Greenwood School District 50 is helping all students develop the world class skills of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate by providing high quality educational services to every student in our district!
Whether the responsibility is supervising, teaching, preparing lunches, maintaining the building or managing the office, our common goal will always be to do what is best for our students. Our success this school year can be attributed to all of the Shining Stars in our district Making the Right Calls in the lives of students on a daily basis.
Emerald High School’s Aerospace Engineering class was recognized as one of the best in the country! In the first year of the program, Emerald and Greenwood High School students scored as the highest performing class in the nation on the Fundamentals of Aerospace Engineering End-of-Course (EOC) exam. Only 29 students in the nation scored “Advanced” on the EOC exam and 11 of them were students from EHS and GHS. This tremendous honor was a testament to the hard work and dedication of the students and Aerospace Engineer Instructor Josh Buchanan!
Greenwood High School became a fine-arts focused high school this school year with the launch of a new choice program. The Academic Arts Academy (A3) was made available to students who attend Emerald and Greenwood High School. The program’s first year highlights included students creating and producing a brand new school morning show and successfully participating in community art and drama shows. The program will only be enhanced by the renovation of the GHS Auditorium into the Greenwood 50 Performing Arts Center. This new facility will provide current and future arts programs in the district and community an opportunity to showcase the talents and skills of Greenwood’s Finest!
The TransformSC/New Carolina initiative continues to play a major role in our students’ future success. Our district is at the forefront of redesigning classrooms to meet the needs of students through a variety of project based learning activities. Springfield Elementary School’s visit to the Benjamin E. Mays Historical Site, Westview Middle School’s Eaton Engineering Day, and Emerald High School’s annual Hooverville simulation were just a few of the project based learning activities that showcased the collaboration and creativity of our students, teachers, parents, and community.
After years of planning and a community-wide effort to raise funds, the Greenwood Promise launched Phase One in 2017. The Greenwood Promise provides all eligible Greenwood County high school graduates with a path to a tuition-free college education. Anonymous donors and community sponsors have contributed more than $5 million to establish an endowment that will promise every Greenwood County graduate the opportunity to enroll in designated programs and receive at least an Associate’s Degree or Certificate. The impact of this educational initiative is already being felt in our community with an increase in the number of Greenwood County graduates attending Piedmont Technical College.
Choice options are at an all-time high in attendance, achievement, and interest in District 50. The Greenwood School of Inquiry (GSI) program completed another fantastic year of authentic investigations and project based learning activities. The Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program concluded another productive year of preparing middle and high school students for college readiness and success in a global society. The Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics School (STEMS) had great success at the annual Future City competition and Academic Challenge Bowl. The Arts, Communication, and Theatre School (ACTS), our initial magnet program, received positive reviews from students, administration, and parents for the performance of the musical Shrek Jr.
While we are extremely proud of our accomplishments for this year, we approach the year ahead with a renewed sense of purpose as we work with our community to produce college and career ready graduates for a 21st century workforce!
Darrell Johnson, Ed.D.
Superintendent
