This Week at RHS details reformatted tech center building, band success, ACT and sports news

It’s ACT Week for RHS Seniors!

RHS Juniors will fill the halls of the high school this Saturday. It won’t be for a ball game but it will be an intense day of work for the class of 2020 Panthers. On Saturday, the majority of RHS juniors will take the October ACT in an effort to achieve the benchmark scores that will earn them admission to some of the many Dual Credit classes offered by RHS. Additionally, students will gain authentic scores regarding their standing on the ACT in preparation for the March ACT that is given to all juniors across the state of Kentucky and accounts for a large portion of the Kentucky Department of Education accountability scoring for high schools.

Juniors are able to take the October ACT at no cost to them thanks to the efforts of the RISD Board of Education and Superintendent Bart Flener, who voted to approve to cover the cost of the tests for students.

Several juniors who are members of the RHS Marching Band that will compete at the State Semifinals on Saturday have been signed up and covered to take the test in December. The efforts are part of the large scale, district-wide initiative to provide students in RISD schools with authentic testing data and to help—as a district—students overcome many of the financial hurdles that have traditionally limited opportunities for area students.   

Russellville 21st Century Center Keeps Getting Better

The Russellville 21st Center (R21C), or the former Russellville Area Technology Center, began  the work of converting from a Tech School to a multipurpose school and learning center nearly a year ago when the Area Technology School moved into a new facility.

The vision for the R21C, brought on by Superintendent Flener and the RISD Board of Education was to convert the 33,000 square foot facility into a 6th Grade Academy, a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) Factory for accelerated learning, a Senior Internship and Learning Center named the RISE (Russellville Independent Senior Experience), a new home for the RJSHS Youth Services Center, and a new home for the RISD Maintenance and Transportation services, as well as a multipurpose athletic and exercise facility serving the faculty and students of RISD. Over a half million dollars later, the facility that started as a dream has taken shape as a reality.

The 6th Grade Academy received new state-of-the-art furnishing this past week as well as some of the top technology in public schools in Kentucky. Already, every student in the 6th grade has a personalized Chromebook. The STEAM Factory began services to Gifted and Talented students for Stevenson and RMS as selected students and now will receive a half-day of innovative and advanced instruction each week aimed at accelerating their learning in a multitude of academic studies and headed by new STEAM Coordinator Laura Thompson.

The District held its District Data Day in the new R21C Commons Room, a 3,000-square foot meeting space that can house meetings, banquets, and gatherings of over 100 people and is equipped with touch screen monitors and what will soon be a state-of-the-art mic sound system.

RHS Band Headed to Semi-State

The Panther Marching Band took sixth this past Saturday and earned a trip to Frederick Douglass High School where they will seek a berth in the Kentucky Marching Band State Finals. The RHS and RMS Bands, under the direction of Brian Brown and assisted by Trevor Cardwell, have grown considerably over the past several years and now features full 5th, 6th, and 7th-8th grade bands in addition to the high school band. The Panther Band program has grown so large that it literally now involves 1 in every 4 students in grades 5-12 in the RISD system.  

POWER Band Roll Out a Success

All across Stevenson and RJSHS students were handed bands this past Friday. The brightly colored bands are embossed with the five Panther POWER words; Persistence, Opportunity, Worth, Excellence, and Resilience. Students were selected by their teachers based on their exemplification of one of these traits. Each Friday, teachers across the District will select one student per teacher to receive a band.

Sports Happenings                                   

RMS Softball take 3rd at State

Last year, RMS Head Coach Ryan Davenport graduated a lot of 8th graders that were big impact players on the RMS’s run as District and Region Champs so a letdown this year could be somewhat expected as the RMS Softball sought to break in many new starters. The was not the case at all.

The RMS Lady Panthers crushed their 13th District opponents throughout the year and cruised through the District and Region Championships. In the end, the Lady Panthers finished the season 3rd in the State, an accomplishment of eye-popping significance, given that RMS is one of the smallest schools in Kentucky. The future of RMS and RHS Softball is stacked.

 Russellville Football

The RHS Football Team secured a home playoff game and a 2nd place finish in the District with their victories over Fulton Co. and Fulton City. This past Friday they faced a senior-laden 7-1 Crittenden County team that was heavily favored in the matchup against the Panthers, who start just four seniors of their total 22 starters. The Panthers fought the Rockets tooth and nail but fell 28-12.

The Panthers finish the season at 4A State Champion favorites Franklin Simpson this week. They will then host Bardstown Bethlehem (3-6) on Friday Nov. 2.

RJSHS Basketball

Two new coaches will be walking the sidelines of the RMS and RHS Basketball courts this winter but both bring a wealth of experience to the table. RHS Assistant Principal Cameron Jackson takes the reins of the RHS Lady Panther basketball program. Coach Jackson bring multiple years experience as a high school head coach to the table and hopes to build his squad around potential superstar and major college recruit Anastasia Dowlen, a 6’1 freshman phenom.

The RMS Boys Program will see RMS teacher Steven McGhee take that program over. Coach McGhee is more than familiar to the 13th District, as he served as the Head Girls Basketball Coach for Todd County Central High School. The RHS Boys Basketball program continues to be led by Coach Rex Booth and the highly successful RMS Lady Panthers take the court again under the tutelage of Head Coach Ashley Collier.   

 Student Expectations                                            

All classrooms in Russellville JR/SR High School have been working on creating a universal understanding of the five fundamental expectations for students at Russellville. These are:

Calendar

What’s for Breakfast and Lunch this week?

BREAKFAST ITEMS SERVED DAILY: Pop Tart choices, Cereal choices, Strawberry Bagel w/Cream Cheese, Muffins, and Fruit.

Monday- Sausage, Hashbrowns, Cheese Burrito

Tuesday – Donut Holes or Mini Pancakes

Wednesday-Sausage & Biscuit w/Jelly

Thursday-Muffin Choice

Friday-Scrambled eggs with toast and jelly

Lunch Menu