Rabun County's First Day of School Aug. 8
Tuesday, Aug. 8, marks the first day of classes for Rabun County schools as open houses are scheduled for Friday.
RCHS Principal Justin Spillers said he and his staff are “incredibly excited to welcome students back on Aug. 8.”
Spillers said the high school is projected 675 students enrolled by Aug. 8.
“We’ve seen quite a few new students registering over the past few weeks, and we’re excited to welcome them to Rabun County High School,” Spillers said.
A number of things have happened over the summer at the high school.
“Obviously, the athletic field updates are an exciting new feature at Rabun County High School. Aside from that, we are really focusing on creating memorable experiences for our students within our classrooms and within our extracurricular activities across campus,” Spillers said.
The RCHS principal said the school will welcome seven new teachers and one new paraprofessional.
“Within that group, we have several RCHS alumni, and the rest are excited to be a part of Rabun County Schools and the Rabun County community.
“I’m incredibly excited to kickoff the 2023-2024 school year and get our students and teachers back on campus,” Spillers said. “We spend a lot of time over the summer planning and preparing for a new school year, and there’s nothing better than finally having the opportunity to put those plans and that preparation into action and to see the excitement on the kids’ faces as they walk through the doors on that first day of school.
“Every one of our faculty, staff, and administrative team are honored to have the opportunity to serve the students of Rabun County High School during the upcoming school year,” Spillers said. “We can’t wait to see what we are able to accomplish together, and we look forward to a year of striving to achieve excellence in everything we do.”
Spillers also said he would like to thank the community for its continued support of the RCHS faculty, staff and students.
“I don’t think you could find a more supportive community than the one we have in Rabun County,” Spillers said.
Carla Truelove, principal at Rabun County Primary School, said the expectation is to have 650 students for this school year.
“We are excited to have several new staff members joining our RCPS family and they have been working diligently in their classrooms in preparation for another great year at our city on the hill,” Truelove said. “The first day of school is always an exciting one.
“Our amazing teachers work endlessly to make sure this is the perfect day for their students,” Truelove said. “At the primary school, it is always our No. 1 priority to make sure our students develop a love for learning, preparing them for a life filled with success. We are extremely thankful for Dr. (April) Childers, our BOE, and the entire staff at our district office for the hard work they put in so that we have everything we need for a successful school year.”
Rabun County Elementary School Principal Jonathan Welch said his school will have similar enrollment numbers as RCHS and RCPS with 660 students.
“We are going to keep building on what we are doing.” Welch said. “I am very happy with the direction we are heading with student achievement. We want to keep increasing rigor and push our students daily to do their best.”
Welch said RCES will have seven new teachers.
“I am very excited to see what they bring to our students,” Welch said.
“I think our teachers are excited to begin the new year. There were a lot of gaps caused by COVID and our schools are doing a great job to get those closed,” Welch said. “We had a very good year last year and I am excited about what is taking place with Rabun County Schools.
“I look forward to seeing the students walk through the door on the 8th,” Welch said. “I know here at RCES we are going to work hard and play hard. There are great things taking place at all four schools and I truly believe we have the best school system around.”