky Mount Academy opened last week with the highest enrollment in the history of the school, Headmaster Thomas R. Stevens said, “The Board and the administration feel it is the right thing to do” to open the doors to these students. He explained that RMA will take in students in any grade, and cost will be on “a case by case” basis. “We will talk with each family about their financial situation since the hurricane and flooding and determine if they are capable of paying anything at all for the education,” he stated.

Stevens asked that local residents let their families and friends from that area know that RMA is an option for them as they are deciding where to relocate. Families wishing to discuss admissions should contact Millie Walker, Director of Enrollment Management at 252-443-4126.

Stevens added that the RMA Student Government Association will be reporting to him soon on their ideas for the students to collect cash and material donations. The SGA has also been asked to present proposals for the students to help in the clean up or rebuilding of the dessimated area, such as a possible mission trip to the region later in the school year.
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And a footnote....

We want to thank Hurricane Katrina for sending us Jesse and Jake: