Minnie Hughes Elementary School, located in the rural community of Hollywood, SC, is “INTENTIONALLY ALL IN” in helping all students develop the World Class Skills of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate. Our school is working to accomplish this goal by incorporating research-based and proven instructional strategies in the classroom. We strive to consistently provide individualized and small-group interventions based on data-driven decision-making. We are building leaders at Minnie Hughes Elementary School that will go into the community and contribute in positive ways. Students are learning and practicing techniques to understand their learning by conducting student-led conferences, which we believe helps students take ownership of their learning. We have established a rigorous Student Ambassador Program, where students apply and endure an intense interview process. Students in the program are held to high standards as a leader, but also rewarded, thus learning the experiences of a college/career-oriented graduate. We ensure that each child has access to virtual resources by incorporating the latest technology in all of our classrooms.
Our teachers are “INTENTIONALLY ALL IN” and are engaged in ongoing professional learning communities to accelerate student performance and focus on targeted school-wide areas for continuous instructional improvement. Our focus includes targeted instruction through personalized learning. Teachers also began LETRS training to build the foundation for literacy. Teachers also participated in the SIPPS training to increase phonics skills. We committed an intentional block of time during the school day to accelerate learning, where students were grouped in tiers for additional support for 30 minutes daily. We also completed Restorative Practice training school-wide and are in year 3 of our implementation phase, and we are currently receiving coaching sessions to implement what we learned. Our teachers also participated in the Education Innovation Research (EIR) Project. This helps our teachers to be more aware of their own cultural biases and provides them with choices in professional development opportunities, centered on cultural competencies, to help lead to culturally responsive instruction that empowers the achievement and attainment of students.
To support our students emotionally, we utilized our Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) team to proactively identify and address the varied social and emotional needs of all students. All classes use the Second Step curriculum to address the emotional needs of our students. We also use Zones of Regulation for our tier II and III students. Our SEL Support Specialist works with small groups and individual students to help address their needs. We also utilized outside resources to help with social-emotional learning for students through our partnership with MUSC- Arts in Healing program. Students receive art therapy in small, single-gender groups once a week for 10 weeks at a time, using the Clinical Art Therapy Initiative (CATI).
Minnie Hughes Elementary School has established mutually beneficial partnerships with community entities, such as the Charleston County Parks & Recreation Commission, St. Paul’s Hollywood Public Library, Trident Technical College, and local churches. We are proud to add local restaurants to that partnership list as well such as Station17, Stoners Pizza, and Pooka’s Kitchen. Our close-knit community embraced our efforts to educate and provide transformative learning experiences to create engaging, hands-on classroom environments and empower students to develop the in-demand knowledge and skills they need to thrive. We initiated many partnerships this year with our Community in Schools representative and Family Support Specialist such as the Charleston Urban League and the Blood Connection.
Our school community values our stakeholders being “INTENTIONALLY ALL IN” at Minnie Hughes Elementary School and we know that, together, we can advance student learning, equity, and the success of all of our students.
Mrs. Ashland Temoney, Principal
Mrs. Margie Washington, School Improvement Council Chairperson
