School News- 5/28/2025
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The Dear Classical Charter Schools of America Parents, Families, and Friends, As we close out the 2024-2025 school year, I find myself reflecting with immense pride on the great strides our students and staff have made this year. It has been one of growth, celebration, and many impressive accomplishments. One of these accomplishments is our continued success on the national stage. CCS-Leland ranked first in the entire country on the Classical Learning Test 8 (CLT8) exam, while CCS-Whiteville ranked third. Our schools were the only public, only charter, and only tuition-free schools in the top twenty. Ranking so highly among the hundreds of schools across the country once again affirms the effectiveness of our rigorous classical curriculum and commitment to excellence. Beyond academics, we have expanded our extracurricular programs, along with our electives and resources. Our middle school sports program continued to grow with the addition of soccer, baseball, and softball and the continuation of basketball. Our students also had the opportunity to compete nationally in both archery and cheerleading, with our RBA Cheerleading Team bringing home more national titles to add to their collection. The continued support for sports at CCS-America not only enhances the school experience for our students, but also promotes teamwork, leadership, and sportsmanship, all important aspects of our character education curriculum. Our drama students and show choirs continued to dazzle us with plays, performances, and talent shows. Beta Club and Science Olympiad students have proudly represented CCS-America in high-level competitions. We hosted our 20th Annual FASTAR, 9th Annual History Bowl, and 2nd Annual CCS-America Spelling Bee, many of which were held in the newly completed Leland and Southport auditoriums and gymnasiums. We celebrated the success of both our Back to School and our Spring Community Events, bringing together our charter family with our surrounding community. Each event was a reminder of the dedicated, supportive network that makes our CCS-America community so special. One of the most joyful parts of the year has been seeing our graduates thrive in high school and early college programs, demonstrating the confidence and academic strength they developed during their years at CCS-America. We are very proud of the foundations they have built and excited to see what their futures hold. As we look ahead to the 2025-2026 school year, I am excited for everything that we will continue to build and accomplish together. None of this would be possible without the dedication of our incredible staff, supportive parents, and hard-working students. Thank you to each of you for your contributions to this extraordinary year. We wish you a restorative, joyful summer break and look forward to welcoming you back in July. Warm regards, Baker A. Mitchell, Founder The goal of Classical Education is to create independent learners discerning Truth, Goodness, and Beauty so that civilization can flourish. *************
Softball and Baseball Champions Revealed Our inaugural CCS-A softball and baseball season has come to an end, and what a season it was! Both CCS-Leland teams finished undefeated, each ending the season with a perfect 6-0 record. At their final games, they were awarded medals and trophies, officially naming them the first-ever CCS-A Softball and Baseball Champions. This season was full of big hits, impressive plays, and lots of school spirit. Above all, it showcased the teamwork and sportsmanship that define our CCS-A student athletes. Congratulations to all teams for a great first season! CCS-A middle school sports will continue this fall with boys’ and girls’ soccer. *************
CCS-Southport Presents: Peter Pan! Last Thursday, CCS-Southport middle schoolers took the stage for a performance of Peter Pan, their spring musical! They performed for an audience of parents, families, and CCS-Southport kindergarten and first grade students. These talented students brought the world of Neverland to life, complete with fairies, pirates, mermaids, and Lost Boys. Key CCS-America character traits (such as courage, responsibility, and the importance of family) were showcased in the performance. Congratulations to CCS-Southport for an incredible performance! Special thanks to Kimberly Boumpani and Kimberly Dollar for their hard work in putting on this production. Check out pictures from Peter Pan here: **************
CCS-America Archery at the National Level: Good luck Ethan! This month, eighth-grader Ethan Stanley proudly represented RBA and CCS-Leland at the NASP 2025 US Eastern Nationals in Louisville, Kentucky. Ethan is the #2 ranked archer among middle school boys in North Carolina for the 2025 year. In Kentucky, he shot very well and earned a qualifying score for the NASP Grand National Championship, which will take place June 5-7 in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina! Congratulations to Ethan on this outstanding accomplishment. All of CCS-A is cheering you on. Good luck at Grand Nationals! **************
Enroll for the 2025-2026 School Year! The 2026-2026 school year is almost here! We are currently taking applications for all grade levels! Remember, this year we are offering a new incentive for current CCS-A parents and staff members. When a new student applies for enrollment at a CCS-A school between 12/1/24 – 6/30/2025 and enters a current parent or staff member’s name and email in the “Referred By” section of the application, that parent/staff member will be emailed $25 of Shop RBA store credit for each referral! BE SURE TO PROVIDE ALL NEEDED INFORMATION: The application must have the first and last name and email of the person providing the referral in order to receive the store credit.
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Students, Start Your Pencils!Last week, all four CCS-America campuses held their annual FASTAR® (Fluent Academic Skills Tournament in Arithmetic and Reading) races. This year was extra special, as we celebrated the 2oth anniversary of FASTAR®!Our elementary students lined up in their racing lanes, cheered on by their classmates and family members. Middle school “pit crew” members helped time the racers and made sure everything ran smoothly.As soon as they heard “Go!” the students took off, first reading a passage out loud and then racing through sheets of math facts. They sped to the finish line, with some races decided by just seconds.All of our campus winners will face off at the Race of Champions, which is scheduled for next Wednesday, April 30th. The school with the most speed and accuracy will take home the trophy as 2025’s FASTAR® Champion!Congratulations to all of our racers, pit crew members, and winners! Thank you to all classmates, family members, and friends for cheering the racers on!See pictures from each campus’s race below:
Staff Alumni Spotlight: Jordan SinglerAt CCS-America, we love to see our former students come back to teach for us. Jordan Singler attended CCS-Leland, then known as Charter Day School, for grades K-8 from 2003-2012.Ms. Singler began working at CCS-Whiteville in 2020 as a fifth grade teacher. She moved her way up to her current position as lead 8th grade teacher, where she teaches both English Language Arts (ELA) and History. While teaching, she was able to complete her master’s degree and expressed her interest in administration.With the start of the 2025-2026 school year, she will take the position of CCS-Whiteville Operations Coordinator, making her the Roger Bacon Academy’s first admin alumna! We are very excited for her to bring her unique skills and perspective to this role.When asked what advice she has for current CCS-America students, Ms. Singler said, “My advice to my current students is to reach for the stars. I can see the passion they have and try every day to instill in them they can be any and everything they want to be. While I was at CCS-America, my teachers did the same for me and they gave me the tools to do it. I have since accomplished many things thanks to encouragement of former teachers that I also have the privilege of working with today.”Learn more about Ms. Singler and her journey from CCS-America student to teacher:
Curriculum Spotlight: PoetryPoetry is an important aspect of CCS-America’s ELA curriculum. As a part of the Quarter Four Poetry Unit, fourth through eighth grade students read, studied, and memorized classical poems.They practiced memorizing and reciting these poems, and, at the end of the unit, performed them for the camera.Each grade level focused on a different poem:-Fourth Grade: Dust of Snow by Robert Frost-Fifth Grade: Dreams by Langston Hughes-Sixth Grade: The Eagle by Alfred Lord Tennyson-Seventh Grade: Where My Books Go by William Butler Yeats-Eighth Grade: Loss and Gain by Henry Wadsworth LongfellowClick on the link below to watch students reciting the poems:
Enroll for the 2025-2026 School Year!We are currently taking applications for the 2025-2026 school year for all grade levels!Remember, this year we are offering a new incentive for current CCS-A parents and staff members. When a new student applies for enrollment at a CCS-A school between 12/1/24 – 6/30/2025 and enters a current parent or staff member’s name and email in the “Referred By” section of the application, that parent/staff member will be emailed $25 of 
Top National Rankings for CCS-Leland and CCS-WhitevilleCCS-Leland and CCS-Whiteville have tied for #1 and #3, respectively, among more than 250 schools nationwide in the Classic Learning Test’s (CLT8) 
CCS-Leland Presents: Peter Pan!Middle school students at Classical Charter Schools of Leland presented their spring musical, Peter Pan, with performances on February 28th and March 1st.The talented Leland Show Choir wowed the crowd with their musical numbers and took everyone on a magical journey through Neverland. The musical highlighted the values of family, dependability, courage, and responsibility. These values also are emphasized in the Character Education curriculum at CCS-America. The musical was complete with fighting pirates, mischievous fairies, flying, and of course, a sprinkle of pixie dust.Congratulations to these students for putting on such a spectacular show, and a special thank you to Mr. Taylor, Ms. Steffel, and Ms. Hahn for all of their hard work in bringing this show to life.Check out pictures from the performances below:
CCS-America Spelling BeeOn February 26th, our annual CCS-America Spelling Bee was held in the Leland auditorium. Grade level winners from all four campuses joined together for a final spelling showdown.Hosted by Ali Cause-Nance, Dean of Math and Sciences, the event was full of excitement and friendly competition as students showed off their spelling abilities. The hard work and dedication of all the students was clear, and after a series of challenging rounds, a winner was crowned for each grade level.Check out the list of winners:
Students of the Month: DependabilityCCS-America students are recognized monthly for displaying a specific character trait from our School Pledge that they not only say, but practice in their daily lives.February’s character trait was Dependability. Dependable students do what they say they will and keep to their word, even if it is difficult to do so. Dependability is seen in the School Pledge as “I Pledge to be truthful in all my works.” Students apply these words to their everyday lives by being responsible decision-makers others can rely on.Congratulations to all of these students who demonstrated exemplary dependability. Check them out on the links below!
Enroll for the 2025-2026 School Year!We are currently taking applications for the 2025-2026 school year for all grade levels!Remember, this year we are offering a new incentive for current CCS-A parents and staff members. When a new student applies for enrollment at a CCS-A school between 12/1/24 – 6/30/2025 and enters a current parent or staff member’s name and email in the “Referred By” section of the application, that parent/staff member will be emailed $25 of