by Webmaster | Oct 8, 2014 | Home Page News, News
All bright-eyed and eager to see their grandchildren, Rainbow Community’s grandparents filled the new auditorium on Monday morning.
They snacked on delicious muffins and coffee while they waited for the presentation to begin.
Getting ready to listen to the Director’s presentation about the Future of Rainbow
As the RCS Director Renee Owen began, the auditorium hushed to see where Rainbow has been, where the community is now, and where it’s headed.
Here’s a link to the presentation:
Sharing Our Inspiration
From there, each grade performed a song or dance in honor of grandparents everywhere.
Third Grade honors grandparents with a song
The performance culminated with sixth grade doing a dance with music inspired by the culture of India.
Sixth grade performs a dance
Then, everyone returned to their classrooms where all grandparents had an opportunity to see how students were learning, and what they were doing in the classroom.
Grandparents in 4th grade
Take a look at even more photos from the day. We hope our grandparents were pleased – and of course, parents and grandparents alike are welcome on campus anytime!
by Webmaster | Sep 25, 2014 | Home Page News, News
Our Summit is coming up on September 29. We hope that the RCS community really benefits from all the information that we want to share.
As part of that meeting, we are inviting parents to be a part of small focus groups, where parents can provide their own input.
Take a look below. As parents arrive, they will have a chance to choose which group they’d like to be in, though the earlier the better: each group will have up to 10 people and once they’re full, people will need to choose another.
SUMMIT INFORMATION
WHAT
The Summit is a gathering of the Rainbow Community to share our inspiration and ideas for the future of Rainbow. The ideas we generate will be used to shape the direction of Rainbow’s growth and development. Prepare for an energetic, fascinating and inspirational evening!
WHEN & WHERE
Monday September 29, 5:30 – 8:30 PM in the RCS Auditorium.
WHO
At least one parent of each Rainbow family (preschool optional) is requested to attend. This is a delightfully mandatory community meeting replacing the traditional fall mandatory classroom meeting.
FOOD
Light snacks will be provided. Bring your water bottle and any desired personal snacks.
CHILDCARE
Childcare will provided on the RCS campus. $15 per child. Bring a snack and water. You must RSVP by Wednesday 9/24 at the RCS office or via email with Kate in the office at info@rainbowlearning.org.
VOLUNTEERS
You will receive information via email and SignUpGenius about several volunteer opportunities in support of the Summit. This is a good way to contribute to the success of the Summit and earn some hours.
SCHEDULE
Sign up for each group will be on a first-come-first-served basis in the auditorium: be early to assure your group choice!
After an introductory program in the auditorium, we will divide into focus groups around the facility for brainstorming and sharing our inspiration.
Each facilitated group will be limited to ten participants. To cap off the evening each group will share their key ideas with the entire community in the auditorium.
YOUR PREPARATION
Come with your imagination hat on!
Be prepared to have some fun sharing your ideas for Rainbow’s future and to be inspired by those of others.
You will join one of the focus groups below for the brainstorming section of the Summit.
Each group will be asked to address several key questions per topic. Detailed information about each group is on the RCS website and will be posted around campus.
FOCUS GROUPS
CHANGEMAKERS
SERVICE LEARNING
ALUMNI
GLOBAL & IINTERNATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS
MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS
DIVERSITY & INCLUSION
SPIRIT & CONSCIOUSNESS
ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP
ARTS AT RCS
TECHNOLOGY & ENGINEERING
SHARING THE RAINBOW MODEL
GROUNDS
BUILDINGS
COMMUNITY CENTER & SERVICES
COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS
FUNDRAISING & FINANCIAL STEWARDSHIP
FAMILY & PARENT SUPPORT
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING
Focus Group Information
by Webmaster | Jul 24, 2014 | Alumni News & Accolades
Nick Romanos, Rainbow alum
My Rainbow Experience:
Nick came to the Omega program after having completed public elementary school in 2000. During his tenure at Rainbow, he formed lifelong friendships and learned skills that have continued to serve him as he’s progressed in his education and into his adult life.
The best example of this would be the experiential learning that was reenforced with projects and ensuing presentations that he learned at Rainbow.
The school gives students enough space to cultivate creativity with enough personal attention to each student to ensure each one’s musings and explorations are not without focus.
Now, in business, he is constantly having to research all his clients’ industries and present possible solutions to communicate and grow their brand.
Education After Rainbow
Like quite a few Rainbow alumni, Nick finished his K-12 education at Asheville High School.
There he developed an interest in design in their graphic communications program. Along with fellow Rainbow alum, Sam Brubaker, he applied for and was accepted into the NC State University College of Design and begin there in 2007.
What Nick is Doing Now
After graduating, Nick accepted his first career job position at Robin Easter Design doing graphic and web design in Knoxville, TN.
He and his partner Tiana moved to Raleigh, NC after three years to be closer to family, where they knew their hearts belonged.
He had already been networking with Laurel Scherer of Asheville Web Fix. As it turns out, she wanted a web designer. Laurel, Nick, as well as project manager, Jim McClure, transformed the organization into what is now Status Forward – a full-service graphic and web design company. They do everything from websites to broader branding efforts.
Nick has been able to do this work from Raleigh and frequents Asheville for business development meetings. In addition, the company continues to move forward: they are constantly challenged by new subject matter as well as having many clients with diverse needs.
Still Connected to Rainbow
Lastly, Nick was in awe of the nostalgia and good feelings that came from meeting his former science/math and fitness mentor at Rainbow, Mark Hanf. He was in downtown Asheville after having worked a day on-site.
Mark brought him up to speed on his teaching geometry through structure building and hands-on learning. Nick remembers the incredibly talented instructors that he learned from at Rainbow.
by Webmaster | Jun 24, 2014 | Director's Blog, Global Citizenship, Home Page News, News
Rainbow Warriors
Students who come to our school become the Rainbow Warriors. They learn about themselves, how to relate to the world, how to live sustainable lives, and how to respect all people. The Warrior is our mascot.
There is a story behind the mascot. Its roots are deep in the Native American Indian tradition.
This story is adapted from Warriors of the Rainbow by Reneé Owen.
Long ago, when various tribes roamed this land, there was an elder named Eyes of Fire, who could foresee the future. She foretold that because of the greed of the people, one day the fish in the streams would begin to die, birds would fall from the air, the oceans and seas would turn black, and the trees would cease to be.
There would come a time when “keepers of the legend, rituals, and myths would be needed to restore us to health.” The keepers of this sacred knowledge and these Ancient Customs would have a name: the Warriors of the Rainbow.
They will be humankind’s key to survival.
The Rainbow Warriors would be many and great. They must be strong of heart for there will be terrifying mountains of ignorance to conquer. They will find willing hearts and minds that will follow them on this road of returning Mother Earth to beauty and plenty once more.
These Warriors would tell how the world today has turned away from the Way of the Great Spirit and that is why the Earth is sick. Thus, the Warriors must teach the Way of the Great Spirit with love that flows like the pristine mountain streams to the oceans of life. They would show that miracles can be accomplished to heal this world and restore Mother Earth to health.
The Warriors of the Rainbow would see that their young were educated with love and wisdom of their surroundings.
They would teach respect for Nature. They would teach the people the ancient practices of Unity, Love, and Understanding. They would teach of Harmony among the people of all four corners of the Earth.
There would come a day of awakening when all the peoples of all the tribes would form a New World of Justice, Peace, Freedom and recognition of the Great Spirit. The sick and needy would be cared for by their brothers and sisters of the Earth.
The children would once again be able to run free and enjoy the treasures of Mother Earth. The rivers would again run clear, and the forest would be abundant and beautiful. The powers of the plants and animals would again be respected, and protection of all that is beautiful would become a way of life.
The day will come, it is not far away. The day that we shall see how the ancient knowledge will be our key to survival, and return us to harmony with Nature and humankind.
Photo credit: Cynthia Calhoun
by Webmaster | Jun 23, 2014 | Alumni News & Accolades, Student News & Accolades
Kathy Clarke, ’08 RCS Alumna
“Rainbow caters to success.”
She also knows what she wants to do with her life: be a writer. And she’s pursuing her dream with gusto.
She’s already doing two internships related to her passion – one in publishing, and the other helping with the publicity for a Macalester professor publishing a book of poetry.
Before she arrived at Macalester, Kathy attended the prestigious Mercersburg Academy in Pennsylvania, where her writing talent earned her the coveted “class orator” title.
This honor led to one of her proudest accomplishments so far: sharing the podium with Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, who delivered the commencement speech.
“I actually walked away from graduation with six awards, and so I was pretty proud of myself,” Kathy recalls. “But then Madeleine Albright came up to me after graduation and said, ‘You must be a rock star!’ I might get that as a tattoo—‘You must be a rock star!—Madeleine Albright.’ That’s something I never want to forget.”
Kathy’s talent at writing emerged at an early age: even before she could read she had shown a passion for the written word.
“My parents joked and said that I was going to write the Great American Novel before I could read,” she says: “I would scribble on pieces of paper and put them together and then read them to people as if they were words.”
As it happens, one of Kathy’s favorite memories of her time at Rainbow also involves writing.
While she was in the Omega program, her teacher
Susan Waddell would sit with Kathy at lunch and let her student write on her computer.
She wasn’t the only teacher who did this, Kathy says: William Harwood would also just let Kathy go and write on his computer. She regards this time as vital to her development. “I experimented with a lot of just writing fiction.”
But Rainbow gave Kathy more than free time: the individualized attention she received helped a motivated student become a self-motivated student.
“I remember one assignment where Susan had us describe a beautiful place and she gave us a list of adjectives we couldn’t use—but then she gave me an extra list of adjectives, and that was really fun.”
Kathy received this sort of personalized challenge again and again. Her teachers, she says, “paid individual attention to me, which made me pay individual attention to me and not just go through the motions of school.”
Rainbow also gave Kathy the freedom to develop—at her own pace—a work ethic and a sense of purpose. “We got a lot of free time. And that really helped me learn to motivate myself.”
More than anything else, though, Kathy now appreciates the difference Rainbow’s emphasis on self-discovery has made in her academic career.
To start with, learning to trust herself allowed her to choose Mercersburg over the other options (some closer to home) that presented themselves. “You need to know yourself first before you make big decisions like that, and then when you do you will make the right one.”
And even at a prestigious private school, knowing herself gave her an edge. “Coming out of Rainbow, I was so much more advanced than even my high school classmates at knowing who I was and knowing what I wanted and what I needed. It was a kind of learning and a kind of growth that caters to success in a way that traditional curriculum doesn’t.”
