As school is slowly getting back into full swing, we asked some students about their experiences over the summer. Whether it was spending time at the beach, hanging out with friends and family, or playing sports, our RMA students had an amazing summer break. 

As we all know, one of the most popular activities this summer was going to the beach! From Atlantic Beach to the Florida Keys, the RMA students do it all. Mckenna Rogers said she spent most of the summer at the beach, whether that was relaxing by the pool or having fun on a boat, and she had a great time seeing her friends and family there. In addition to visiting our local beaches, Elizabeth Jackson said she had a fun time driving down to the Florida Keys from Miami! She spent her time shopping and taking in the Keys’ natural beauty. Her family found pretty spots to snorkel and, to finish off their day, went on a sunset cruise!

Besides relaxing on the beach, many of our students enjoyed their summer by playing sports. Isabella Daza spent most of her summer on the field. In June her travel team went to the Southern Regional Championships in Murphresboro, Tennessee and competed against the best teams from the Southeast. Her team ended up winning the whole tournament and secured a spot to go to nationals in Florida the next month! Isabella says, “Although we did not have the outcome we wanted in Florida, it was still an amazing experience to be able to compete against some of the top teams in the nation.” Millar Berry also played in regionals for her Premier UK team and tried out for three teams. Not only did our students play soccer this summer, but a few played travel baseball as well. Parker Sherrod and Seth Tickel both were able to play showcase baseball at colleges this summer and traveled to High Point, Lenoir-Rhyne, Barton, UNC-Chapel Hill, and Duke. 

While many of our students stayed local, quite a few of them traveled out west this summer! Greyson Thorne, Madisyn Rogers, and Caylie Stutts all went on the Grand Western Tour on a five-week road trip. They drove to California and back with 60 kids they had never met before. They went to 16 states, drove 10,000 miles and, as Greyson says, “got to have some of the best memories and experiences with the bestest of friends!” These students on the Western Tour weren’t the only ones to make it out west: This summer I also went to visit the Grand Canyon and went on a week-long whitewater rafting trip through it, which was definitely one of the most unique experiences I have ever had! Ellen and Virginia Feagans also visited the Grand Canyon and its surrounding parks. They visited five different national parks and hiked up through the Fiery Furnace and up to the Delicate Arch. 

Now that our students are well-rested and back from an exciting summer, we are ready to be back in the classroom with our friends and are looking forward to a new school year!