CHAMPAIGN, IL (Chambana Today) – The assistant principal at Kenwood Elementary in Champaign recently experienced a two-day immersive training program: The Ron Clark Academy Experience. The Ron Clark Academy (RCA), located in Atlanta, Georgia, is a renowned nonprofit middle school that doubles as a demonstration school for educators.
Caitlin Megginson-Dicken (Ms. Megg to the kids) has spent her entire career in east-central Illinois, teaching in Danville, Mahomet, and now Champaign. She applied for the Ron Clark Academy Experience through the Sonic Foundation last spring, after she had been offered the position at Kenwood; she thought it was a scam when she received notice she had been accepted. “Some people paid to go to the event. I was a ‘scholarship kid’ who got an all-expenses paid opportunity to immerse myself in how to make our school community even more inclusive and compassionate.”
This transformative program allowed Ms. Megg to observe live classroom sessions, attend staff development workshops, and interact with RCA’s faculty, including co-founders Ron Clark and Kim Bearden. She also got the unique opportunity to tour the Academy and earn “slide certification,” a tradition symbolizing her readiness to bring RCA’s methods back to Kenwood Elementary.
The Ron Clark Academy hosts guests every Thursday and Friday. The Sonic Foundation hosts their big scholarship event twice a year—one in the spring and one in the fall. At the recent fall session, there were attendees from across the U.S., including New York, Pennsylvania, New Mexico, Arizona, Kentucky, Mississippi, Wyoming, and Nevada, but Megginson-Dicken was the only one from Illinois.
Megginson-Dicken attended the academy November 6 – 8 and was so impressed with the kids who acted as tour guides, hosts, and speakers. “These kids, from 4th – 8th grade, were so well-spoken and mature; after witnessing their poise, I was excited to bring what I learned from them back to the hallways of Kenwood.” She plans to bring back many activities and concepts back to Kenwood, including the following:
- Mindfulness minutes at the start or end of faculty meetings
- Music at the beginning of the day to get kids going
- Never turn your back on kids – always be facing them, and talk with animated hands, always above your waist
- 5th graders creating and leading a school cheer
- Stars of the month – Students are recognized for “showing what they know” behaviorally or academically
- Positive office referrals
- Whole class recognition, and “houses,” where 1st – 5th grades are sorted into eight groups for fun games and team building.
- Class of the quarter pizza party
Megginson-Dicken says the Ron Clark Program “reignited my passion for teaching. Education can be fun and exciting. I am so happy to be part of the positive vibe here at Kenwood and I want to share what I learned with the administrators, teachers, and kids.”
Applications are now open for the next sponsored workshop, set for March 20-21, 2025. Interested administrators, teachers, and coaches can apply at foundation.inspirebrands.com/teacherapplication. School districts can also send groups.
For more information on the Ron Clark Academy, visit www.ronclarkacademy.com.