RAS Staff had the opportunity to reconnect with Kevin Jones at ROE 17 today! The local #RestorativePractices expert is leading a three-day training to refresh and re-energize local educators and youth advocates in the art of RP. #BuildingCommunity #RepairingRelationships
Summer School is well under way at our Bloomington campus, serving 60 students (both in-person and remotely) from six local high schools. Mr. Eddins and Mr. Krause forgot to tell Mrs. Quick about matching outfits today, but her intuition allowed her to still represent her alma mater. A rose between two thorns? A Brave between two ‘Birds? Beauty AND brains between brawn? Any way you look at it, the Dream Team is working together to help kids earn their high school credits!
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We love seeing our former students find their passion and success after high school. Justin is currently enrolled at the Bloomington-Normal Barber College and recently came to RAS with his instructor and classmates to speak with our students about finding their calling once they graduate. Their words left lasting imprints on our students based on conversations we had in the classrooms after their visit. Last weekend, Mrs. Quick took her sons to the barber college so Justin could cut their hair. When they walked in, Mrs. Quick’s heart instantly melted when she saw our current student, Jayse, sitting in Justin’s chair! We are SO PROUD of you, Justin, for all that you have accomplished, all that you will accomplish, and the influence you have had on our students!
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Congratulations are in order for Mrs. Taihla Stoneking for winning the Illinois Prairie Community Foundation grant for $1,000! This grant will help to buy diverse and relevant books for our students to unlock an excitement for reading. We believe that books should be doors and mirrors. Doors to worlds and places they’ve yet to experience and mirrors to show them that they can also be the main character of their lives. We are excited to partner with the IPCF to continue to pursue excellence for our students in literacy.
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It’s our favorite time of the year! We enjoy watching our seniors celebrate and close one chapter in order to move on to the next one! Congratulations to the Class of 2022 and good luck in your future endeavors!
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🎓⭐️ It’s our favorite time of the year! We enjoying watching our seniors celebrate and close one chapter in order to move on to the next one! Congratulations to the Class of 2022 and good luck in your future endeavors! ⭐️🎓
🎓⭐️It’s our favorite time of year! We enjoy watching our seniors celebrate and close one chapter in order to move onto the next one! Congratulations to the Class of 2022 and good luck in your future endeavors! ⭐️🎓
💫💫💫RAS Staff had fun dressing up as teams today to continue our Staff Appreciation Week celebrations. One team just wanted an excuse to wear an elastic waist band, while the Middle School Team is hoping for warmer weather in their Luau/Beach wear. The High School Team did their best to give a shout out to our students by coming in dress code. Miss Carter thinks they have a winner for their next rap album cover. 💫💫💫
We had the pleasure of hosting the owner and instructor of Bloomington Normal Barber College, Mr. Cassius Crittendon, and a few of his students today at RAS. They spoke to our students about following their passion so work does not feel like a burden throughout life. Former RAS student, Justin, spoke to the importance of staying in school to learn skills and information that will help after high school. Martín encouraged our students to make good choices now to avoid difficulties later. Hermen discussed the importance of patience and not constantly seeking immediate gratification. Thank you for taking the time to positively influence our students at RAS!
http://www.bnbarbercollege.com
Happy Administrative Professionals’ Day to our lovely Mrs. Lindsay! You are one of a kind and we are lucky you’re here! We hope you feel appreciated today and every day!
Reminder- No School on Friday, April 15th
💙We are grateful to the Men of the Epsilon Chi Chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc for their generosity! They hosted a clothing drive at ISU and collected shoes, shirts, and pants for RAS students. Thank you, gentlemen, for your donations!@Illinoisstatesigmas 💙
To recognize both Child Abuse Awareness Month and Autism Awareness Month, RAS Staff wore blue today to kick off the month of April. #stopchildabuse #childabuseawareness #prevention #autismawareness #autismacceptance
Don’t forget to SPRING FORWARD this weekend! Daylight saving time officially begins on Sunday, March 13 at 2 a.m…..or is it 1 a.m.? Or 3 a.m.? Either way, we all lose an hour of sleep! 😴
RAS was excited to host Hope Morris from the Illinois Student Assistance Commission for a senior FAFSA workshop this morning!
❤️🖤💚💛Intentional visible rhetoric? We understood the assignment! ❤️🖤💛💚
🖤💛❤️💚Students worked on a collaborative project in English class to create a Periodic Table of Black History. Many students researched lesser-known individuals who have had an impact in their communities or who have played a pivotal role in Black history. 💚❤️💛🖤
*A student requested this next BHM feature!* 🖤💛❤️💚Christina Jenkins was born in Louisiana in 1920, later moving to Chicago in the 1940s. While working for a wig manufacturer, Jenkins developed a method of sewing stitches of hair into women’s natural hair (as opposed to using bulky clips and pins), sparking the modern art of hair weaving. The “Hair-Weeve”, or sew-in, revolutionized self-expression for African Americans by allowing them an abundance of hair styles. Jenkins received a patent for her invention, later moving to Ohio and traveling across Europe to teach others this breakthrough method in Black cosmetology.💚❤️💛🖤 “I love my hair because it’s a reflection of me…and me is beautiful.” (source unknown)
🖤💛❤️💚Annie Turnbo Malone was an Illinois native known as a philanthropist, entrepreneur, and self-made chemist. Her interest in chemistry began while attending high school in Peoria in the 1890s, sparking her fascination with developing safe hair-care products for African Americans. Moving to St. Louis for a larger market for her “Wonderful Hair Grower”, Annie sold her products door-to-door before opening a shop in 1902. Her line of products, named Poro, would eventually make her a millionaire and one of the wealthiest Black women of her time. Annie opened Poro College in St. Louis in 1918, which provided a place for other Black women to learn and advance their careers. Annie was generous with her fortune, focusing her philanthropy on the advancement of African Americans. Additional Fact: Madam C.J. Walker worked under Annie and is thought to have taken the Poro formula to use in the development of her own line of products.💚❤️💛🖤
“Poro College is more than a mere business enterprise. Fostering ideals of personal beauty and tidiness, self-respect, thrift, and industry, and touching the lives of millions, the Institution is a constructive force in the development of the Race.”
🖤💛❤️💚Wilbur Barton was born and raised in Normal. He attended Metcalf and U-High before studying Industrial Arts and Physical Education at Illinois State Normal University. While at ISNU, he was the first African-American captain of the basketball team. After graduation, Barton moved to Indiana to teach, later enlisting in the Navy during WWII. Barton shared his grandfather, an Indigenous person from southern Illinois, was brought to the area by one of ISU’s founders—Jesse Fell—to plant trees. Barton also shared an experience of watching Jackie Robinson play baseball in Louisville, but he watched the game from the roof of a barn because the number of Black people allowed in the stadium was limited.💚❤️💛🖤 “…and my sisters did most of my fighting for me…”
