Jonesboro, AR – Contributed – As part of a $1 million donation from SONIC to support teachers and classrooms across the country, three educators from the Jonesboro area were among the 400 selected nationwide to attend the Ron Clark Academy (RCA) Experience in Atlanta this past March.

Funded by the SONIC Foundation, the immersive two-day professional development training equipped teachers with high-impact, engaging instructional strategies designed to boost academic achievement and strengthen classroom culture.

Chloe McFarlane, Emily Krenn and Randy Coleman from Valley View Intermediate School in Jonesboro were the three educators who attended this year’s RCA Experience. 

Emily Krenn and Randy Coleman attended the RCA Experience through SONIC’s Coca-Cola C.R.E.W. Challenge initiative. The program recognizes and rewards SONIC’s top-performing drive-in teams nationwide for excellence in customer service, operations and overall performance.

The Jonesboro area SONIC crew was among the top 20 teams that each earned the opportunity to send two educators from their local community to this year’s RCA Experience.

“We’re proud to give these deserving educators the opportunity to experience the Ron Clark Academy and bring fresh ideas back to their classrooms,” said Stuart Brown, executive director of the SONIC® Foundation. “Supporting teachers in the communities we serve is central to the SONIC Foundation’s mission, and their passion and dedication continue to inspire the students and schools they serve every day.”

The Ron Clark Academy is a highly acclaimed, nonprofit middle school that doubles as a demonstration school – a place where visiting educators engage in a vibrant professional development experience by observing best practices in action before participating in hands-on workshops.

In the past 16 years, more than 150,000 superintendents, district-level administrators, and teachers have participated in the RCA Experience to learn new ways to engage students, promote academic excellence, build relationships, and create a positive classroom culture.

“Partnerships like this one with the SONIC® Foundation are what make it possible for us to extend the RCA Experience beyond our walls and into classrooms across the country,” said Kirk Brown, chief development and communications officer of the Ron Clark Academy. “When 400 educators walk through our doors, learn alongside our teachers, and leave with strategies they can use the very next day, that is the kind of impact that changes schools. We are incredibly grateful for SONIC’s continued investment in teachers and the communities they serve.”

Guests can join SONIC in supporting teachers and local public schools by ordering their favorite drink at the drive-in. Every time guests purchase a SONIC Drink, Slush, Blast or Shake, the brand donates a portion of proceeds to the SONIC Foundation, which is used to support public education through Limeades for Learning. 

Since 2009, SONIC has donated more than $30 million to funding local classrooms, becoming one of the largest programs to support public education in the U.S.