ROME, GA—Starting the new school year off right may mean many different things to different systems. To Rome City Schools, it means high spirits and bursting energy, exploring personal growth, building professional skill sets, and extending warm gratitude and unwavering support to all members of the RCS family.
On Tuesday, July 26, all of these things were strong and present as RCS held their 2022-2023 school year kickoff called Day of Stars, at Rome High School.
Structured as a mini conference, the day began unlike any other conference. Faculty and staff arrived to the chants of RHS cheerleaders, encouraging signs and sounds from Central Office employees and the rumbling roll of a marching beat from the percussion section of the RHS band. These were the sounds of gratitude, inclusion and pride over the pack.
Interim Superintendent, Dr. Dawn Williams, welcomed nearly 1,000 members of RCS faculty and staff in the RHS gymnasium to a day of professional learning, skill building, personal growth and a whole lot of fun.
Fun was the first focus of the day. Each school had the chance to show their spirit in support of their administrators as principals and assistant principals took off their professional caps long enough to show off their inner child at a playful game in the style of Hungry Hungry Hippos. One thousand red RCS stress balls scattered across the floor as administrators worked together to capture the rolling red balls under baskets while one maneuvered the other on a scooter board; truly a test of teamwork. East Central Elementary's Principal, Dr. Wesley Styles, and Assistant Principal, Samantha Lindsey, stood victorious and beaming with elation at the capture of 220 little red balls.
From there, Day of Stars was divided into five breakout sessions, during which each faculty member had the opportunity to choose the contents of their day depending on their areas of interest or need. A few focuses of the day were trauma informed mindset and practices, building connections as the cornerstone of classroom management, and partnering with parents to address challenging student behaviors.
With more than 50 options to choose from, teachers were able to attend system meetings and explore workshops of their own interests. They were even treated to Serenity Rooms throughout the day where community partners like Dermaculture Skin and Spa and Relentless Chiropractic offered relaxation as well as health and wellness information. Nonprofit partners within the Rome-Floyd County community such as the Rome Floyd Commission on Children and Youth, United Way and Restoration Rome also held informative sessions.
Williams stressed that it's important that the school system get started on the right foot, and on the same foot for that matter.
"It's about setting a culture for the system and having the right start is important,” she said. “So, for me, it’s imperative that we give everybody relevant and necessary tools right off the bat. Whether it's just remembering the right tools or acquiring new ones, having that foundation of focus is important.”
Williams said that the largest aspect of the RCS culture is putting relationships first. One common breakout session topic was Trust-based Relational Intervention (TBRI), a trauma-informed intervention that is designed to meet the complex needs of vulnerable children who have experienced adversity and/or trauma.
"Our goal is to be district-wide with TBRI. We've implemented fully in four schools at this point.
It's all about building relationships. It's about knowing ourselves as adults and knowing what we bring to work every day, as well as knowing what our students bring to school. Learning can't take place unless the conditions are right, so it’s important that we focus on making sure the conditions are right.”
In the past, RCS has had school year kickoffs, however, Day of Stars 2022 was the first of its kind, and the planning for such a day had been a year in the making.
A conversation about meeting the needs of the teachers as related to student behavior set the tone for the planning process that ultimately used faculty feedback as the starting point.
Director of Student Services, Dr. Dale Willerson, explained that every Friday, an inspirational form called Rome City Cares is sent to teachers, asking them what their needs are. Utilizing that form, Willerson said she was able to get feedback from faculty members on whether they needed more information on social emotional learning for students, community support or tips on self-care etc.
"From there, I started asking for help,” Willerson said. “I started reaching out to people in the community and I started to consider experts within our school system that had relevant skill sets to share. We had people volunteer their time to come in and do sessions from the Georgia Department of Education, from our Northwest Georgia Regional Education Service Agency, Berry College, and then our own experts at RCS.”
Willerson said that the mini-conference structure of the RCS event was inspired by the skills and talents of its own faculty and staff.
"Teachers are professionals and oftentimes are not given the credit for the time, energy and resources that they've put into building their skill set,” she explained. “I felt like designing the day in a mini-conference style was a respectful way to show them that they are recognized as true professionals and experts in their fields."
Williams shared that embarking on a fresh new year after resetting and re-energizing is one of her favorite parts of being an educator. As that new year is nigh, more than anything, she looks toward a successful building and nurturing of empathetic relationships between teachers and students.
"Success can be measured in so many different ways,” she said. “A lot of times our success is measured by test scores or the graduation rates. To me, our success is also measured in the way our students feel about coming to school, and the way their parents feel about sending their children to school. To me having those relationships with our students is going to equal the success that they need to see, in one measurement or another.”
As a successful day of growth, gratitude, and professional gains came to a close, Williams gathered the RCS village together one more time. This time to offer an outpouring of appreciation in the form of prizes from supportive community partners such as Communities in Schools, Rome Braves, Blossom Hill BBQ, LaScala, Duffy’s Deli, Sign Your Deed Realty and Smith’s Auto to name a few. Williams even sponsored a few gifts herself.
Here’s to a new school year. RCS will be present with compassion, collaboration and true empathy; just #LikeAWolf. ###