LEADING THROUGH LISTENING

As the month of February comes to a close, it is important to reflect on the fact that this is Black History Month. Throughout the country, including several in our own city of Rome, there have been awareness events, celebrations, and opportunities for us all to learn something about the struggles that all minorities have faced in our society, and unfortunately continue to face today. For the first time in many years, our country is becoming increasingly divided by the hate known as racism. We are all human beings. We all live in the same great country. We should all be provided with the same opportunities to excel in life; regardless of the color of our skin, pronunciation of our last name, or where we grew up. Recent events that have happened in Chicago certainly do not help some people understand the concept of bias, privilege, and racism. I have heard many comments that attempt to paint all minorities with a negative conception due to the actions of one individual. This is ...

On an increasing basis, it is becoming more and more challenging to be a parent. The children of this generation have access to information, sights, videos, and words that many of us have a hard time believing. Almost every individual (adult or child) have multiple social media accounts for the vast array of platforms that exist, and within those platforms, many teenagers have multiple accounts in an attempt to keep their information hidden from parents. This shouldn't be a surprise as children have attempted to hide things from their parents for eternity. The difference today is that social media makes it all that more challenging to ensure that our children are being safe online. While most parents understand that social media and the internet is a part of our children's life forever, we don't always have a great handle on how to help our kids be safe with their digital footprint. While Facebook tends to be the most used platform for adults, most children are no longe...

Super Sunday is traditionally a day where most Americans huddle around television screens, take part in some good food, laughs, and football! While today may be no exception for many, it is also a super day for our students, staff, and families at Rome Free Academy. On this Super Sunday, I would like to acknowledge the amazing work of our dedicated faculty, support staff, administrators, and families in the Rome community. This week, the State Education Department (SED) formally released the 2018 four-year graduation statistics, and RFA posted a rate of 82%. While this may not seem like something to rejoice over to some, it is the highest four-year graduation rate for RFA since 2001-2002. It has once again improved over the year before which makes the fourth consecutive year that the graduation rate has risen. A short five years ago, the graduation rate was an all-time low at 70%. The work that the staff at the high school has been doing in these five years to increase that percen...