August 3rd, 16 RAS Staff gathered to Reflect, Challenge, and Grow while working to develop a comprehensive school improvement plan. The commitment by this talented and dedicated staff is inspiring as they are evidence that "Many Hands Together Make for Light Work."
If you are interested in working with Youth Build this summer and are between the ages of 16-18 please apply!! The application deadline is May 22nd.
As we look back over the school year, here was one of our cool projects! Mr. Thornton lead a unit on fashion per the students' request. They were challenged to create items out of different materials like duct tape and cardboard. What an awesome and unique idea!
The end of May is one of our favorite times of the year! We've spent the month watching our seniors participate in our tradition of putting their hands on the wall when they finish earning all of their credits. This moment is special for them and for us. For some of our students, they are the first ones in their family to graduate high school. For some students, they never thought they would be able to see this day at all. We are so proud of these students and we welcome them as RAS Alumni. Yesterday, we held our annual senior celebration where we got to congragulate them and send them off with a certificate and a gift. We hope as our graduates leave us, that they always remember the core values that they learned at RAS! Congragulations Class of 2023 and remember: if it does not challenge you, it will not change you!
RAS staff and students had the opportunity to help a local church over the past two days. St. Mary's was in need of assistance with landscaping and our kids came through to help with pulling weeds, digging out a tree, replanting the tree, and other outside clean-up tasks. We appreciate the opportunity to provide our students with the task of helping others AND learning valuable life skills. Another great community partnership!
We are thrilled that TWO of our teachers were awarded grants through the Illinois Prairie Community Foundation (IPCF) Annual Campaign Fund! Mr. Thornton will use his $3,009 to purchase iPads and Apple Pencils to create digital art with students and enhance creativity in our art program. Mrs. Quick will use her $2,000 to encourage sustainability through the purchase of sewing machines, which will be utilized to teach life skills through fixing and repurposing clothing instead of throwing it out. RAS is thankful for community agencies such as IPCF who provide financial resources to help us work towards achieving our mission and vision. ⭐️📱🪄🪡🧵⭐️
It truly does take a village! Many hands came together this week to partner in celebrating our dedicated Staff. Thank you: ML/MJ/KQ/SW for tasty treats, Eastview, and ROE 17 for bringing additional sunlight to our days!
💈It was great having Bloomington Normal Barber College students and owner, Cassius C., back on our campus for the second year in a row. Cassius spoke with some students about the barber college program, while others received free haircuts and hair lining from Gage and Alan. Thank you, Mr. Eddins, for setting up this experience for our students. We appreciate this community partnership with BNBC and Cassius! We encourage all who are interested in learning how to become a licensed barber to contact Cassius at 309-828-1234. www.bnbarbercollege.com 💈
The "Before" and "After" pictures of the RAS Community Garden show the progress that has been made! We have about 10 hours worth of clearing, tilling, more clearing, fencing, planting, and watering complete. Currently there are 22 vegetable plants in the ground that began as part of our "Seed Starting Project" in April. We are looking forward to watching them grow all summer and harvesting them for our families in the fall.
Students and Staff had fun making masks in Art with Mr. Thornton! Can you guess the Masked Staff under Mrs. Potato Head, the purple elephant, and the giraffe? 🥔💜🐘🦒
This morning RAS students had the opportunity to visit the Workforce Development Center at Heartland Community College and work with the faculty there. Students toured the welding and technology labs and got to practice their skills using the awesome training equipment. This was a great experience and gave the students an idea of what Heartland has to offer after high school.
This week four students in Mr. O'Kraski's Career Readiness program were awarded $250 "Ready to Work Scholarships" from our friends at StaffQuick Hiring Agency in Bloomington. The scholarship money will be used to help these graduating seniors prepare for the world of work after high school.
A great communal partnership was on display Monday, April 17th at RAS. We owe a special THANK YOU to our friends LaToya Carter and Diamond Stewart for leading a Natural Hair Workshop . Participants learned about caring for natural hair and were provided with a personal hair care kit.
United Way of McLean County (UWMC) and Women United, are pleased to announce the introduction and launching of a Dolly Parton Imagination Library (DPIL) for families in McLean County. This nationally renowned program will provide one book a month to McLean County children from birth to age five with engaging, high-quality books, delivered directly to their home, at no cost to families.
You can sign your child up to participate here:
https://imaginationlibrary.com/usa/affiliate/ILMCLEAN/?chkAvalAddressData=eyJjYWxsYmFjayl6dHJ1ZSwiYWRkcmVzcyI6eyJjb3VudHJ5ljoiVVMilCJ6aXAiOil2MTcwMSIsInN0YXRIIjoiSUwilCJjaXR5ljoiQmxvb21pbmd0b24iLCJjb3VudHkioiJNY0xlYWilCJzdHJIZXQioilifX)%3D
Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM)
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM). The mission of SAAM is to increase public understanding of sexual assault and educate communities on how to prevent it. YWCA McLean County will celebrate Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) throughout the month of April 2023.
There will be few program highlights throughout this month, i.e., Clothesline project, teal chair project, survivor love letter and final steps awareness walk. Clothesline project is a visual display bearing witness to violence against individuals. Teal chair project reminds us that no one has to go through the aftermath of sexual violence alone. Teal chairs also remind us that happens right here in the McLean County. Survivor Love Letters is a public art exhibition displaying letter of love, support and solidarity with survivors of sexual violence. Final Steps Awareness Walk is a peaceful and accessible walk around the pond at Miller Park in support of survivors and Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
April 7, 2023 (5pm to 8pm) | Clothesline Project @ McLean County Museum of History
April 8, 2023 (10am to 2pm) | Survivor Love Letters @ Illinois Art station
April 9 to April 14, 2023 (5pm to 8pm) | Clothesline Project @ Heartland Community College
April 15, 2023 (10am to 4pm) | Clothesline Project @ Uptown Normal
April 17, 2023 (9am to 2pm) | Clothesline Project @ Illinois State University
April 29, 2023 (10 am to 12 noon) | Final Steps Awareness Walk @Miller Park
All month Team Chair Project Various Local Business
Please visit the link https://www.ywcamclean.org/saam/ for additional details
📣Reminder📣
Wednesday, April 12th: SAT @ 7:45
*Remote day for non-test takers!*
Thursday, April 13th: PSAT @ 7:45
*Remote day for non-test takers!*
Emails have been sent to students who are testing and their parents. Robo calls have also been made. Please call the school if you have any questions 308-828-5807.
For our Triple I activity this week students used some practical geometry and measurement skills while woodworking. They built wooden racks that will be used to store fresh fruit and vegetables in our school market.
Science is alive all around us.
As we've investigated different kinds of animal behavior in our zoology unit, students had the opportunity to discuss interactions between zookeepers and their animals. Our guest speaker from Pathful Connect, Carie, was a zookeeper for many years. She gave the students insight on how animals are raised, bred, and enriched. Students saw examples of enriching Giraffes, Red Pandas, Tigers, and Deer. Towards the end, students got to ask Carie about animal stories and job opportunities within Zoology and even at our local zoo: Miller Park Zoo!
RAS students had the opportunity to visit the Midwest Food Bank in Normal today and spend some time with a great community partner. Every month MFB provides RAS with incredible food donations for our school market. It was great to work along side some amazing volunteers during their distribution day!
A heart-felt THANK YOU to our friends at First Christian Church for providing our staff a "Pick Me-Up" Lunch of Italian Beef w/peppers, salad, pasta, garlic bread and other assorted goodies. We appreciate your intentionality in lifting our spirits :)
