Nothing But Nets goes back to school

The Nothing But Nets team can’t stop raving about today's event at the Ron Clark Academy, a unique middle school in Atlanta. From the moment we walked in the door, we were intrigued by the photos of students traveling the world, the colorful maps and mosaics, and the giant blue slide that swiveled into the lobby down from the second floor.

But then we met the students. This group of sixth and seventh graders was vibrant, polite, and motivated. The students turned out to be excellent freestyle rappers, too! After our team gave them a background on Nothing But Nets and malaria, the kids put our tagline, "Send a Net. Save a Life,” to a rousing beat, and one student, Kennedy, added some great off-the-cuff lyrics. It was a perfect start to the event.

As we split the students into three stations, we continued to be amazed by their creativity and personality. Throughout the day, the students created beat poetry to explain malaria,  performed skits using a bed net and their new knowledge of the issue, and played soccer against former Atlanta Hawks basketball player Charlie Criss.

We were inspired by the intense energy and friendliness of the students and staff at this school. Because global issues are a crucial element to the Ron Clark Academy’s curriculum, our boot camp fit right in with their coursework - and everyone loved it!

At the end of the day, the students sent us off with another round of their "Send a Net, Save a Life" rap, and we even got to take turns going down the giant blue slide!

Thanks to everyone at the Ron Clark Academy for an awesome event. You are the reason we do what we do!