The Riverwalk Roar

Happy Sunday, Pride!

I hope each of you is doing well and had a great weekend. My family and I enjoyed a relaxing, low-key weekend—we realized it was our last “free weekend” until December 21st, so we made the most of it by recharging and enjoying some extra downtime.

One of our staff members shared something on Thursday that truly resonated with me. Each week, a group of us gathers for about 45 minutes for a meeting we call “Ducks”—a chance to get our “ducks in a row” for the upcoming week. We start by going around the room, with each person giving a shoutout to recognize someone or a group within our school community.

This past Thursday, I gave a shout-out to our teachers. We had a visitor observing classrooms on Tuesday, and every class they visited not only followed the appropriate grade-level standards outlined in the lesson plans but did so with impressive rigor and engagement. Dr. Dempsey also recognized Mr. Yost, Ms. Fripp, and Ms. Rollins for the incredible work they put into last week’s pep rally, noting how much our students enjoyed and appreciated it.

When it was Mr. Carroll’s turn, his shoutout was to our Pride as a whole. He said, “I’d like to shout out to our staff, students, their families, and the positive school climate we’ve built here. Tuesday and Wednesday could have been challenging days, with the emotions surrounding the election, but our Riverwalk community demonstrated respect and understanding. We’ve shown that even with diverse perspectives, we come together as one Pride. The positivity, support, and resilience of our students, staff, and families make our school a truly special place.”

Moments like these remind me how fortunate we are to be part of this community, where we uplift one another and celebrate our shared mission every day. Sometimes it’s hard to put into words what makes Riverwalk Academy’s climate and culture so special, but Mr. Carroll’s words on Thursday captured it perfectly.

This morning, my wife and I visited a different church than usual, and the preacher shared a thought that I felt paralleled Riverwalk Academy beautifully. He said, “There’s nothing magical or special about our building. It’s the people inside that make it a special place.” The same is true for Riverwalk Academy. There’s nothing unique about the bricks or the modular buildings—it’s the people inside that make it a truly magical place. It’s our Pride.

Thank you for being a part of what makes Riverwalk Academy so remarkable.

In Pride and Purpose,

~Dr. Compton