This past week was very busy for everyone in the Rocky Mount Academy community. Aside from the exciting Conference basketball games, below is a list of different events that took place last week that display how special and unique our RMA family is.

41^st “For the Children” Benefit Auction

Here is a brief summary of the Auction given by its coordinator, Anne Mosley.

“The annual RMA Benefit Auction was held at Nash Community College during the evening of February 6th and was attended by approximately 230 parents, grandparents, alums, faculty, staff, and friends of RMA. Six RMA girls (Vivian Rogers, Lauren Seale, Suzanna Mosley, Emily Cheston, and Neha Baliga) and one alum (Matthew Young) provided piano and violin (Ann Sumner Thorp) background music during the event. It was a festive evening with over 300 silent auction items up for bid throughout the entire night. The variety of items was tremendous – all kinds of sporting event tickets, birthday parties, dinner parties, summer camps, use of vacation homes, front row graduation seats, RMA prime parking spots, paintings, pottery pieces, pretty clothes, jewelry & bags, vacation trips, furniture, gift certificates, a deer stand, a fire pit, and more!!! The funds raised from this event are very important because they are placed directly into RMA’s operating budget. A brief, but very special portion of the evening was dedicated to the surprise kickoff of Tyler’s Peak by members of RMA’s Class of 2005, in memory of their classmate, Tyler Strandberg. Tyler’s Peak will be a very exciting complete “redo” of the current playground located on the front left side of the school. By all accounts, the auction was a huge success and a wonderful evening. Many, many thanks to all who generously gave their support!!!”

Quiz Bowl

This past Tuesday, February 2^nd, RMA high-schoolers competed against other schools in this exciting quiz bowl competition. The students who competed were: Anna Scott Wingfield (11), Lindy Pittman (11), Jacob Watkins (10), Stephen Tucker (9), Katie Gutshall (12), and Georgia Morris (9). This team did an excellent job, coming in first over both Halifax Academy (2^nd) and Community Christian (3^rd). To receive points, the team had to compete in 8 rounds of competition including rounds such as American history, government, and the Bible. Congratulations to this winning team

ARF Chocolate Sales

As many students and faculty already know, the new club, ARF, is doing its first fundraiser: selling World’s Finest Chocolate Bars for $1. This is a big event as every member is selling the bars. Almond, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, crisp, and the all-time favorite, caramel are the many flavors of these delicious bars. All the proceeds from this fundraiser will go directly to Odin’s Orphans Dog Rescue, who specialize in rescuing, treating, and finding homes for many dogs in need. If you haven’t tried a bar for yourself, you still have a chance! The sale goes through February 22^nd. See an ARF member or even the front office if you would like to purchase a chocolate bar (or even a few bars!).

Key Club Bake Sale

On Thursday, February 11^th, the Key Club hosted a bake sale in the cafeteria. Key Club members were invited to either donate their time selling goodies, or to bring in some food for the sale. This colorful event made $120 and helped to brighten everyone’s day with a sugary treat! The Key Club is still undecided on what the funds will go towards, but it will definitely be put to good use in the future!

Chinese Students

On Friday, February 12^th, Rocky Mount Academy welcomed 3-5^th grade students from Beijing, China! The Global Studies members greeted the students with warm welcomes and signs during the school day. These dedicated members will become the new Beijing Haiden students’ buddies at buddy events and will help with the overall transition to this new lifestyle.

YAG

From Thursday, February 11^th to Saturday, February 13^th, the Youth and Government Club traveled to downtown Raleigh to participate in a variety of events at the 24^th Annual NC YAG Conference. All the members did well, but a special congratulations to Sharpe Newton for being named Senior Lobbyist, a well-deserved honor.

Math Counts

This dedicated group of 7^th and 8^th graders traveled to Greenville on Saturday, February 6^th to participate in both team and individual rounds testing math skills and problem solving. They have been preparing for a month for the competition under the coaching of Neha Baliga, Davis Brown, and Emily Cheston. They placed 9^th out of 19 teams at the competition. Members include: Chloe Thompson, Emory Pittman, Gabbi Stewart, Ishan Patel, Krutik Patel, and Timon Thompson.

Model UN

This past Thursday, February 11^th, four upper-school students travelled to Duke University to compete in the weekend long DUMUNC (Duke University Model UN Conference). This program is centered on the practice of diplomacy and tests debate and problem solving skills. Members Neha Baliga (11) and Emily Cheston (11) competed on the SOCHUM Committee addressing the topics of biopiracy and the rights of indigenous peoples and honor based violence representing Brazil. Gracie Cox (11) was on the Security Council representing the US and Jamie Perkins (12) was on the Joint Crisis Committee representing Turkey.