Greetings RJR Families,
As we write this, you probably know the girls basketball
team suffered a tough loss to Myers Park last night.
The have nothing to be ashamed of as they had an
outstanding year going 27-1. If you see team members
around school, give them a pat on the back.
Their schedule was cramped at the end of the year
because of the snow days we had in February.
Unfortunately, snow days created delays for registration meetings, our state basketball play-off games, the teacher/staff Mardi Gras luncheon, and numerous other activities on RJR’s calendar. Now things are back on track and we’ve made some progress toward catching up. Thanks to everyone for your patience and diligence throughout this weather.
The last couple of weeks have been truly remarkable for R.J. Reynolds High School!
First, RJR students presented Mr. Olsen with the check from our Legacy Campaign at the Reynolds/Reagan home game. Below is a picture capturing the moment. You cannot read the check amount in this photo, but the Legacy Campaign raised more than $128,000 this year! Kudos to our hard-working and talented Legacy chairs, Mickey and Tom Kangur, as well as assistant co-chairs Julie and Fred Williams, treasurer Lynn Gwynn, and many others for all of their efforts. This includes Lisa Carter and Marie Arcuri who secured corporate sponsorships.
Also during this game, we celebrated our graduating senior varsity basketball players, cheerleaders and Boots. It was very touching to see the parents of these players recognized with their students as we all know the sacrifice of time and resources that goes into supporting students’ extracurricular activities. Thank you and congratulations to all of these student athletes, their families and the coaches for an outstanding season!
Our second bit of exciting news is that R.J. Reynolds has been named a School of Excellence by the Magnet Schools of America. This is the next step up from the "School of Distinction" honor we earned last year and is the highest category of awards through this organization.
Quoting Arts Magnet Director, Karen Morris, “The award is due to the great work of the teachers, students, parents, administrators and community, and recognizes that we have achieved excellence in all five pillars of magnet schools -- diversity, innovative curriculum and professional development, academic excellence, high-quality instructional systems, and family and community partnerships.” The award will be given during the National Magnet Schools of America conference in Raleigh next month. We want to express our most sincere thanks to Karen Morris for putting R.J. Reynolds on the map as a model arts magnet school program.
Senior Sam Doughton, an editor-in-chief for Pine Whispers, has been named the High School Journalist of the Year by the N.C. Scholastic Media Association. Congratulations to Sam on this awesome award! Please take a minute to read about Sam and our School of Excellence award via the following link:
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Have a wonderful weekend and Go Demons!!
Alan and Kate Ruley
Magnet School Lottery
The WSFCS magnet school lottery was held in January. The 100 rising freshmen and four rising sophomores selected in the lottery have been notified. All who were not selected in the random lottery have been given information on their waitlist number. We welcome our new Demons and look forward to meeting these new students and families.
Registration is Underway
Not all of our specialized classes are listed in the WSFCS High School Registration book. Be sure to look at information on the Arts Magnet page of the RJR website, pay attention to fliers, and talk to teachers to learn about opportunities.
Spring Arts Experience
Reynolds and Authoring Action received an Arts-in-Education grant from the Arts Council for a school-wide residency with Authoring Action. Authoring Action is a nonprofit arts and education outreach organization dedicated to developing young people as authors and articulate advocates for social change. Faculty will have professional development training on using creative writing and student voice to impact student achievement and engagement. The whole school will attend an engagement in the auditorium March 16th and some students will have workshops in classrooms during April. This experience is part of our year-long focus on social justice and human rights.
Demon Shop
It’s still cold outside, so come by and purchase a hoodie or a crew neck sweatshirt. We have many new sweatshirts and T-shirts in the Demon Shop. We are open during lunch on Wednesdays and Fridays. You can sneak in when your child is not in his/her lunch period or email Karen Rice for help at: .
Say Cheese, Seniors
The Class of 2015 senior portraits will be taken by Lifetouch photographers in the gym on Thursday, March 12 at 3 p.m. All seniors are requested to attend this photo shoot for the class poster that hangs in the school and the two-page spread in the yearbook. Order forms will be available in the office for students who want to purchase the class photo.
Dancing Boots Tryouts
Dancing Boots tryouts will be held May 12-14. Please look at Mrs. Reece's website for complete details:
A Dancing Boots pre-tryout workshop will be held on Saturday, April 25 from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. Rising eighth graders are encouraged to attend to prepare for tryouts. You must pre-register for the workshop with Mrs. Reece no later than April 22. Anyone not registered will not be permitted to attend. All participants MUST have a current physical on file with RJR Athletics to participate. Email Mrs. Reece to reserve your spot for the workshop or if you have any questions at .
Princeton Review Offering SAT Prep Course
The Princeton Review is offering an SAT prep course at Reynolds High School to prepare for the May and June SAT test dates. This course features 18 hours of live instruction, three proctored practice SAT tests, additional video lessons and online practice drills, critical test-taking and pacing techniques, key strategies to approach question types, and guaranteed results. Enroll online at: or call 800-2-REVIEW. Save $100 with promo code ADMIN100. Questions? Email Sara Nicholson at . See the schedule below. Specific location details will be sent upon enrollment.
Class / Date / TimeTest 1 / 3/14/2015 / 9 am-1pm
Class / 3/18/2015 / 6-9 pm
Class / 3/25/2015 / 6-9 pm
Class / 4/8/2015 / 6-9 pm
Test / 4/11/2015 / 9 am-1pm
Class / 4/15/2015 / 6-9 pm
Class / 4/22/2015 / 6-9 pm
Test / 4/25/2015 / 9 am-1pm
Class / 4/29/2015 / 6-9 pm
Letter to Senior Parents/Guardians
There are many activities related to graduation for the Class of 2015. Please read the letter at the end of this newsletter for important information.
Your gift makes a difference…and every gift counts!!
YOU DID IT!! You’ve Raised . . .
$128,028 from 297 donors!!
Thanks so much for your incredible support of the Legacy Campaign and R.J. Reynolds High School. Each and every student’s life will be enhanced and enriched due to your generosity!
--Mickey and Tonu Kangur
To contribute:
Our mailing address is: RJR Legacy Fund
301 N. Hawthorne Road
Winston-Salem, NC 27104
Your gift makes a difference…and every gift counts!!
March 9Tennis at Mount Tabor, 4:30
JV/V Girls Lacrosse vs. Chapel Hill, 5:00/6:30
March 10Softball at Dudley, 5:30
JV Boys Lacrosse at High Point Central, 5:30
JV/V Girls Lacrosse vs. Northwest Guilford, 5:30/7:00
V Soccer vs. East Forsyth, 6:00
V Baseball at Surry Central, 6:00
V Boys Lacrosse at Atkins, 7:00
March 11Golf at High Point Central, 4:00
Track at High Point Central, 4:30
Tennis vs. North Davidson, 4:30
JV Boys Lacrosse at Summit, 5:15
V Soccer at High Point Central, 6:00
March 12Spring Sports Pictures, 4:00
Softball vs. High Point Central, 5:00
JV/V Soccer vs. Southwest Guilford, 5:30/7:00
March 13Softball vs. Parkland, 5:00
V Girls/Boys Lacrosse vs. Bishop McGuinness, 5:30/7:30
March 14JV/V Baseball vs. Glenn 11:30/1:30
V/JV Baseball vs. East Rowan 4:00/6:30
Dear Senior Parent or Guardian and Student,
As we begin to move near the end of the year, we feel that it is important to share the following information so that you can prepare in advance for some important upcoming events.
CAP AND GOWN DAY: February 5th
If your senior was absent on February 5th, please make sure that he/she sees Ms. Shore in the main office in order to submit cap and gown measurements and check the spelling of his/her name. We wish to make sure that everything is perfect and accurate for graduation.
SENIOR CLASS PICTURE: To Be Announced
CLASS DAY: May 22nd
Class Day is scheduled for May 22, 2015 in the Reynolds Auditorium at 10:00 AM. This event will be for seniors to showcase their years at Reynolds and their talent for family, friends, and faculty. In addition, this is a time when we present the senior class to the faculty, administration, and student body. Awards and scholarships will be announced followed by the student program. Parents are welcome and seats will be available on the ground floor of the auditorium. Following the program, seniors are invited to a picnic. The cost of the picnic is included in senior dues. Class dues are $45 and MUST be paid to Ms. Kelly or Ms. Shore in the main office before prom on April 11th. Failure to pay class dues will result in a student’s inability to attend both the prom and the senior picnic. Class dues help to defray the cost of the senior picnic, Class Day, graduation, cap and gown purchases, diploma covers, tassels, and the printing of the diplomas. Any senior not in attendance at the picnic will be expected to report to afternoon classes.
Dress for seniors on Class Day (and Graduation) is as follows:
Spring dresses, dress slacks/pants, pantsuits, dress shoes in neutral colors (black, brown, tan, silver, gold, white),
dress coats, white collared shirts with ties. No boots or tennis/athletic shoes of any kind are permitted.
NOTE: For safety reasons, it is recommended that all shoes should have a covered heel or a strap at the heel.
Because this is a school function, students are expected to follow the school dress code at all times.
If you need assistance in securing the proper attire, please see Ms. Shore in the main office by May 15, 2015.
GRADUATION: June 6th
A mandatory graduation practice will be on Thursday, June 4th at 6:00 PM in the LJVM Coliseum. Graduation will be on Saturday, June 6th at 8:30 PM in the LJVM Coliseum. Students will be expected to arrive one hour prior to the ceremony. More information about graduation and graduation practice will be released at a later time.
At any time, you may check for senior information by visiting
Please know that the entire faculty and staff are working diligently to provide a secure, orderly, and enjoyable academic exercise for your senior. If you have any questions, please contact us at 703-4145.
Thank you
Ms. Stephanie Walters, Graduation Coordinator, SGM. Andrea Maine and Ms. Teri Beadle, Senior Sponsors