Rob Ransom was named Assistant Principal/Athletic Director for Richmond Senior High School. The decision was made during a called board meeting Thursday evening.

“I’m looking forward to combining my love of education with my passion for sports,” said Ransom, former Cordova Middle principal.

Before being a principal, Ransom spent the first 13 years of his educational career as a PE teacher/coach. He coached football, boys and girls basketball, baseball and golf for middle and junior high. He also coached high school baseball, girls basketball and American Legion baseball.

Ransom said he would miss his students and faculty at Cordova.

“I could not have asked for a better place to be a principal,” he said. “The faculty is like family to me and we all put our students first.”

Richmond Senior High School Principal Jim Butler said he’s excited to add Ransom to the Raider staff.

“Having worked closely with Rob for nine years at Washington Street School and Hamlet Middle, I know the strong work ethic, organizational skills and energy that he brings to everything he does,” said Butler.

Butler said he’s “saddened by the departure of Ricky Young” but knows Young, who was the athletic director and assistant principal, leaves the athletic program as a model of excellence.

“Ransom is taking over a strong program and he will continue to build on the great tradition of Raider sports,” he said.

Joyce McRae will move as the principal at Richmond County Ninth Grade Academy to principal at Cordova Middle and Derrick Watkins, assistant principal at the Ninth Grade Academy, will move up as principal.

Ransom said he’s open to the opportunity to work with any of the sports teams at the high school, but no decision has been made as of yet.

Richmond County Schools will be rolling out the “Say Something” system - an anonymous reporting app created in partnership by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction and Sandy Hook Promise available to schools statewide - this 2019-2020 school year.

This app was one of several topics discussed during Richmond County Schools’ first School Safety Forum Monday afternoon. 

Made up of administrators, board members, principals, parents and local law enforcement, the group discussed what Richmond County Schools has done in regards to school safety and where the district wants to move in the future.

“This is just the beginning,” said Superintendent Dr. Jeffrey Maples. “This is not a one and done thing. It’s all of us coming together to make sure our students and staff are safe. There are a lot of moving parts and layers when it comes to safety, but I can assure you that this is just the beginning of conversations we will have.”

Dennis Quick, associate superintendent for auxiliary services, led the discussion by comparing Richmond County schools “then versus now.” He discussed school violence at a national and local level - referring back to past incidents at the high school - and lessons they’ve learned from the lockdowns.

“I don't want us to put our heads in the sand and act like it won’t happen to us,” said Quick. “Let’s get our heads out of the sand. Let’s face the reality that there are people who don’t have the same regard for life like we do, and we have to keep that in mind.”

Quick also made note of things that have worked in the district including relationships with law enforcement, parents, students and teachers, police in the schools, surveillance cameras in the buildings and on the buses, safety audits, tabletop scenarios, emergency drills, panic alarms, controlled access door systems, body armor for the Special Police Force and advanced trainings.

“The relationships we have with students, parents, administrators and law enforcement help steer off possibilities of violence,” he said. 

In addition to hearing from Quick, principals Willette Surgeon from West Rockingham Elementary School, Karen Allen from Hamlet Middle School and Assistant Principal Alan Parker from Richmond Senior High School informed parents of safety measures taking place in their buildings.

Parker shared that during their monthly safety meetings at the high school, they will have students come in to share what they know going on inside and out of the building.

“They see things that we might miss,” said Parker.

Parents also had the opportunity to hear from Dr. Wendy Jordan, director of student services, about mental health and how it ties into social/emotional learning and Chief Ricardo Leak of Richmond County Schools’ Special Police Force.

“We have to remain vigilant in everything we do,” Leak said he tells his officers. “We have to remain visible because it will deter a lot that happens in our schools. And if something or someone looks out of place, they probably are. If you see something, say something.

“Each child who comes through our schools is like one of my own,” Leak added. “And I want them to feel safe.”

Parents were encouraged to leave feedback from the meeting that will be used in addressing school safety concerns moving forward and how they’d like to see Safety Forums structured in the future.

“As a parent, I really enjoyed getting a weekly call letting us know what takes place at the school,” responded one parent. “Also, always getting calls when there were incidents or issues happening at the school. It was helpful as a parent to be informed.”

“I’m happy to hear about the strong partnership with law enforcement,” responded another parent. “I appreciate efforts being made to equip schools with multiple layers of safety measures.”

Maples hopes to plan another School Safety Forum in the spring. 

Pictured: (second row) Superintendent Dr. Jeffrey Maples, Sheriff James Clemmons, Hamlet Police Chief Tommy McMasters, Board member Pat Campbell and Associate Superintendent of Auxiliary Services Dennis Quick.; (first row) Chief of Richmond County Schools' Special Police Force Ricardo Leak, County Commissioner Ben Moss and Captain Randy Dover of the Hamlet Police Department.

DUKE ENERGY SCIENCE NIGHT TO BE HELD AT EAST ROCKINGHAM ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

East Rockingham Elementary School will host a Duke Energy Science Night on Thursday, March 28, 2019, from 5:30-7:00 pm, at 154 Chalk Road. This is an official event of the 2019 North Carolina Science Festival. 

Duke Energy Science Night will feature hands-on activities designed to help children and their families explore science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). This event is for East Rockingham Elementary School students and their families. For more information, contact 910-557-0900.

East Rockingham Elementary School is one of 170 North Carolina elementary schools selected to host Duke Energy Science Nights in 2019. Support from the Duke Energy Foundation allows the Festival to provide each selected school with all materials needed for the activities. The Duke Energy Foundation seeks to power vibrant communities through investments in high-performing, sustainable initiatives that emphasize STEM, including programs that help create greater access to and participation in STEM-related informal and out-of-school educational opportunities.

Duke Energy Science Nights are an educational initiative of the North Carolina Science Festival presented by the Biogen Foundation, with statewide science programming for all ages. The NC Science Festival is now a month-long celebration of science that occurs every April. Festival events include hands-on activities, science talks, lab tours, nature experiences, exhibits, performances, and other events, hosted by many different organizations within North Carolina. Most Festival events are free. 

The North Carolina Science Festival is produced by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center (The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill). For more information about the Festival, visit www.ncsciencefestival.org. 

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On Tuesday, March 5, 2019, at the Richmond County Board of Education meeting, 3 Inspiring Excellence recipients from the Richmond County Ninth Grade Academy were recognized. 

Principal Joyce McRae wrote "Mrs. Williams is the guidance counselor at Richmond County Ninth Grade Academy. With over 39 years of counseling experience, she is an expert at building relationships with everyone she comes into contact with. Before each school year starts, she spends countless hours going through more than 400 students’ folders to learn as much as she can about each individual student. She is an advocate for students, teachers, and staff members and always takes time to recognize the accomplishments of others. We are very fortunate that Mrs. Williams is part of our Raider family!"

Joyce McRae also said "Mrs. Chappell is the data manager at NGA. She is always willing to help out whenever and wherever she is needed – without being asked to do so. Whether it’s preparing for special events, ironing out situations in the front office, advocating for peers and students, or covering car duty, Mrs. Chappell is always willing to do what needs to be done. She is an asset to our school!"

In addition, Mrs. Cindy Ellerbe was also recognized. McRae said "Mrs. Ellerbe is one of our outstanding high school bus drivers. She is very reliable and dependable. She maintains a clean bus and is always willing to help out when needed. She holds high expectations for her students to ensure her bus route is safe and orderly. If you ask any of Mrs. Cindy's students about her they will tell you she has a rule for everything, she is always on time, and that she loves them." 

Pictured Above: Bobbie Sue Ormsby, Susan Williams, and Dr. Jeff Maples

Pictured Above: Bobbie Sue Ormsby, Jan Chappell, Dr. Jeff Maples, and Joyce McRae

Pictured Above: Bobbie Sue Ormsby, Cindy Ellerbe, Dr. Jeff Maples, and Joyce McRae

Members of the L.J. Bell Lighthouse Team attended the “Leader in Me” Symposium in Columbia, S.C., along with over 600 educators, and received recognition for the school achieving Lighthouse Certification. #LeaderInMe #Congratulations #RCS

FirstHealth recognized by NCHA for partnership to improve children’s health

The Daily Mile program gets kids and families moving

February 21, 2019 - Raleigh, N.C. -  FirstHealth of the Carolinas was honored this week by The North Carolina Healthcare Association (NCHA) with NCHA’s inaugural Healthier Communities Award. The newly-created award recognizes collaborative work by an NCHA member institution to promote health and well-being by addressing an identified need. FirstHealth was recognized for its leadership in the nation’s first implementation of The Daily Mile, an evidence-based physical activity program that originated in the United Kingdom.

The aim of The Daily Mile is to improve the physical, emotional and social health and well-being of children – regardless of age or personal circumstances. It can also help children to focus in the classroom and maintain concentration, therefore improving their potential to learn.

Through the First-in-Health 2020 Task Forces, FirstHealth worked with Richmond and Montgomery County school systems to ensure that every elementary school student has 15 minutes each school day (or the equivalent of one mile) to walk, jog or run apart from recess or P.E. class. To provide a safe environment for The Daily Mile in these rural schools, FirstHealth leveraged $232,000 of funds to build walking trails on school campuses, which are available for use by the community outside of school hours.   

FirstHealth leads the Montgomery and Richmond First-In-Health 2020 Task Forces in partnership with health departments, school systems, cooperative extension offices, school nurses, school-based health centers, municipal governments, housing authorities, businesses and citizens at-large.

In 2015, the Task Force received an initial grant from The Duke Endowment for the Healthy People, Healthy Carolinians initiative for funding of the first The Daily Mile trails. Additional funds have since been received from the FirstHealth Montgomery Foundation and the Richmond Memorial Hospital Foundation to build trails at every elementary school in Richmond and Montgomery counties, for a total of 14 trails in the two counties.

“NCHA is proud to recognize the partnership and the great work that FirstHealth, the school systems, and their community partners are doing to improve the health of children and adults in these rural counties,” said Steve Lawler, NCHA president. “This program exemplifies our members’ collective mission to improve the health of the communities where we live and work.” 

The collaborative team used 2015 Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) data as the basis of The Daily Mile implementation. CHNA data indicated high levels of obesity and chronic disease within the two counties, both of which are designated as Tier 1, rural and underserved counties. Initial results show The Daily Mile has increased levels of physical activity in youth and adults, with an estimated 409,293 miles walked in the program’s first two years. Additional data collection is underway. The program model in the United Kingdom demonstrated decreased body mass index and improved testing scores among students. 

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View NCHA’s video about the program here https://youtu.be/ST2pzFgP7Xk

Photo cut-line:
Beth Walker, president of FirstHealth Montgomery Memorial Hospital, and Roxanne Elliott, policy director of FirstHealth Community Health Services, accept the award from Phyllis Wingate, past chair of the NCHA Board of Trustees.

The North Carolina Healthcare Association represents more than 130 individual and multi-hospital health systems across North Carolina, including teaching, rural, small community, suburban, specialty, and continuing care facilities that provide acute care, rehabilitative, behavioral, psychiatric and veterans’ services.

FirstHealth of the Carolinas, a private, not-for-profit health care network, is headquartered in Pinehurst. Its more than 5,200 employees serve 15 counties in the mid-Carolinas. Licensed for four hospitals with 610 beds and also including facilities for inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation, a hospice, a palliative care program, a home care program, community outreach programs, behavioral services, fitness facilities, primary and convenient care practices, a hospitality house, EMS and critical care transport services, a non-profit insurance plan, a philanthropic foundation and a host of other services, FirstHealth demonstrates a commitment to treating the whole patient and to providing quality health care for the entire community – especially those in need. 

For more information, contact:

Julie Henry, NCHA, 919-677-4243

Ellen Cooper, FirstHealth of the Carolinas, 910-715-1471 

On Saturday, February 19, 7 JROTC Cadets from the Raider Battalion, and a few others conducted a small memorial ceremony and cleaned up around the 551st Parachute Infantry Battalion's monument near Lake Kinney Cameron. It was 75 years ago that eight members of the unit perished in the lake during a training jump. The informal ceremony was narrated by Colonel John Ring and took place around the actual memorial marker. At the conclusion of the ceremony, each person in attendance placed a penny on top of the stone in keeping with tradition to let others know they visited. Afterward, cadets took the opportunity to clean up around the area. 

Ellerbe Middle School celebrates new Beta Club inductees!

Front row left to right, Ally Russell, Mikayla English, Kamryn Simmons, Payton Powell, Mia Green, Ayden Locklear,

Second row, Melissa Morales, Breonikia McKoy, Sarah Meacham, Breanna Smith, Jouquain Jackson, 

Third row, Ava Thompson, Garret Mabe, Simone Terry, Alexander Bahenaman, Gavin Applewhite, Jason Perez Zapata

Rockingham Middle School recently named its 6th Grade A Honor Roll for the 2nd nine weeks. 

A Honor Roll 6th Grade: 

Front Row: Jacob Bullard, Elijah Callahan, Abby Chavis, Kiya Cherry, Gavin Fowler, Antonio Franco, and Daquan Green 

Second Row: Jack Hawkins, Alyssa Heaton, Michael Jordan, Jamiya Lindsey, Emily Lopez, Cooper McDonald, and Sophia McElduff 

Third Row:  Gracie McRae, Jacey McRae, Mariana Mendez-Mendoza, Sarah Nessell, Joe Parsons and Conner Phifer 

Fourth Row: Hanna Smith, Landon Summerlin, Raygan Talbert, Landon Taylor, and Melanie YotecoCarranza 

Not Pictured:  Cash Monroe and Karley Simmons

A Honor Roll 7th Grade 

Front Row: Brett Anderson, Karlee Butler, Kaleigh Cloninger, Brianna Ezzell, Leila Gibson, Isaac Hinshaw, Savannah Hooks, and Brent Humann.        

Second Row: Sheldon Jones, Branson Lear, Gabby Lutz, Karim McLaughlin, Aryonna McQueen, Maddie Norwood, Libbie Parsons, and Emily Roberts Allie Rodgers.                      

Third Row:  Allie Rodgers, Sury Santos, Ella Scott, Kayla Scott, Camron Seagraves, Zane Searcy, and Chance Singletary  

Fourth Row: Chance Spivey, Ariana Telus, Mitch Wallace, Will Whitley, and Lily Wilson. 

Not Pictured: Phifer Davis and Kaemon Gomez

A Honor Roll 8th Grade 

Front Row: Drake Asbell, Alley Baldwin, Grant Baysek, Matthew Burns, Evan Butler, Kylie Caulder, Dasia Collins, EJ Davis, and Catherine Dennis 

Second Row: Tristan Dycus, Andrea Ellerbe, Molly Erwin, Juana Espinoza, Camryn Hines, C’Nedra Hinson, Cameron Hinson, and Mason Iacovone      

Third Row: Savannah Jordan, Jaleah Leak, Alicia Lee, Kayleigh Leviner, Kenleigh Locklear, Ayden Mabe, Addison Massey, and Ashley Murphy 

Fourth Row: Josh Nessell, Naaman Perakis, Sophia Razon, Savannah Shepard, Naylah Smeigh, Macy Steen, Haley White, Jasmen Williams, and Jacqueline Zapata 

Not Pictured: Bobbie Faircloth, Yesenia Garcia, Walker Lambeth, Layla Morman, Ty Murray, Autumn Sheppard, Taye Spencer, Karter Walker, Lanaya Watkins, and Abby Williams

Hamlet Middle School recently named their A and A/B Honor roll students for the 2nd 9 weeks. 

6th grade – Kynice Bailey, Samantha Clay, Kelsie Cox, Landon Dunn, Mallory Lance, Matthew Leggett, Karma Lindsey, Kaylee Ludlum, Alan Luna-Esquivel, Rheann Mills, Mattie Moss, Addison O’Neal, Madelynn Pearson, Alexander Sledge, Gage Stewart, Jason Walker, Alivia Webb, Dean Wells, Billy West, Zoey Williams

7th grade – Adam Cole, Chloe Foster, Jenna Gardner, Hadley Garner, Samuel Hawks, William He, Addyson Hollingsworth, Christi Jacobs, Payton Ledwell, Lexi Medlin, Kyleigh Morrison, Ann Nguyen, Kevin Wall, Katie Way, Vincent Williams, Eden Williamson

8th grade – Cristian Aguilera, Zaporia Anderson, Jace Bendell, Tyler Berry, Rylie Bohman, William Butler, Brandon Cassidy, Arazeli Castillo, Traquan Chavis, Kiomora Core, Carson Dixon, Zoe Dixon, Brianna Dodson, Dustin Dorey, Maria Garcia Hernandez, Giovani Gomez, Cameron Jacobs, Libby Killough, Joel Lance, Carly Leggett, Quston Leviner, Evan Locklear, Madisyn Locklear, Kadin Long, Shailoh Magee, Jeremiah McLean, Ally Moore, William Norton, Gael Onesto, Heather Pike, Christian Quick, Laci Ricks, Tia Samuels, Kinsley Shepherd, Kenneth Smith, Kalei Sriratanakoul, Caitlyn Strickland, Alex Vaughn, Caleb Williams

A/B Honor Roll:

6th grade – Landon Allen, Addison Baldwin, Angelica Blackwell, Caleb Blake, Austin Brayboy, Conner Chance, Jabari Douglas, Kylee Gibson, LeAsia Graham, Lendon Graham, Meredith Hatcher, Christi Hinson, Deshaun Ingram, Jordan Jacobs, Tristen James, Brandon Kiser, Jack Leviner, Maddox Leviner, Leela Lockey, Trinity Lockhart, Joseph Nichols, Jeb Perry, Luke Rabon, Jyneil Scott, Layla Smith, Kayleigh Squires, Caleb Starling, Kevin Stewart, Lilly Stubbs, Sariah Thomas, Amir Vaughan, Nevaeh Wilder Harris, Kaheem Williams, Bryant Willis, Anayely Zapata-Morales

7th grade – Emma Altman, Lilleeann Beasley, Charles Cassidy, Natalie Cato, Alex Chappell, Nathan Cloninger, Jamia Crowder, L’Genesis Darien, Leilani Davis, Sequoia Davis, Sara English, Jose Gomez-Morales, Jashton Harrington, Kady Harris, Destiny Hildreth, Nathan Hoffman, Cain Hunsucker, Jenee Johnson, Thomas Keyes, Alexis Locklear, Peyton Lowery, Tobey Lunceford, Ryelan Lyerly, Ciara Marshall, Jacoby Martin, Toby McInnis, D’lijah Mills, Osirid Morales, Naedom Porter, Ethan Powers, Danica Smith, Terrace Spencer, Gabriel Streeter, Layton Stubbs, Naviyana Taylor, Madison Vaughn, Jennifer Velazquez, Benjamin Whitt, Noah Williams, Roselyn Zapata Garcia, Lucio Zurita

8th grade – Austin Bullard, William Bullard, Alexis Butler, Anneliese Chapman, Nevaeh Chavis, Jaylin Cloud, Makayla Conaway, Isis Covington, Britney Diaz-Clemmons, Nayeli Gomez Morales, Kaylee Grant, Riley Grant, Gavin Graves, Albert Griffin, Leah Hagan, Damarion Haliburton, Cheyenne Jacobs, Citali Jimenez, Dominic Joye, Denton King, Rachel Martin, TyNasia Martin, Colton Mayfield, Beth Mills, Antony Perez Marquez, Da’Veah Robinson, Christian Robinson, Kharysma Rorie, Christian Sanchez, Taliyah Sherrod, Leah Squires, Rossi Standridge, Elijah Swinnie-Hayes, Alexandre Toledo, Junior Torruco-Jimenez, Azareeyah Trimble, Christian Vasquez Lopez, William White, Jahkwel Williams, Jayda Williams, Jordan WIlson