Walker-Gamble Elementary is helping all students develop the World Class Skills of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate. We provide our students with a challenging curriculum and various educational experiences that prepare these students to be college and career ready, while at the same time providing them with an educational journey that they can enjoy.
We have many programs and initiatives in place to assist students with their academic needs and their social and emotional growth. Programs such as the Kindness Crew, becoming a Unified Champion School, and the Buddy Club have assisted students in becoming leaders and developing awareness and acceptance of diversity in our world. WGE provides students with Project-Based Learning opportunities where they are able to learn through hands-on experiences. The incorporation of a STEAM Lab, our P.A.W.S gifted and talented pull-out program, and the use of inquiry based science kits promote this type of learning. In addition, we have developed a MTSS embedded schedule to ensure that our students receive specialized instruction that will provide them with the necessary tools to perform at their best in the classroom. Mornings at WGE continue to provide opportunities for club times for students to enhance their technology skills, engineering process skills, reading proficiency, and fine arts talent.
Technology is also an integral part of a student’s academic career while they are here. Our teachers utilize ThinkPads and Promethean Interactive Panels in the classroom daily. Programs such as Progress Learning, ALEKS, RAZ-KIDS, Study Island, LetterLand, Reflex Math, and the use of the Google platform are integrated daily to enrich and differentiate curriculum.
MAP reports and other data are constantly used to differentiate learning for our students and personalize instruction. Every student does not learn the same, and we make decisions with that in mind each day. Through the use of a classroom interventionist and the support of a literacy coach, instructional strategies are differentiated to help meet the needs of each student in our school. Teachers receive professional development to provide the latest training in the use of data collection and learning strategies in order to provide our students with the best education possible.
After participating in the Collective Leadership initiative for the past seven years and continuing to serve as a model school for our state, WGE has extended the development of leadership to advance our students as leaders of tomorrow. Throughout the year, students enhanced their capacity to lead through student-led conferences, our house system, and our Wolverine Weekly Updates. With our emphasis on cultivating leadership among our students and staff, Walker Gamble Elementary was recognized as a 2020 Palmetto's Finest Award Winner and named a ESEA National Title One Distinguished School during the 2023-24 school year.
Allen D. Kirby, Principal
