Nightmare sailors, zombie pirates, and hypnotizing mermaids - oh, my!  Join us as Rivermont Collegiate thespians in grades 6-12 present a snappy comedy featuring a play within a play!  As the story goes, the star of a popular pirate play is the heartthrob of every teenage girl in Shakespearean England until the cast is kidnapped by real pirates during one of their productions.  Hilarious antics ensue as the heartthrob pirate Frank and his supporting cast, including prima donna Esmerelda, say goodbye to stardom and hello to servitude on a real pirate ship.  Rivermont students have perfected a performance of The Fearsome Pirate Frank that will provide laughs long after the curtain closes!

Join us Friday, November 12th and Saturday, November 13th at 7:00 p.m. in the auditorium on the Rivermont Collegiate campus, located at 1821 Sunset Drive in Bettendorf (directly off 18th Street behind K&K Hardware).  Tickets are $5 at the door.  This event is open to the community!

For additional information on Rivermont Collegiate contact Cindy Murray, Director of Admissions, at (563) 359-1366 ext. 302 or murray@rvmt.org.

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Rivermont Collegiate is thrilled to announce tenth grade student Kelsey Qu has attained the highest individual honor available to Iowa high school musicians by being selected as a member of the 2010 All-State Orchestra!  Kelsey, a cellist, is the daughter of Xin Liu and Zhiming Qu of Bettendorf.  Auditions were held Saturday, October 23^rd, with only about 17% of students who auditioned being selected for the All-State ensembles.

All-State Festival participants will rehearse in Ames, IA on Friday and Saturday, November 19th and 20th.  The Festival Concert will be presented at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, November 20th in the Hilton Coliseum, located on the campus of Iowa State University in Ames.  The concert is open to the public - tickets are $15 and available through Ticketmaster. 

In addition, Iowa Public Television will record the concert for re-broadcast scheduled for Thursday, November 25th at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday, November 28th at 5:30 p.m.  Tune in!

Additional Quad City high school students selected for the All-State Orchestra include :

Christine Kao - Bettendorf High School - Violin

Oliver Kao - Bettendorf High School - Violin

Adam Bengfort - Assumption High School - Viola

Jacob Warner - Davenport North - Cello

Noah Sund - Davenport North - String Bass

Kelvin Tran - Davenport North - Percussion

Michael Goodyear - Davenport Central - Oboe

Jennifer Keys - Davenport Central - Bassoon

In a world where video games, computers, and cell phones are replacing bike rides and capture the flag, it's not surprising that our children are not reaching recommended levels of physical activity.  Nearly 10 million children and adolescents in the United States ages 6 to 19 are considered overweight, and one of the factors having a dramatic impact is physical activity - or lack thereof.  Even First Lady Michelle Obama has gotten involved, joining in the Let's Move campaign - America's Move to Raise a Healthier Generation of Kids.  "Exercise is not an option," Obama said during a recent interview with AOL Health senior editor Jennifer Fields.  "For our kids to be successful academically, they need to be successful physically."

Running, as well as other sports, helps kids gain health and maturity, inspiring self-respect and sportsmanship.  Rivermont Collegiate is hosting a unique cross country event on Saturday, Oct. 16th for runners in grades 5-8.  This exciting event will have athletes completing a 2 mile course around the Rivermont campus - featuring varied terrain of grass and pavement.  Rivermont is located on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi, so there will be challenging hills, as well!  Over 30 students from local Quad City Conference schools will be participating, with volunteers directing them around the unique course.  The race begins at 9:00 a.m., with check-in beginning at 8:15 a.m.  Rivermont is located at 1821 Sunset Drive in Bettendorf, directly off 18th Street behind K & K Hardware.  Join us to cheer on these young runners as they rise to the challenge!

For more information on the Let's Move! campaign, visit www.letsmove.gov

For additional information on Rivermont Collegiate, contact Cindy Murray at (563) 359-1366 ext. 302 or murray@rvmt.org.

Rivermont Collegiate is the Quad Cities' only private, independent, non-sectarian PS-12th grade college preparatory school.  Visit us online at www.rvmt.org!

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Everyone wants to make paying for a college education as painless as possible, particularly in these economic times.  With proper research and planning, paying college bills doesn't have to be difficult or devastating.  While most are aware of the value of scholarships and financial aid, many may not recognize the financial value of the College Board's Advanced Placement Program (AP), which provides the opportunity to take college-level courses while still in high school and earn college credit.

Most students take five or six years, and sometimes even longer, to earn their bachelor's degrees at public colleges and universities.  Students who take longer to graduate from a public college or university can expect to pay between $8,000 and $19,000 for each additional year - and that figure can easily be over $26,000 at a private institution.  Studies have shown that AP students have significantly better four-year graduation rates than those who do not take AP - a 2008 study found graduation rates for AP English Literature students were 62% higher than for those who took other English courses in high school.*  In addition, many colleges report considering a student's AP experience when making scholarship decisions.  When these facts are taken into consideration, AP just makes cents!

Students at Rivermont Collegiate have virtually limitless options in selecting AP courses.  For the 2010-11 academic year alone, Rivermont students are enrolled in AP Calculus AB and BC, AP English Language and Composition, AP Biology, AP Physics, AP Psychology, AP Environmental Science, and AP U.S. Government and Politics.  Rivermont is especially excited to announce that Roshan Babu, Class of 2010, has qualified for the AP Scholar Award by completing three or more AP Exams with scores of 3 or higher.  Only about 18% of 1.8 million students worldwide performed at a sufficiently high level to earn an AP Scholar Award.  Roshan, son of Dr. Hari and Mrs. Shobha Babu of Rock Island, IL, is now attending the UMKC University of Missouri at Kansas City Baccalaureate-MD program.

For additional information on Rivermont Collegiate, contact Cindy Murray, Director of Admissions, at (563) 359-1366 ext. 302 or murray@rvmt.org.

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* Costs include tuition, fees, and books only, and do not include room, board, and other living expenses. Average Estimated Undergraduate Budgets, 2008-09 (Enrollment-Weighted). The College Board,"Trends in College Pricing," 2008.