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Ronald E. McNair Middle School

Dekalb County Schools

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About Us

SCHOOL MISSION

The School Mission of Ronald E. McNair Middle School is to provide students with a nurturing and enriching educational experience.  One that fosters citizenship and prepares all students for high school and beyond through a standards-based curriculum.


VISION

To embody the beliefs of Dr. Ronald E. McNair with high expectations, sound principles, courage, professionalism, and perseverance for all stakeholders.

OUR LEGACY

Ronald E. McNair Middle School is named after astronaut Dr. Ronald E. McNair whose tragic death occurred while on the Challenger mission to space on January 28th, 1986. Ronald E. McNair was born to a low-income family in Lake City, South Carolina. Despite the many obstacles he faced, he thrived and excelled in school, and he was valedictorian of his high school class. He worked incredibly hard for this achievement. He even risked getting arrested for trying to check out books at the Lake City public library; at the time, African Americans in McNair’s town were barred from checking out library books. But McNair persisted. He received both a bachelor’s and a Ph.D. in physics, and he was nationally recognized for his work in laser physics. When NASA was searching for scientists essential to their space program, they chose McNair and 34 others out of an applicant pool of over 10,000! In 1984, McNair became only the second African American to make a flight into space. Physics was not McNair’s only specialty. He was also a 5th-degree black belt karate instructor and enjoyed running, football, boxing, playing cards, and cooking. McNair was also a talented jazz saxophonist. On the Challenger mission, he was supposed to participate in the world’s first live-feed musical performance from space. Unfortunately, due to a disaster when the Challenger disintegrated 73 seconds after take-off, this performance would never occur. After his death, Ronald E. McNair was awarded a Congressional Space Medal of Honor. 

Purpose

The purpose of the Principal Advisory Council is to bring parents, school employees, students and community members together to create a better understanding of and mutual respect for each other’s perspectives and share ideas for increasing student achievement and performance.

The members of the Principal Advisory Council are accountable to the constituents they serve and shall:

  1. Maintain a school-wide perspective on issues;
  2. Act as a link between the school and the community;
  3. Encourage the engagement of parents and other stakeholders within the school community; and
  4. Work to increase student achievement and performance through transparent operations and shared best practices.

The Principal Advisory Council operates under the control and management of the DeKalb County School District and will follow Board of Education policies and procedures. The Principal Advisory Council provides advice and recommendations to the school principal, the local board of education and local school superintendent on matters related to school climate/culture, student achievement, and community partnerships.