Rivermont students not only study history - they make history!  For the first time since 2001, four Rivermont students will compete at the national level of the National History Day contest.  Though Rivermont students have often been named alternates to the event, this year the teams of Christopher & Christine Mbakwe and Meghana Pagadala & Joann Weeks will be among 24 students representing Iowa at the national competition in June!  Each year, more than half a million students participate in the NHD contest.  The program makes history come alive, engaging youth in hands-on discovery of the experiences of the past.  More than five million students have gone on to careers in business, law, medicine, and countless other disciplines where they put into practice what they learned through NHD.

At the state level of the competition, held in Des Moines on April 26^th, the team of Christopher & Christine Mbakwe scored perfect marks, earning first place in their category, for their project Innovation of the Assembly Line: Man or Machine? The team of Meghana Pagadala & Joann Weeks won second place, as well as the Judges Choice award for their use of a primary source as media, with their project Picking Cotton and Picking Fights: Eli Whitney's Patent Problems.  Both teams will compete against 2,500 of their peers from across the globe at the University of Maryland in June.  In addition, the students' hard work will benefit their peers at Rivermont.  As a prize for second place in the overall school category, Rivermont was presented with two books for their library!

For additional information on the National History Day program,

visit www.nationalhistoryday.org 

For additional information on Rivermont Collegiate contact Cindy Murray at

(563) 359-1366 ext. 302 or murray@rvmt.org 

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Quad City students are gearing up to flex their mental muscle!  Rivermont Collegiate will host the 3rd annual RAI (Rivermont Academic Invitational) next Wednesday and Thursday, April 14th and 15th, on the Rivermont campus in Bettendorf.  Students in grades 5-8 from throughout the Quad Cities participate in this academic competition.  The event continues to grow in popularity, with RAI 2010 being the largest yet - Rivermont is ecstatic to host 300 students from 20 local schools!

At the RAI competition, students spend the day competing in "out of the box" activities that take core curriculum ideas and expand them to hands-on learning and real life situations.  Participants work in teams to apply multiple skill sets in math, engineering, geography, global awareness, current events, and literature.  Trophies are awarded to top teams, with individual honors also awarded.  This year's RAI was made possible in part by a grant from the Community Foundation of the Great River Bend.

RAI 2010 will take place from 8:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. both Wednesday and Thursday; 5th and 6th grades will compete on Wednesday, 7th and 8th grades on Thursday.  Rivermont Collegiate is located directly off 18th Street, behind K&K Hardware in Bettendorf.  Members of the community are welcome to join us and observe our local students in action!

For additional information on the Rivermont Academic Invitational contact Leigh Ann Schroeder at schroeder@rvmt.org or 563.359.1366 ext. 343

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Rivermont Collegiate is both proud and excited to announce an historic alumni donation to fund a new merit scholarship program at the School.  The major gift comes from the late Janet Gezel, a 1944 alumna of St. Katharine's.  Estate funds totaling nearly one million dollars will support promising students in meeting their academic and professional goals.  Rivermont is honored to receive this impressive donation, which will provide a significant boost to the financial assistance programs already available at the School.  This gift and previous gifts from alumni, family, and friends reflect confidence in the School's goals of providing a quality college preparatory education to the students of the greater Quad Cities.

Janet Gezel's gift was specified to be used towards the School's endowment, with a portion funding two (2) merit scholarships every academic year.  Each scholarship will cover half of the yearly tuition and fees at Rivermont, with one being awarded to a student in grades 4-7 and the other to a student in grades 8-12.  These scholarships will be based on academic merit alone, rewarding the brightest, most talented students.

About 35% of Rivermont students currently receive tuition assistance, including need-based financial assistance, memorial scholarships, sibling discounts and reciprocal agreements with other local educational institutions.  Opportunities for tuition assistance ensure that Rivermont remains proudly committed to ethnic, socio-economic, and religious diversity.  As in the majority of independent schools, gifts from alumni, friends, parents, grandparents, and the community fill the gap between tuition and the actual cost of a Rivermont education.  Donors provide the vital resources to effectively deliver our mission - excellent academic, athletic, and artistic programs, talented and dedicated faculty, and quality facilities.  Rivermont is grateful to all past, present, and future donors, who help provide the excellence for which we are known.

Headmaster Rick St. Laurent remarked, "Janet's gift is a heartwarming reminder of our alumni's appreciation for the outstanding academic background and close personal relationships they developed at the School.  Alumni donations and support are the foundation of the school's efforts to increase educational opportunities for talented students across the Quad Cities."

St. Laurent added, "Rivermont has been fortunate over the years to have the generous support of its alumni, current families, and friends.  The spirit of contributing to the School is particularly important in today's challenging economic environment.  This support is essential for the School to continue developing the intellect, character, and creativity of generations of students to come.  Janet's gift along with other significant gifts is particularly gratifying as the School celebrates its 125th anniversary. Donations large and small help set the stage to ensure another 125 years of academic excellence."

During her time at St. Katharine's, Janet was a member of the Student Council, Glee Club, and Special Choir, and she played the part of Monsieur Diafoirus in the senior play, The Imaginary Invalid.  She also served as Class Vice-President and was noted in her senior class yearbook toalways be remembered for her cheerfulness.  Janet attended Sterling High School in Sterling, IL before transferring to St. Katharine's in 1942.  Following graduation, Janet attended Lindenwood

College (now Lindenwood University) in St. Charles, MO.  She worked at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory from 1947 until her retirement in 1991.  In retirement she enjoyed reading and socializing with friends.  Janet passed at her home in Silver Spring, MD on February 16th, 2009.

Founded in 1884, Rivermont was originally organized as St. Katharine's School, an Episcopal boarding and day school for girls.  Located at 10th and Tremont Streets in Davenport, St. Katharine's thrived for over eighty years before dropping the boarding program in 1968 and becoming co-educational, adding St. Mark's to its name.  In 1973, St. Katharine's-St. Mark's moved to its present location in Bettendorf, formerly the home of Joseph Bettendorf.  In 1980, the School amicably broke ties with the Episcopal Church and in 2001 the Board of Trustees voted to change the name to Rivermont Collegiate.  Today, Rivermont serves as the only preschool through twelfth grade private, independent, non-sectarian college-prep school in the Quad Cities area.

For additional information, contact Drew Boster, Director of Development, at

(563) 359-1366 ext. 306 or boster@rvmt.org