The magnet focus this year is Bridging Connections and the school year is starting off fabulously! At this Thanksgiving season, we want to share some highlights and photos with you. We are grateful for our family and community partners, teachers, administrators, students, and all of the City of Arts and Innovation who support the excellent instruction happening here at RJ Reynolds High School.
During the summer, 24 teachers and one Assistant Principal attended the A+ Schools Summer Institute in Greensboro. Participants worked on learning and planning utilizing the A+ Essentials--Arts, Curriculum, Multiple Learning Pathways, Climate, Collaboration, Experiential Learning, Community Partners, Infrastructure, and Enriched Assessment. These teachers are leading the way with other staff keeping the magnet theme of Arts for Academics as a school focus.
During the summer, 24 teachers and one Assistant Principal attended the A+ Schools Summer Institute in Greensboro. Participants worked on learning and planning utilizing the A+ Essentials--Arts, Curriculum, Multiple Learning Pathways, Climate, Collaboration, Experiential Learning, Community Partners, Infrastructure, and Enriched Assessment. These teachers are leading the way with other staff keeping the magnet theme of Arts for Academics as a school focus.
The first teacher workdays included team building and learning for all staff. This year, the staff took a bus tour of our residential neighborhoods and ended up at the bowling alley. Teachers were in teams named for district Core Values and school essentials. Faculty bowled with students in mind. Each game had challenges including bowling with a blindfold, taking several steps backwards, and receiving instructions in another language. Bridging connections with each other is an important step toward collaboration.
Teachers participate in book studies just like students do! We read Waking Up White by Debbie Irvin and discussed privilege, racism, prejudices, and historical biases when meeting the author. These topics continue to infiltrate our planning and discussing--as a Magnet School we focus on Diversity and Equity as one of the major pillars of school organization.
Two musicians won new instruments at the John Coltrane Jazz Festival after writing essays and winning the competition.
In September, the RJR Arts Department partnered with multiple community sponsors and the family of George Hamilton, IV to host a memorial music festival in memory of this famous RJR Alumnus to raise funds for the arts programs. Professional musicians teamed up with students to put on a 5 hour music festival that wowed the audience! Early in the evening, three more members were inducted into the Arts Hall of Fame: Bob Mayer, Judy Voss Jones, and Mitch Easter. The event gave RJR students and teachers a chance to work with professionals, to connect with alumni and their families, and to experience more careers in the arts while supporting the school's magnet program. We are grateful to the sponsors, the musicians, and especially the family of George Hamilton, IV!
The theatre department produced The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. Hundreds of RJR students read the novel and integrated it into their classrooms. We learned about physics, math, neurodiversity, England, and family dynamics when watching the play. The actors and technical theatre students learned about lighting and audio design, method acting, and working as an ensemble.
We partnered with SECCA and the Pulitzer Center to learn from Geandy Pavon, a Cuban artist living in New York City, and Rolando Arrieta, the NPR Deputy Director living in DC. We explored the Cuban diaspora and thought about our own families--how we came to live in Winston Salem, what images would represent our family culture and values, and how to tell our own story. Spanish classes wrote their immigration stories in Spanish. ESL students told their stories through pictures and words.
River Run International Film Festival partnered with RJR and brought 3 students, 2 teachers, and a Filmmaker from Parkland, Florida to tell their story about civic engagement after the February 14th school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Hundreds of RJR students watch the Documentary, We Are the Change, and had a discussion with the visitors about finding their passions and getting involved in making a change for the better. Select teachers and students interacted at a dinner the night before hosted by River Run's Educational Director, Jane McKim.
Teachers experience engaged learning, also. Here is a photo of Visual Arts teachers learning at The Olio--a glass blowing/entrepreneurship studio that partners with us in many ways. Justin Zimmerman, a science teacher who is also an artist, led a master class on wheelthrowing with our ceramics students (and some teachers--including Principal, Dr. Alexander!)
We believe in experiential learning. This includes service learning, field trips, master classes, active learning in classrooms, and career explorations. Here, our soccer team is pictured in Washington, DC where they played in a tournament. Dancers are pictured in Orlando, Florida where they performed at Disney and participated in a workshop about auditions. Radio 101 students are at the WFDD studios where they learned about the professional public radio station that will air the stories they create in class. Choral students are at the NC Honors Chorus and SoJam, an a cappella music workshop/festival. Dancers are pictured rehearsing with the Moscow Ballet--they will perform The Nutcracker with this Russian dance troupe November 26th.
Several of our freshmen went to Wake Forest University where they toured, learned about college, and connected with current professors and students. College tours organized by RJR have included WSSU, Forsyth Tech, WFU, and NC A&T.
Visual Arts students created pieces inspired by SECCA's Cuba exhibit, then had an exhibition at the museum and got to meet one of the artists.
RJR students were inspired to get involved in politics. They created bulletin boards, participated in Get Out the Vote initiatives, campaigned for candidates, hosted voter registration drives, spoke with local candidates, and even volunteered the day of the midterm elections.
The Thanksgiving Assembly--a time honored tradition that includes an inspirational speaker, the Yearbook Dedication, performances, and the culmination of the Key Club Canned Food dive took place the day before the Thanksgiving holiday. Student leaders, musicians, and a poet encouraged the community to Give Thanks and to think beyond themselves. The Honorable Denise Hartsfield rallied the audience to Shake it Off, Step Up, and Step Out--to take any hardships and work with others to turn them into opportunities. We are thankful for all who participated and for all the positive that will come from this first 3 months of Bridging Connections.
Now it is time for Magnet Recruitment--to let current 8th and 9th graders and their families know about Reynolds as a potential high school option. Our students apply to be Ambassadors and assist during Informational Sessions and Open Houses. Interested families are encouraged to schedule a tour by calling 336-703-4146 and to attend the final Informational Session December 18th from 5:30-7 in the Media Center. We are proud of our excellent school--steeped in a Tradition of Excellence since 1923 and meeting the needs of current families/students with Excellent Instruction Every Day for Every Student in Every Class.