The Rothschild Leadership Academy (RLA) is training tomorrow’s leaders today. Nestled in Muscogee County, Georgia which sits on the state line that Georgia shares with Alabama, RLA uses leadership as the avenue to connect students and build communities. Like so many other towns, cities and counties around our nation, The Muscogee County School District, parents and other concerned citizens are partnering to provide students both the skills and the confidence needed to survive and succeed in our ever-evolving world. This distinctly American school district is committed to building a better and brighter future for its children and our country. The Rothschild Leadership Academy is a place where academics, athletics, leadership and character are all highlighted and combined in an effort to empower middle school-aged children. One goal of the Academy is to equip students with the ability and discipline needed to attain excellence in both their professional careers and in their personal lives. The Academy’s mission statement outlines the school’s commitment to “provide educational experiences that will enable each student to become a lifelong learner, enter the work force with necessary skills and achieve academic and personal potential.”

 

RLA was named to honor Maurice Rothschild, whose service to the Muscogee County School Board spanned 21 years. The Academy, then named Rothschild Middle School, first opened October 6, 1968. Mr. Rothschild’s example of service and leadership to the community remains. The David Rothschild Co., one of the school’s Partners in Education, and the Rothschild family continue to support and assist the school’s goal to foster young leaders. The Academy’s focus on leadership is rooted in the fact that strong and empowered leaders build and create a strong community. “Leadership is about attitude,” states one school objective, “This framework has the potential to unlock that inner leader within our children by helping them to inspire and motivate others and themselves to be better than what they think they can be.” Leadership thus enhances accountability, responsibility, student performance and behavior. 

Carrot-Top’s Carol McAdoo, one of our experienced Customer Care Professionals, has assisted the school in designing and purchasing ceremonial banners, retractable banners, table throws and other custom items that help spotlight student achievement, reward efforts – academic and athletic- as well as encourage students to be great leaders. The school’s holistic approach to learning includes high academic expectations, strong athletic programs, Junior Leadership courses and mentoring initiatives.  Dr. Michael Forte, RLA’s principal, leads the faculty and staff with a “Children first” motto. “The strategies utilized by the Rothschild Leadership Academy are aimed at providing children with a world- class education that will provide each student with the skills and knowledge to make decisions, be successful in high school and open doors for choosing a college and/or a career,” says Dr. Forte. The Academy’s Men Act this Way Initiative offers young male students additional encouragement to excel academically while it also shows students examples of strong and successful male role models. Mr. Anthony Smith, a Rothschild Alumnus, recently addressed the students in an effort to motivate students to perform better on the Georgia Milestone Assessment System (GMAS) tests. 

The Academy’s communal approach to learning and leadership showed its merits as the school was recently removed from a list of Focus Schools. Rothschild was a Focus School based on the performance gap between the school’s highest-performing students and the lowest- performing students. Some students performed well on assessment and standardized tests like the GMAS while others struggled and received lower scores. This issue of performance gap is alarming and is a concern of educators nationwide. Teachers, Staff, parents and students all worked together daily to bridge performance gaps and empower students by promoting leadership and achievement. In addition, Rothschild’s Technology Student Association recently won the 2016 State Competition and the school’s athletic program houses several championship trophies.

 

As summer begins to fade and a new school year arrives, students all across America embark on the next phase of a journey that will hopefully include academic, athletic and social success. Each year brings a host of fresh opportunities and new potential to excel. Fostering leaders should be a goal of every American and every American institution. We are compelled to prepare our children now as it is the best, and perhaps only, opportunity we may have to equip them with the tools, resources and skills needed to confront the challenges the future may bring. Preparation makes weak nations strong and strong nations even great. And though we prepare for the future, our time is now. The task of fostering confident leaders and learners is a daily job that rests not only with teachers and principals but also with community leaders, merchants and everyday people who make our country work. Carrot-Top encourages students, parents, teachers and principals everywhere to make this school year the best it can be. Like the RLA Falcons we are sure you will “Rise to the Occasion.”