March 2023

In front of a HUGE turnout of enthusiastic fans, the RCHS Girls Varsity Basketball Team were victorious in securing the class 1 state title with a 70-65 win over the Eastside Spartans! This marked the first time in school history that the Lady Panthers have won the state championship. The team, coaches, students, and the entire community who showed their love and support will long remember this incredible day. We are Rappahannock!

The 3rd Grade Market Day returned to RCES on Wednesday, March 1st. The auxiliary gym was transformed into a busy marketplace for different grade levels to visit the booths and purchase goods or services with Market Day Bucks. The students had to promote their store to shoppers, collect market bucks, and use their math skills to calculate change. Some of the handmade goods and services included picture frames, slime, bookmarks, artwork, hair clips, gumball machines, God’s Eye, bracelets, marshmallow launcher, pottery, micro greens, puppets, photo booth, nail painting, drawing, and more!

This event was the culmination of several weeks of learning and preparation. During the weeks leading up to the event, students were asked to create a product or service, name their shop, and design advertising materials to promote their store. Additionally, students worked collaboratively to create Market Day Bucks to represent money. As part of the MyFuture Financial Literacy Curriculum, the event was designed to help students learn about economics and account for the money they earned and spent. Other subjects and skills incorporated include persuasive writing, art, science, and math.

Earlier this month, fifty 8th-graders and their Junior and Senior Peer Mentors spent the night at the NOVA 4-H Center, as a part of the 8th Grade Academy program. 8th-graders and Peer Mentors bonded while bowling, enjoying an all-you-can-eat dinner at the Golden Corral, making TikToks, and dancing at an impromptu dance party at the lodge at the 4-H Center. A good time was had by all.

The RCES Family Engagement Night, held on Mach 1st, was a fun opportunity for families to enjoy a free family night! The incredible turnout made for an exciting, lively event. With 21 activities running simultaneously, there was lots of fun to be had! Activities included gears & robots, read loud, cornhole, Just Dance, bingo, snowball catapults, iceberg hop, painting, nature exploration, giveaway station, movie, and much more! For each activity station visited, families received a raffle ticket to place in one of the many prize drawings.

On March 8th, RCPS celebrated International Women’s Day today by inviting several accomplished and inspiring women to speak to RCHS students about their experiences and successes in their professional careers.

On the panel was Kit Goldfarb, Co-Founder and Executive Director of SANGO-Kenya, an international non-governmental organization that focuses on food and nutrition security in rural Kenya. Kit has a Master’s in Public Health from George Mason University and a Bachelor of Arts in Government from the University of Texas, Austin.

Susan Whitson, the founder and owner of Susan Whitson Travel, was also a guest speaker. Prior to starting her travel business, Susan served as White House Press Secretary to First Lady Laura Bush. She was the national spokesperson for the Federal Bureau of Investigation as well as the deputy spokesperson at the U.S. Department of Justice. Susan is a graduate of Auburn University.

Also on the stage was Jennifer Leach, a senior associate at Beveridge & Diamond where her practice centers on regulatory compliance counseling and environmental litigation. Prior to joining B&D, Jennifer worked as an environmental consultant with a focus on sustainability as applied to heavy industry. She led initiatives that included green products, green chemistry, and the responsible use and reuse of resources.

Jennifer also served as a pilot and an officer in the U.S. Army, with a tour of duty in the first Persian Gulf War (1991) in Iraq and Saudi Arabia, and with the 101st Airborne Division, flying UH-1 Huey and CH-47 Chinook helicopters. Jennifer is a graduate of Duke University and the Vermont Law School.

And finally, Dr. Shannon Grimsley has served RCPS in various capacities since 2006 at both the elementary and high school levels, as well as in the central office. She went on to become Superintendent in 2017. She earned her bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Massachusetts, a master’s degree in educational administration from Shenandoah University, and completed her doctorate in advanced educational leadership from Regent University.

This event was created by the RCPS JEDI team in honor of Women's History Month.

On March 9th, several elementary and middle school students took part in the Virginia History Day district 4 competition at Mary Baldwin University. History Day is an annual competition in which students research and create a project on a topic of their choice. This is the first year that Rappahannock County had participated and it was an impressive showing.

Two groups competed in the elementary division, group exhibit category. Riley Chapman, Cayden Kidwell, and Sawyer Pond took second place for their project on the Secret War in Laos. Zoee Lowery, Evangeline McCracken, and Edith Smith won first place for their project on Lewis and Clark.

Taven Carroll, Kyle Deal, Eugene Lopiano, and Jonas Volmrich competed together in the junior division, group documentary category. Their documentary on Operation Paperclip, placed second.

All three groups will advance to the state competition next month.

Congratulations to our young historians!

RCPS will be closed on Thursday, April 6th - Monday, April 10th for spring break. We look forward to welcoming students back to school on Tuesday, April 11th.

Thanks to a generous grant from the Northern Piedmont Community Foundation, RCHS will be offering behind-the-wheel training! To view the informational flyer, visit https://content.myconnectsuite.com/api/documents/d874699a4a9243e3af05003ca6e61864.pdf

RCPS is generating an internal list of students who qualify for this program based on eligibility requirements for students in grades 10-12. Parents/guardians will be contacted once the schedule has been created. For additional questions, please contact Dani Pond at dpond@rappahannockschools.us. If you are the parent/guardian of a NON-RCPS student who is eligible and would like to receive more information, please fill out the form using the QR code on the flier.

To view the list of helpful mental health and wellness resources for students and families, CLICK HERE.

Children need healthy meals to learn. Rappahannock County Public Schools offers daily healthy meals that meet the standards established by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Your child(ren) may be eligible for free meals or reduced-price meals if your household income is within the limits on the Federal Income Eligibility Guidelines. To view the eligibility chart and learn more, CLICK HERE.

To apply, visit our SCHOOL NUTRITION page and select from either an online application or paper application.

Website: www.rappahannockschools.us
Facebook: www.facebook.com/rappahannockcountypublicschools
Instagram: www.instagram.com/_rcps_