Last month was a busy one for our students and faculty as we celebrated Black History Month and Career and Technical Education Month in each of our schools. These events provided us with the opportunity to learn more about those who have made a difference in this world and to learn more about how we can also make a difference in this world through our own words, actions and choices.
There are so many pioneers and influential people that our students had the opportunity to focus on during Black History Month, but the contributions Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. made to the world were something I personally pondered last month. Dr. King was a man who commanded respect and honor, not because he bullied it out of people or because he required it out of those around him, but because it was a natural response to his actions.
Dr. King was humble and gentle, with a bold confidence and an unwavering faith in his ideals, his morals and his dreams. He led by example and stood up for what he believed in without ever resorting to violence. Dr. King used his words like a sword in the fight against injustice, and he used his faith as a shield when going to battle with those who opposed him. He took the time to care for others, and he dedicated his life to righting wrongs and advocating for change in a peaceable way.
Our students can look to Dr. King (and others like him) to see that the types of values he had and the way he approached problems are things to be admired and emulated. In a world where we constantly worry about shootings and retaliations and getting an eye for an eye, it becomes more and more apparent that we could ALL learn from the lessons Dr. King taught us. We could all stand to be more tolerant of our neighbors, more kind to those in need, more understanding of those who aren’t exactly like us and more compassionate to those less fortunate. Character education is just as important as academic education, and I’m sure our students learned valuable lessons as we observed Black History Month at RCS.
Last month we also observed Career and Technical Education Month, which is designed to highlight all the different programs students can study that will help them in their future careers and how this type of education can be beneficial to students AND the community. Throughout February the RCS CTE Department highlighted their programs at the high school and middle school levels and went into the lower grades to show our elementary students how important career tech is.
We were also thankful to have the mayor and city council recognize February as Career and Technical Education Month in the city of Russellville, where they acknowledged the important role career tech plays in our community. Thanks to the programs implemented in RCS CTE, we have students who are ready to enter the workforce and become productive citizens and employees of local businesses and industries. We are training up the next generation of future leaders, and it is great to have the city acknowledge how vitally important this is.
Our spring sports are also now in full swing, and we hope that our community will come out and support our hard-working student athletes and coaches at the many events they will have in the coming months.
We have an exciting spring semester ahead, and we would love for each of you to know about our events, activities and successes. If you want to keep up with what’s going on at RCS on a daily basis, make sure to follow our district Twitter (@RussellvilleK12) and Facebook accounts as well as the Twitter (@Russellville_HS, @RussellvilleMS, @ResElem, @Westatrcs) and Facebook accounts for each of our four schools.
As always, it’s GREAT to be a Golden Tiger!
Heath Grimes
Superintendent
Russellville City Schools
