Principal's Weekly Update #29

Greetings Pirate Families,

As we enter the final week of the quarter, we want to encourage all students to finish strong. This is an important time to check grades, complete any missing assignments, and stay focused through the finish line. Every effort this week makes a difference.

Spring Break begins next week (March 30 - April 3), a well-deserved time to rest, recharge, and spend time with family and friends. Let’s make this last week count so students can enjoy their break with a sense of accomplishment.

Additionally, we will conduct a lockdown drill on Friday, March 27, from 10:00–10:30 a.m. Please do not be alarmed, as this is our scheduled spring safety drill. During the drill, we will also test a new lockdown alert sound.

Inspirational Quote for the Week:

“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes… including you.”

Thank you for your continued support, and we wish all our Riverside families a safe and restful Spring Break!

With Pirate Pride,

Dr. Gloria Woods-Weeks
Principal

• March 25 – Destino Success 5x5 Soccer Tournament
• March 27 – Last Day of Quarter 3
• March 27 – Lock down rill 10:00-10:30 a.m.
• March 30 – April 3 – Spring Break (No School)

Prom tickets are now available for purchase online:
https://osp.osmsinc.com/DurhamNC/BVModules/CategoryTemplates/Detailed%20List%20with%20Properties/Category.aspx?categoryid=BG102

· National Honor Society Applications
The application window for Riverside’s National Honor Society opens March 16, 2026. Sophomores and juniors with a minimum 3.0 weighted GPA received an email in their DPS accounts with application instructions. Applications close Sunday, March 29 at 11:59 p.m. Students must also obtain a teacher recommendation. Please see the email or your 2nd period teacher for a paper copy. Contact Mrs. Hardy with any questions.

· Spring Musical – Mary Poppins
A spoonful of sugar and a whole lot of talent! Our students are bringing the magic of Mary Poppins to the stage for this year’s spring musical. Mark your calendars and join us for this practically perfect performance on April 16, 17, and 18 at 7:00 p.m.
DPS employees receive free admission.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/14Ag8MXxRKdtDH94KmXX49kH2D_1mcUUV/view?usp=sharing

• Shout out to Ms. Brooks and the CTE Team for hosting a successful Student Success Fair featuring local businesses and community organizations. This was a great opportunity for our students to explore career pathways and connect with industry partners.
• Please join us in congratulating the following students for their outstanding performance at the FBLA State Leadership Conference:
• Michaela Rincon-Reyes – Top Ten in the state for Business Ethics
• Jacob Brennan – 4th place in the state for Impromptu Speaking
• Benjamin Davis, Isaac John, and Charlie Soloe – Top Ten in the state for Supply Chain Management
• Congratulations to the Riverside Rapids and Sirens Ensembles, who traveled to Meredith College on March 17 for their state-level assessment in performance and sight-reading. Both groups earned Superior ratings in all categories—an outstanding achievement!
• Shout-out to Ms. Taylor and the cast of Mary Poppins for participating in a special Master Class led by cast members of the Broadway show Stereophonic, currently playing at DPAC. What an incredible learning experience!

We continue our CPR Certification this week so that all seniors will have an opportunity to complete this to meet the NC graduation requirement. Certification will take place in the Lower Gym during the Advisory period from 9:15AM-9:35AM. If your student's last name begins with H-K, their scheduled morning is Tuesday, March 24th. For students whose last name begins with L-O, their scheduled morning is Thursday, March 26th. Students must be IN THE GYM by 9:15 to receive the full instruction for the certification. If your student cannot make their scheduled date, they must contact their counselor as soon as possible. Remaining seniors will be scheduled upon our return from Spring Break.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Upcoming Opportunity Fair

Friday, April 10, 2026

Location: Emily K Center

Link: https://www.emilyk.org/opportunity-fair

The Opportunity Fair is a free college and career fair, highlighting pathways through community college, trade school, military, and employment. This event will feature short-term certificates and credential programs that students can earn after high school, as well as entry-level opportunities with local employers. Flyer Attached

Schedule:

DPS seniors: 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

9th-11th grade and non-DPS students: 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.

College Acceptances and Scholarships

Have your student submit their college acceptances and scholarships here to be featured.

My newsletter has a bunch of local scholarships!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1skBzvx-KMGqiLjElJRODLcNw1_N8j7wCF47njoPv9Vs/edit?usp=sharing

More scholarships: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cakZ7HmEDPJDLx70_xz0G7EyelkIff1mUYksZnBPs_4/edit?usp=sharing

WANT TO ATTEND A FIELD TRIP!

Riverside High School will be going to NC Central University on March 24th. This is for current juniors and seniors. Link to sign up: https://forms.office.com/r/TU6tRuSeDf

Congratulations to several Riverside teams for an outstanding week of competition. The Track and Field team had a great opening week. Ahmad Wilcox in the 200-meter dash, Jordan Harrell, and Rafsan Chowdhury had extremely fast times in the 400-meter dash at Northern. The Women's 4x 800 Meter Relay, led by Eloise Egger, Baylis Healy, Elodie Page, and Anastasia Willis, set a strong mark at Athens Drive, capping off the week for the team.

Baseball defeated Durham Academy by a 12-2 margin. Lucas Setji collected 3 hits on 4 at-bats to lead the Pirates to victory.

Softball took down Cary High this week in a dominant performance, Grace Arrington led the Pirates, striking out 10 batters. Paisly Russel and Alexis Gracesqui both helped to propel the Pirates to victory by getting on base on 3 of 4 attempts at bat.

Women's Soccer came from behind to tie the game against Sanderson High. Men's Volleyball defeated Coastal Christian School and Swansboro in a weekend tournament to improve to 6-2 overall. The Women’s Soccer team finished this week with ties against two schools, Cary and First Flight Academy.

Men's Volleyball also took down Hillside High School, sweeping the Hornets 3-0

This Week in Athletics at Riverside

March 23

• Men's Lacrosse @ Carrboro Varsity at 7pm

• JV Baseball vs Orange High JV 5 pm
• Men's Volleyball vs Chapel Hill, 5pm/6:15
• Men's Golf @ Chapel Hill High 2 pm

March 24

• Women's Lacrosse @ Carrboro 6pm
• Women's Soccer @ East Chapel Hill 5 pm 6:45 pm
• Varsity Baseball vs Hillside 6 pm
• JV Men's Lacrosse vs Cardinal Gibbons 6 pm
• Men's Tennis vs Eno River Academy 4:30 pm

March 25

• Men's Tennis vs Chapel Hill V 4:30 PM JV @ Chapel Hill 5 PM
• Women's JV Soccer vs Cedar Ridge 5 pm

• Softball vs Hillside 6 pm
• Women's Lacrosse @ East Chapel Hill 5 pm
• Track and Field vs Hillside and Southern 5 pm
• Softball vs Hillside 5 pm

March 26

• Men's Tennis @ DSA 4 pm
• Baseball @ Hillside 6 pm
• Men's Volleyball @ Science and Math 4:30 pm
• Softball @ Southern Durham 6 pm
• Women's Soccer vs Hillside 5pm/ 6:45 pm

March 27

• Softball @ Carrboro 5 pm
• Women's Lacrosse Terry Sanford 5pm
• Men's Lacrosse vs Terry Sanford 7pm

Volunteer: Our athletics programs depend heavily on volunteers to help with game day entry, concessions, etc., during all home game day events for all sports. Please consider taking the time to VOLUNTEER HERE!

Keep our Kids in the Game Donation: Help us keep our students competing on 30 Varsity & Junior Varsity teams at Riverside by donating during this special fundraiser. Your gift of $203 provides the equivalent of the expense for one student to participate in one season this year. Did you know that Durham Public Schools only provides 14% ($15,000) of the funding needed to run our Athletics program at Riverside? The other 86% of the funding comes from ticket sales, sponsorships and fundraisers. That means the Athletics Department and the Booster Club need to produce over $89,000 in revenue this year to support our students. 100% of donations through this effort will go directly to the Booster Club to help our kids. ALL gifts make a difference. DONATE HERE!

Corporate Sponsorships: Do you or someone you know have connections to a local business? A number of sponsorship packages are available and we would love to proudly display your logo all over Riverside High School! Please see the attachment and contact the Booster Club for more information!

Stay Connected

Follow Riverside High School on social media for updates, celebrations, and reminders!
📸 Instagram: @riversidepirates | 💻 Website: www.dpsnc.net/riverside

Make it a great week, Pirates! Roll Pirates Roll!

--Dr. Woods-Weeks, Principal