School of Rock Concert, sponsored by RCF May 4, to benefit Ridgedale
Rotary Club of Farragut welcomes the community to a spring concert fundraiser featuring School of Rock Knoxville from 6 to 8 p.m., Saturday, May 4, in Farragut Community Center, 239 Jamestowne Blvd.
The event, which benefits Knox County’s Ridgedale Alternative School, also will feature Smith’s Endzone BBQ and West Knoxville’s Smiley Swirl food trucks and beverages offered by Water Into Wine bistro & lounge. A general admission ticket is $25 at the door.
“We really are excited about our partnership (with RCF),” Ridgedale principal Rebecca Bitner said. “I can’t say enough about the quality of your members.”
Rotary Club of Farragut, which has adopted Ridgedale School as a Partner in Education School, learned more about the school during a recent Wednesday club meeting in Farragut Community Center.
Ridgedale serves students who have had from 10 to 180 days’ school suspension with “an intensive learning environment,” its principal said. Also, the staff has trauma infrared training to help students with such risk factors as abuse, neglect, household deficiencies or family mental illness, domestic violence or divorce.
Since Ridgedale, located at 4600 Ridgedale Road off Western Ave., is not considered a “base school,” Bitner said the school does not receive the same funding or budget as other Knox County schools.
Club members followed the RCF meeting by observing World Rotary Day Saturday, March 23, when about 70 members worked at the school to help improve school grounds.
Members painted lockers and doors, built an outdoor classroom sitting area, refreshed the front entrance and pressure washed both levels of the building.
“We are excited about our partnership,” Bitner said during the RCF meeting.
She said the classes they offer, such as culinary or sewing, are all funded from donations. Additionally, the school does not have a Parent Teacher Organization to raise money to support the school.
“Ridgedale is the only school in Knox County that teaches both alternative education and special education and serves students from 52 elementary schools, 17 middle schools and 17 high schools,” Bitner said.
“We try to be a support in our students’ lives,” she added. “We try to build choices to build control over their lives.”
Bitner said many of its students would rather stay at Ridgedale than return to their base school, which currently is not an option. As such, she said some students who return to their base school will get in trouble solely because they can return to Ridgedale.
“We believe most of the students want to stay because of the support system and because it’s a smaller school,” she said.
