Seniors, graduation is fast approaching. Please add these dates in your calendar.

Senior Recognition

• Kennedy High School - Sunday, April 23 at 3:00 pm (Gym)
• Washington High School - Monday, April 24 at 6:00 pm (Auditorium)
• Jefferson High School - Monday, May 15 at 7:00 pm (East Gym)
• Metro High School - Thursday, May 18 at 4:00 pm (IMC)

Graduation dates and times

• Metro High School - Wednesday, May 24th, 7:00 pm at the DoubleTree by Hilton
• Washington High School - Thursday, May 25th, 7:00 pm - Alliant Energy PowerHouse
• Jefferson High School - Friday, May 26th, 7:00 pm - Alliant Energy PowerHouse
• Kennedy High School - Saturday, May 27th, 7:00 pm - Alliant Energy PowerHouse

CRCSD Information Sessions for New Elementary School at the Site of Harrison Elementary

At the Board of Education Meeting held on April 10th, a recommendation was presented to the Board regarding the future plans for the Harrison/Madison Project. This is the fourth new/renovated school building in the Elementary Facilities Master Plan. West Willow opened in August 2021, Maple Grove opened in August 2022, and Trailside is expected to open in August 2024. 

The recommendation from the focus group was to renovate and add an addition to Harrison Elementary. 

Next steps: CRCSD hosted information sessions at Harrison and Madison school buildings. A survey is available here for the community. The feedback from both the information sessions and survey will be shared at the Elementary Facilities Master Plan Oversight Committee on April 17th. The final recommendation will be presented to the Board of Education on April 24th.

This building is expected to open in August 2025.

Earth Day 2023 - Join Us!

CRCSD is celebrating Earth Day by organizing volunteers to help clean up debris and trash around our school buildings and grounds.

We are pleased to offer various sites for this family-friendly opportunity. This is open to the public, however, many of the times occur during the school day, so we ask volunteers to sign-up in advance and wait outside the school building so we do not disrupt the student learning experience.

Please fill out the sign-up form by Wednesday, April 18th. The building will contact you with further instructions. 

Friday April 21st 

• 8:00 am - 9:00 am - McKinley Steam Academy 
• 10:30 am - 11:30 am - Grant Wood Elementary School
• 12:20 pm - 1:20 pm - Roosevelt Creative Corridor Business Academy
• 1:30 pm - 2:00 pm - Harrison Elementary School

Kennedy Sophomore Takes Her Speaking Skills to Nationals

Kennedy High School Sophomore Tori Paga presented her speeches for the upcoming American Legion National Oratorical Contest Nationals in Indianapolis. She is representing the state of Iowa as the state contest winner. On Wednesday, she shared her speeches in front of new Superintendent Dr. Grover and members of the CRCSD cabinet. During the ceremony, Paga was presented her state honor plaque from Joe Helle from the Hiawatha Legion Post 735.

Garfield Hosts Cultural Fair

On Thursday evening, African drums, Kolaches, exotic coins, Ukrainian candy, and a pinata were part of Garfield Elementary's first cultural fair. 

The school has had an English Language Learners (ELL) program for four years, and staff recognized that various cultures make up the Garfield community and want to celebrate it. 

"We have a lot of diversity in our building and wanted to give our ELL families a sense of belonging and feel like a part of the community," - Joy Long, Garfield Elementary Principal.

2023 State Solo and Ensemble Festival

The Jefferson High School Performing Arts Department is hosting the 2023 Iowa High School Music Association State Solo and Ensemble Festival taking place tomorrow, April 15th. Over 500 band, choir, and orchestra students from the 4A schools in the Cedar Rapids Metro Area and Iowa City. Students will perform solos, small ensembles, and choirs across 12 centers for IHSMA-certified adjudicators.

The festival runs from 8:00 am - 5:00 pm. There is a suggested donation to attend the event. 

Guest Artist Shapes Sounds With Kennedy Choral

The Kennedy High School vocal department had a special guest working with choral students this week.

Dr. Emorja Roberson is the Assistant Professor of Music and African-American Studies at the Oxford College of Emory University. In 2022 he became the first African-American to graduate with a Doctor of Musical Arts in Choral Conducting from the Sacred Music Department at the University of Notre Dame.

"The message that I am bringing to students is always to be aware of what's happening when they are singing, before they sing and after they sing because music is about understanding how sound works amongst different people, and as a choir, you are conveying that message from text to dynamics so the better you understand, the more effective the communication will be to the audience," said Dr. Roberson  

Ann Brunson, Associate Director of Vocal Music at Kennedy, invited Dr. Roberson to the two-day event. She wanted students to learn from his expertise and to be encouraged and excited by his accomplishments.