On Thursday, September 29, RISE Academy students and staff heard the Bell of Completion ring for the first time this year!
Senior Samantha Barnes was determined to ring the bell before her 18th birthday on October 1. For a month and a half, she worked hard; often working late nights, on weekends, and even on days she was sick. Her determination paid off and she became the first student in the school’s history to finish five and a half credits in just six weeks.
“For personal reasons, I knew I had to complete high school as soon as possible,” Samantha said. “Now I can focus on starting at TJC.”
RISE Academy is an accelerated high school for students whose life circumstances or desires may not allow them to have the traditional high school experience. “Since our students complete their senior year at different times, this was a way of celebrating each of them on campus, as well as motivating our remaining students to work toward their own personal bell ringing ceremony,” said Dr. Dexter Floyd, Principal of RISE Academy.
The bell ringing ceremony started three years ago, and RISE Academy currently has 75 students who look forward to ringing the bell this school year.