We are thankful for local companies that offer grant funding for some of our smaller projects. We have been the recipient of multiple PNC First Grants which have provided funding for hands-on learning opportunities for our students. This year, Mrs. Quick applied for funds to add more apparel-making equipment to our sewing machines and Cricut. We are hopeful to engage our students in designing and making RAS gear, while building skills they can carry with them outside our walls. Thank you, PNC, for being a contributor to our hopes and dreams!
Fall 2024 @ RAS: According to the Numbers…
-24 OSHA Certifications earned by students
-14 Food Handler Certifications earned by students
-50+ ISU Preservice Teachers completed clinical hours at our campus (TCH & EAF)
-1 Student Teacher
-1 Full-Time Social Work Intern
-2 Part-Time Social Work Interns
-4 Vocational Field Trips (2xHCC, CornBelt, MWFB)
-12 Weeks of Boys & Girls Club Thursday activities with our Middle School students
-12 Guest Speakers (Tricoci, 2xISAC, 2xArmy National Guard, Army, Marines, MTI, OSF Community Resource Center, StaffQuick, Laborers Local 362, Project Oz)
-3 AMAZING local church partnerships (FCC, Eastview, St. Mark)
-2 REMARKABLE partnerships with local food banks to stock the RAS School Market
-300+ people served each month through the RAS School Market
-14 weeks worth of VR opportunities to work on vocational skill building (mechanic, HVAC, small engine, farm hand, etc)
-5 trips to the RAS Community Garden
-50+ future educators from Unit 5 visited our campus
-16 weeks of visits from outside counselors (Project Oz, CHS, Court Services)
-1 irreplaceable partnership with CareerLink leading to a part-time student custodian
-20 local schools served to meet the needs of their students
-11 local school districts providing transportation for their students to our campus
-24 high school graduates
-20 dedicated and caring staff (19 humans, 1 dog)
🎓⭐️🎉 🤗RAS-BLM Campus provided educational opportunities for 24 local students this semester who were able to complete their graduation requirements. These students came to us from six different high schools in our region, and because of our amazing staff and programming, we also made sure they completed post-secondary tasks to send them off into the real world with employability and life skills! Help us in congratulating them! 🤗🎉⭐️🎓
Happy Holidays!
As we 🎁 WRAP UP 🎁 first semester, the RAS Staff would like to thank the students, families, home schools, community partners, and ROE #17 for a great start to the 2024-25 school year! Our future looks bright 😎 and we cannot wait to continue to grow and serve more youth in our community in the spring semester and beyond! Happy Holidays from all the hardworking elves at RAS! 💚❤️
We ❤️ our friends at First Christian Church! Our students will stay warm thanks to your kindness and donation of cold weather items!
December Newsletter
RAS was fortunate to host Zoey G as a student teacher this semester in our high school classrooms. Zoey demonstrated all of the key characteristics that make a successful student teacher: positive relationships with students, thoughtful planning, collaboration with RAS Staff, and the ability to accept feedback and reflect. We will miss Zoey at RAS and wish her nothing but the best as she wraps up her college career and begins her professional career at Bridge Academy!
Sending well wishes to you and yours! 🦃🍗🍠🥧🍁
The RAS Career & College Center would like to give a a HUGE thank you to Corn Belt Energy for hosting our students this morning and sharing valuable insights into careers in the energy field! It was an great experience for our students to tour the facility and get a firsthand look at what it's like to work with such an impactful company. We appreciate your time and dedication to supporting the next generation of professionals!
💙💛 Thank you to the members of the Gamma Rho Chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho for donating baby items and blankets to RAS! Our students who are parents will benefit from your generous support! Special shout out to Kyai, our Social Work Intern from ISU, for facilitating this! 💛💙
RAS Artists of the Month - October Spotlight
We're thrilled to celebrate the exceptional creativity and hard work of our RAS Artists. Let's give a huge round of applause to these talented students:
PBL - Kadence Antrim
Kadence's dedication to their art truly shines. Their work brings a unique perspective, filled with creativity and passion. The attention to detail and willingness to explore new techniques have left us in awe! Keep pushing those boundaries, Kadence!
DI - Karlyshia Downey
Karlyshia has showcased incredible talent, capturing powerful emotions through her work. What she has been able to accomplish in our time together is truly remarkable. Karlyshia, your commitment and artistry inspire everyone in the classroom!
Middle School - Wyatt Call
Wyatt has shown remarkable skill and a love for the arts that truly stands out! Wyatt has been able to catch up a semesters worth of work this month at a high-level of proficiency. His work and dedication bring inspiration to our school community. Keep shining, Wyatt!
Thank you, Kadence, Karlyshia, and Wyatt, for enriching our school with your talent and hard work. You are setting an incredible example for your peers and bringing our community closer together through the arts. Let’s keep the applause going for these amazing artists!
A big thank you to Kayla Randle from Tricoci University of Beauty Culture for visiting our students at the Regional Alternative School on Thursday! Kayla, an RAS alum herself, shared valuable insights into the programs Tricoci offers. We greatly appreciate when our community partners take time to help our students explore options for their future!
🔴⚪️🔵🗳️✅ Reminder: No School tomorrow, Tuesday, November 5th! ✅🗳️🔵⚪️🔴
Attached is our November Newsletter!
On Friday RAS students had the opportunity to join other local community members for an afternoon of community service at Midwest Food Bank. Midwest Food Bank is one of our favorite community partners, their volunteers and staff are incredible people with an important mission. We enjoyed lending a helping hand and look forward to volunteering there again soon!
The RAS Career & College Center would like to congratulate Keegan Goodwin on completing the OSHA certification course for workplace safety in automotive technology. Great work Keegan!
A huge thank you to SGT Reilly Gallagher from the Illinois Army National Guard for visiting RAS this morning! Students had the opportunity to participate in an activity on goal setting and resiliency. We're grateful for your support and service to our local community!
Today RAS had Anja from the Illinois Student Assistance Commission join our seniors for a FAFSA workshop. Completion of the FAFSA is a graduation requirement for seniors in the state of Illinois. Students had the opportunity to create their student aid accounts and discuss the importance of financial aid for postsecondary education.
This morning students used our Virtual Reality Lab to practice sheet metal fabrication. It was a great opportunity to expose our kids to career fields in the trades.
As we wrap up our Fall Student-Led Conferences, we would like to thank First Christian Church for providing dinner and breakfast. We enjoyed a taco bar and a nice breakfast spread! Our partnership with FCC is strong and we look forward to continuing to expand our reciprocal support for one another.
