Good School News: Atlanta Hawks to Take-Over Ron Clark Academy for a Day

60 of Georgia's top teachers have been selected to attend a unique educator training program on Friday February 1st at Ron Clark Academy.

The following is from a press release submitted by The Atlanta Hawks

On February 1, 2013, the Atlanta Hawks will take over the Ron Clark Academy (RCA) for a full day of educator training, basketball-based curriculum in the classrooms and Hawks player visits.

The day of training, made possible by a $25,000 donation from the Atlanta Hawks Foundation, is part of the RCA Educator Training Program and will feature 60 of Georgia’s top teachers.

Atlanta Hawks players John Jenkins, Kyle Korver, Anthony Morrow and Zaza Pachulia will be making appearances in the classrooms throughout the day, to lend a hand.

“The Atlanta Hawks are inspired by the Ron Clark Academy and the revolutionary methods that they use to make education interactive, challenging and fun,” stated Bob Williams, President, Atlanta Hawks and Philips Arena. “We are excited to be supporting the professional development of some of Georgia’s top teacher talent during Atlanta Hawks Day at RCA.” 

The Atlanta Hawks Day of training will be provided to Georgia Teaching Fellows and deserving, committed educators from across the metro area that were selected by the RCA staff.  RCA believes that to create top-down support, accountability and motivation to successfully implement the methods taught during their Educator Training Programs, schools should send their administrators and their strongest teachers.

"The Atlanta Hawks organization has a history of supporting education, and we are proud to partner with them to promote the importance of teacher effectiveness in Georgia's classrooms.  Their spirit of excellence aligns beautifully with what we instill in educators through our training programs," shared Kim Bearden, cofounder and executive director of RCA. 

“As a lifelong Hawks fan, I am thrilled about this event,” adds Ron Clark, the Academy’s founder.  “We are going to combine the passion of RCA and the finesse of the Atlanta Hawks and uplift educators from across Georgia.  It’s going to be phenomenal!”