Rock Island - Milan School District 41

42 Washington and 13 Edison 8th graders just returned from an unforgettable 5-day East Coast adventure, exploring D.C. landmarks, laying a wreath at Arlington, riding roller coasters in Maryland, dancing on a Hudson River cruise, and soaking up the NYC energy. This is just one of the many incredible summer trips our scholars are experiencing this summer! Huge shoutout to Mr. Robert Hockenberry for leading the way and making this incredible experience possible!

On the last day of school, some of our amazing admin team took time to deliver gifts and goodies to our principals, kindly prepared by our district leaders and board members. Huge thanks to our principals for their leadership and for making this school year a success! 🎉📚✨

Congratulations to Ms. Lori Thomas-Johnson of Rock Island Academy for being honored by the National Association of Special Education Teachers (NASET) as a recipient of the 2025 Outstanding Special Education Teacher Award! This award recognizes special education teachers who have demonstrated exceptional achievement and dedication in the field. It celebrates the skill, passion, and excellence of outstanding educators across the United States. Well done, Ms. Thomas-Johnson — a truly well-deserved honor!

Congratulations to RIHS seniors Kaleb Vancoillie, Kyle Thrap, Caleb Carpenter, and Coltin Klossing for earning the College and Career Pathway Endorsement (CCPE) in welding! This achievement includes early college credits, career exploration, team challenges, and a 60-hour workplace experience. Pictured: Kaleb Vancoillie, Kyle Thrap, Caleb Carpenter, and Welding Instructor Wade Weber.

We’re thrilled to cheer on FOUR incredible scholar-athletes who made it to STATE this week! 🎾 Lucien Tarnow and Nathaniel Cruz-Oliveros represented Rocky with pride at the state tennis tournament earlier this week. Way to go! 🏃‍♂️ Gunnar Carroll and Elliot Batz are hitting the track TODAY, competing at the State Track & Field Meet! Let’s hear it for these outstanding Rocks!

Rocky junior Alex VandeWalle was recently awarded Best in Show at the Quad City Arts Annual High School Art Invitational. The exhibition featured over 200 art pieces from 18 Quad City area high schools, and Alex earned top honors for his outstanding work. Remarkably, his winning piece was created entirely with colored pencils! WAY TO GO, ALEX!

Congratulations to our CNA scholars who officially signed their agreements for the Apprenticeship Program with UnityPoint earlier this month! We're proud to recognize the dedication and hard work of these scholars as they take this important step toward their healthcare careers. Pictured (bottom row, left to right): Aubrey Massie, Kylee Littlejohn, Addison Pannell, Olivia Bunch Second row from bottom: Tatiana Castillo-Cisneros, Jada Brown, Beautiful Wah, Hamari Dennis Third row: Blessing Jabbah, Charisma Pulliam, SuSu Let Top row: Vanessa Boswell, Ashley Simmons, Lincoln Perez

Rock Island-Milan, let’s rally behind our Lady Rocks Track and Field team as they head to Eastern Illinois University for the State Final Meet! Join us in wishing the best of luck to Coach Eddie and these outstanding state qualifiers: JaMarrie Lee Kamya McDuffy Cloudine Nishmwe Olivia Stewart Jalani Williams We’re so proud of you!

🎉 Happy 60th Birthday to our Head Start Family! We’re proud to celebrate six decades of supporting young scholars and families, right alongside Head Start since 1965! Rock Island-Milan School District 41 has been here from the beginning, and we’re excited to keep making a difference for years to come. 💛 Our Head Start program remains a vital part of our mission to empower every scholar for success.

Happy School Nurse Day! 🩺 Today, we honor the incredible dedication of our school nurses who care for our scholars every day. Here are just a few stats that highlight the impact they make in our schools—thank you for all you do! #SchoolNurseDay

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week! 🎉 To our amazing RIMSD teachers - thank you for the care, passion, and dedication you bring to your classrooms daily. You do so much more than teach; you inspire, support, and believe in your scholars, helping them grow into the best selves. We appreciate you today and every day! ❤💛

Happy Principal Appreciation Day to our incredible RIMSD principals! ✨ Today, we celebrate you and express our heartfelt gratitude for all that you do. Thank you for your leadership, passion, and unwavering commitment to making RIMSD a place where scholars thrive.❤️💛

Last week, RIHS had the incredible honor of welcoming New York Times bestselling author Tiffany D. Jackson, who delivered two amazing assemblies for our scholars. During each session, Ms. Jackson took us on a journey through her books, sharing the inspirations behind each story. The assemblies also featured an engaging Q&A led by Rocky scholar Elizabeth McCoy and wrapped up with a special book signing in the library. A heartfelt thank you goes out to our generous sponsors—the Rock Island Milan Education Foundation PRIME Grant and the Rock Island Public Library—for making this event possible. And a big shoutout to our amazing team of librarians, whose hard work and dedication brought this unforgettable experience to life for our scholars!

Get ready to roll the dice and fall in love! 🎲❤️ Expect a top-notch performance from talented young artists! Hear unforgettable tunes, see lively choreography, and have some laughs! Don't miss this classic musical comedy! ✨ When: May 8-10, 2025 @ 7:00pm Where: Rock Island High School Auditorium Tickets: $5.00 for students and $8.00 for adults. Tickets may be purchased at the door. Visit bit.ly/4cFEgDy for ticket information. Questions: Contact Dori Foster @ RIHS

🎉Happy Administrative Professionals Day! A big shoutout to all the incredible administrative professionals across our buildings! Thank you for keeping everything running smoothly behind the scenes. Your hard work, dedication, and attention to detail never go unnoticed — you are truly appreciated! ✨

🌎 Earth Day Fun at RIMSD! 🌱 This afternoon, our amazing Rock Island Environmental Action Club scholars celebrated Earth Day by rolling up their sleeves to clean up the Butterfly Garden! They added fresh soil and planted a variety of beautiful flowers to help it bloom.

We are truly thankful for our partnership with the Quad City Botanical Center! Over the past few weeks, their Plant Discovery Bus has been visiting our schools, giving our scholars a hands-on learning experience about plant parts, different types of soil, and the steps involved in planting. Our scholars had an amazing time exploring, learning, and even planting their plants to take home!

Last week, we welcomed Dr. Donyall D. Dickey, Founder and CEO of Educational Epiphany, for an inspiring Professional Development session! Our team left energized with new strategies to elevate teaching and learning.

Happy Assistant Principals Week to our amazing RIMSD Assistant Principals!🥳 We celebrate you today and every day for your dedication, leadership, and support! Thank you for helping our scholars and staff thrive. We appreciate you! ❤💛