A BULLDOGS COMMUNITY The district, unified under the Bulldog mascot, emphasizes a strong sense of belonging and mutual support. “You’d be hard-pressed to have a conversation about Romeo Community Schools or the Romeo area in general without hearing the words family and community,” portrays Superintendent Dr. Todd Robinson. “We’re a very tight-knit community here. It doesn’t matter whether you’re one of our five elementary buildings, or our comprehensive middle school and high school, everyone is a Bulldog.” In 2022, Romeo Community Schools launched a strategic plan that included reaffirming the core values of respect, teamwork, balance, integrity, and fun. “We do believe school should be fun, and not just for students, but also for the adults that work with them,” Robinson affirms. Complementing these core values, the district embraces an annual theme; the theme for the 202324 school year was “Choose Joy.”Says Robinson,“We’re trying to focus, at all levels of the organization, on just being grateful for the opportunity to work with the children that we do in this district, to partner with businesses in the larger community, and to best serve our students and prepare them for college, career, and life.” STRATEGIC PLANNING FOR LONG-TERM SUCCESS One of the standout priorities in the strategic plan is the increased focus on safety and mental wellness, particularly in the wake of the 2021 tragedy in the nearby community of Oxford. “That has had a dramatic impact on us and surrounding districts,” Robinson acknowledges.“We began to intentionally connect what were traditional school safety efforts with this idea of wellness and mental health, and not just for our students, but also for our employees.” As part of these efforts school resource officers have been added at the middle and high school, a welcome presence not only for additional security, but also as positive role models for students. “That has been a blessing to us, to just have another positive adult in the building that students can go to when they have a concern or otherwise,” Robinson conveys. RCS provides a wide variety of mental health and wellness resources, from electronic information to informative events like the recent State of the District, which offered breakout sessions for parents on topics such as social media and smartphone use. “Most importantly, we want to make sure that every child has at least one adult advocate that they feel a direct connection to so that if there are concerns or 355 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 05, ISSUE 08 ROMEO COMMUNITY SCHOOLS
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