An old American proverb says “education is a gift that no one can take away.” Richmond County Schools has demonstrated the truth in those words in the past few weeks of transitioning students to homeschool and proving that even a stay-at-home order cannot stop their students from learning.
Not only is RCS the largest employer in Richmond County, but the entity impacts an even larger demographic in terms of impacting almost every home with school-aged children. While most have always highly valued our public schools, we are all becoming more aware of the invaluable asset the school system truly is in the wake of COVID-19.
Friday, March 13, marked the last day students attended schools in Richmond County for what many anticipated being a short break. Soon after, Gov. Roy Cooper announced closures would remain until at least mid May. The school system immediately began revamping every aspect of its services — not just academics, but also access to meals, resources, supplies, technology, and, most importantly, support.
RCS Superintendent Jeff Maples expressed his gratitude and pride for the school system and noted the efforts of multiple departments within RCS, including administrators and teachers for the academic piece, the nutrition department for overseeing the pick-up and delivery meal programs, student support staff for providing emotional support to coworkers, students, and families, the transportation department for the meal deliveries, and all RCS employees for beautifully exuding their “Better Together” motto.
Ellerbe Middle School Principal Melvin Ingram echoed the sentiments of Dr. Maples in reflecting on the efforts of the employees at his school:
“The work of our educators reminds me of this quote from Fred Rogers about assurance that’s inspired by helps: ‘When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.”’ Through the work I’ve witnessed first-hand by every department of Richmond County Schools, my belief that we are ‘better together’ has been affirmed and is on display most notably when we reach out to support the families of Richmond County in unconventional ways.”
Similarly, Mineral Springs third-grade math and science teacher Michele Griggs had the following to say: “Teachers in our county are doing their best to reach students where they are. We text, we Zoom, we dojo, we call, we Facebook, we YouTube, and any other form of communication out there. Most of us are way out of our comfort zones; but ultimately, we just want to keep in touch with our students and ensure they are learning.”
Child Nutrition Director Lois Hood sang the praises of the child nutrition workers, or as she lovingly called them, “Super Hero Lunch Ladies.” In addition to these ladies, teacher assistants, bus drivers, custodians, and other employees have been working in concert to prepare and deliver meals around the county that includes around 5,200 breakfasts and lunches every day for a combined total of more than 10,000. She says these selfless and tireless efforts have ensured RCS students have nutritious meals, even when school is not technically in session.
Referencing the school system’s “Better Together” motto, she extended a very special thank you to Hood Packaging in Hamlet for their generous donation of more than 60,000 paper bags (and counting) and to Food Lion, Ollie’s, and Walmart for also donating bags. In addition to the 25 school buses that run daily for the delivery program, there are seven curbside drive-through sites where parents can pick up meals. She says this experience has been truly humbling and beyond rewarding to be a part of such a special program.
Another shining star in this transition, according to Dr. Maples, has been the newly appointed transportation director, Debbie Blake. Despite being in her first month as the director, Debbie immediately stepped up and has played an integral role in the meal delivery program. She says it is an absolute privilege to be a part of RCS during this trying time.
Expressing her pride in every RCS employee, especially the bus drivers and nutrition workers, who have done an amazing job providing meals to RCS students, Blake says they have faced numerous challenges, but through determination and a common thread of love for the students, they have prevailed to make sure children are receiving meals.
Some of the obstacles have been locating homes of children who are not bus riders, finding children who are staying with grandparents while their parents work, and several other situations that could have prevented access to the students. Despite these factors, she is proud to say they have made sure the students in our county are being served. She also gave credit to some unsung heroes — the mechanics who not only maintain the buses and keep them in service, but who have also been helping load meals for daily deliveries.
A final special shout-out goes to the technology department, who just last week prepped laptops and organized pick-ups at multiple schools to provide every student in need with a device to access online learning portals and resources. Further guaranteeing access, the tech team has also set up tech support hours from 1-4 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. These sessions will take place at the Technology Department at 102 Safie 6 St. in Rockingham. Teachers and students can bring their school device in for service or repairs. If needed, RCS has recently added a tech support line for staff and students: 910-582-7913. The tech department has also organized locations at some of the schools where students can access WiFi while remaining in their vehicles to observe social distancing guidelines.
In closing, it is important to acknowledge that due to the brevity of this story, every department and person that deserves highlighting certainly did not receive it. However, for those who have a child in RCS or even know someone who has a child in RCS, the magnitude of the above-and-beyond efforts of RCS during this crisis is very evident. Whether it be the guarantee of two meals a day, the correspondence between teachers and students via class dojo, emails, phone calls, social media, or texts, the school-remind calls from the public relations officer and the principals, or the use of the school-provided laptop, we now know “school” is not about a building. School is about people who truly love our youth, who care just as much about their emotional and physical health as they do their learning, and together make up an array of unsung everyday heroes who selflessly dedicate so much of themselves to our children.
Meghann Lambeth is director of the Richmond County Tourism Development Authority. She is writing a series on how local industries are contributing to the COVID-19 effort, which will also be published at the Richmond Observer. You can read the original post here.
