An attitude of gratitude
Roberto Clemente Middle School, located in Germantown, is an International Baccalaureate(IB) Middle Years Programme school with a population of about 900 students. RCMS is also home to one of the county's dedicated regional Math/Science middle school programs. Students have access to high school level classes such as foreign language, upper-level math classes, and Introduction to Engineering Design.
Every year, to thank the teachers, the community rallies to provide PiesGiving to the teachers. The event, coordinated by the school’s Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) is one of the ways the families thank staff members for their work every year. In an attitude of gratitude, families donate pies so that everyone who works at the school can bring home a dessert as they celebrate Thanksgiving Day with their families. More than 120 pies were donated by generous families.
The annual event is a favorite among the teachers. As pies were stacked high on the conference room table at Roberto Clemente Middle School, teachers gratefully chose a pie to take home to their families.
Piesgiving is one way the community shows appreciation for all of the hard-working teachers and staff. It takes a lot of effort and coordination to run a school. And every person in the building is an integral part of the school community, ensuring students have a place to work, study, and play.
Roberto Clemente Middle School works hard to make its school a welcoming and inclusive environment for students and their families. They provide a variety of clubs and extracurricular activities where everyone has a place where they can fit in and find their people.
The front office is always welcoming, and the teachers encourage students to participate in different ways to support the surrounding communities, such as working alongside Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless to 30x30 programs to provide 30 household items for a family moving into a home.
The school staff works hard to instill passion and develop open-minded scholars who explore multiple perspectives. In addition, they work hard to become a socially just and antiracist institution.
Just as their namesake, Roberto Clemente, was a humanitarian, the mission behind the middle school is to inspire passion, develop the whole child, and create agents of change.
Investing in the students at RCMS is also an investment in the community, and everyone benefits. But, even as November comes to a close, the gratitude does not.
Thank you to the teachers and staff members who work hard daily to ensure that every child and family member feels there is always a space for them at Roberto Clemente Middle School.