Congratulations Staff and Students

Transcription

1 Issue 3 January 2014 RCSA An investment in knowledge pays the best interest. Benjamin Franklin Congratulations Staff and Students By Amber Smith Along with nine other schools in Jacksonville, RCSA received an A rating again. Mr.Oz, middle and high school principal, stated that RCSA received its rankings due to the dedication and hard work of the students and staff. He believes the only way the school can maintain its rating is to avoid losing concentration.

2 Duval County Supervisor of Elections Visits RCSA By Starmeca Gowdy Jerry Holland, Duval County Supervisor of Elections, toured RCSA s campus recently. Holland toured the campus, meet teachers and students, and observed several class. He also had the opportunity to meet the Robotic club winners and sponsors. Mr. Oz also stated that Holland s visit was to inform seniors about the election because every vote counts." Holland met with several students, teachers, and club members. He enjoyed the school tour and his warm welcome from students and staff. 2

3 High School Robotic Team Places 2nd By Megan Triay and Mr. Castleberry The high school Robotic team, the Father Boards, went to Orlando to compete at Haggerty High School. The team, led by Mr. Castleberry and Mr. Caplette, was ranked 4th out of 21 teams within the North Florida to Central Florida region. The win led to a playoff between the four teams for semifinalist and then finalists. The Father Boards made semifinalist and then ended up playing in the finals. RCSA ended up placing second during the finals and walking away with a trophy. During the competition, the Father Boards had to complete tasks like collecting blocks and placing them in a bucket using an elevator and street sweeper. The team also had to use a mechanism to raise a flag. Mr. Castleberry and Mr. Caplette, who led the team, would like to congratulate members Bruce Baxter, Heather Daniels, William Seymore, Joshua Hope, Joseph Khouri, and AJ Franklin on a job well done. 3

4 High Schoolers Celebrate Spirit Week Who s got spirit? RCSA s high schoolers do! During the first week of December, students celebrated spirit week by dressing up for decades day, character day, and pajama day. To end the celebration, students wore different colors to display class pride during RCSA s first high school pep rally. Seniors dressed in red, juniors blue, sophomores pink, and freshman in green. Each grade participated in games to win the coveted Spirit Stick. The junior class of 2015 was the proud victor of the event. 4

5 Middle School Pep Rally MIDDLE SCHOOL ROCKETS RALLIED On Wednesday, December 18, 2013, grades 6 th, 7 th and 8 th celebrated spirit week and kicked off Winter Break with a pep rally. The rally was held in RCSA s cafeteria. The students enjoyed competing in Minute to Win It competitions with rival grades. 8 th graders were decked out in their spirit color, yellow, while 7 th grade wore blue and 6 th grade wore green. The middle school cheerleaders led the rally by getting all three grades fired up as they cheered and chanted. The middle school boys basketball team made an appearance to get the party started. Activities included a pie eating contest, Oreo cookie race, and the crème a la crème, a chance to get revenge on their teachers with a pie in the face. The unfortunate teachers of choice included Mrs. Mahaven, MS PE teacher; Mrs. Cambbell, 6th grade social studies teacher; Mrs. Halstead, 7 th grade math teacher; Mr. Dalton, 8 th grade history teacher and Mr. Oden, the Dean of Students. Students had a chance to wear some untraditional outfits to school. Pajama Day Monday brought out cute and comfortable sleep wear by students. Tacky Tuesday was even more eye-opening when the students had the chance to wear anything mismatched to school. 5

6 STUDENT ARTICLE Complicated College Application Becomes Easier By: Aunesty Gower, Tavarius Horne, and Latterius Scott The RCSA administration had very insightful and practical tips for making the college application process easier, including college essays, SATs, and Scholarships. The first step is to find some sort of unique approach. The college admission advisors read college essays all day. What will make you stand out? What s going to grab their attention? stated high school English teacher Mr. Rose. Creating a successful college application involves mastering the art of writing the essay. According to Mr. Rose, these points are the best thing to think about when writing the essay. Obviously, the more individualistic the essay the easier it will be to grab the assigned readers attention. Mr. Rose discusses the college application process with student Tavarius Horne. Creating a successful college application involves mastering the art of writing the essay. Another important step is to make sure to stay organized. Mr. Gokkaya, RCSA s college guidance counselor, suggested that students keep a folder of all your applications to easily access what they ve done. Also, while doing this, make sure to keep track of SAT/ACT scores to send to colleges. Maintaining an organized college agenda is crucial to any college application process. Spend time seeking scholarships you are eligible for, apply to as many as possible stated the school college guidance counselor. Scholarships are very important in the reduction of the financial burden placed on many families. Finding out what scholarships you are eligible for provides a sort of safety net for people who aren t financially stable and are wary of applying to college. In all, the college application process encompasses multiple things that can all be made easier with high quality effort and planning. 6

7 ROCKETS BLAST INTO COLLEGE By Aunesty Gower, Tavarius Horne, and Latterius Scott Congratulations to the following seniors who have received acceptance letters into colleges. Fabrice Telfrot Florida International University, University of South Florida Justine Henry Savannah College of Art and Design Ann Fortner Flagler College Dina Kirkos University of North Florida Courtney Dorrian New College of Florida, University of North Florida Tavarius Horne Florida State University, Florida International University Aliye Karakoyun University of Central Florida, University of North Florida Travis Maxwell Kansas University, University of North Florida Cameron Dorrian University of North Florida Janie Alcorn University of South Florida Christian Lockey Edward Waters College From left to right: Justine Henry, Dina Kirkos, Tavarius Horne, Cameron Dorrian, Ann Fortner, Aliye Karakoyun, Christian Lockey, and Courtney Dorrian. STUDENTS OF THE MONTH By Christian Little Congratulation to the students of the month for November. Students were recognized by teachers for their hard work and dedication to learning. The students of the month are Taj Jones, Abigal Boston, Taylor Vonburg, Turner Moore, Garrett Blackburn, Josh Oglesby, and Courtney Dorrian. Back row: Garrett Blackburn, Josh Oglesby, Turner Moore Front row: Courtney Dorrian, Taj Jones, Taylor Vonburg and Abigal Boston 7

8 Administration News: Changes for the new semester Each week the discipline office will focus on issues that are negatively affecting the learning environment. Teachers and staff will explain to the students during homeroom that random checks during the day will occur for these issues. If you have any questions please see Mr. Oden or Mrs. Leggett. Dress code check every day. During the week of February 3 administration will be sending students home who constantly violate the dress code. No cell phones in the classroom for any reason. Cell phones must be in the student s locker. The students are no longer allowed to keep cell phones in their pockets. High school students may bring their cell phones to the lunch room only. If they eat lunch with a teacher they should not have their phones in the classroom or the hallway. Middle school students should not have their phones out of the lockers for any reason during the school day. RCSA Donates to the Philippines By Josh Gotay Students and staff raised money for the victims of the Philippines tsunami. RCSA collected funds by holding a dress down day where students donated money to wear casual clothes. The school donated $1,952 to the Red Cross to assist with disaster relief efforts. RCSA thanks all who participated. 8

9 Clubs and Sports RCSA Hosts Parents, Students, and Staff for Science Olympiad Dinner RCSA WALKS FOR JUSTICE Community Service club takes a stand for Immokalee farm workers. Students marched in front of Wendy s to convince the company to sign the Fair Food Agreement. High School Girls Varsity Basketball Team 9

10 Newsletter Staff Ms. Gordon: Creative Editor Ms. Russell: Editor and Reporter 7th Period Journalism: Contributing Designers Mr. Pash: Editor River City Science Academy 7565 Beach Blvd Jacksonville, FL (904)