Camden High School’s “Commitment to Excellence” in Academics, Athletics, and Extracurricular Activities allows many opportunities for our students to demonstrate the characteristics of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate. The mission of our school is to provide an environment where students feel inspired to become active, successful, productive and confident members of society. The strong commitment of faculty, staff, students, and community are the foundations of our success.
One of our key goals was to increase the percentage of students deemed College and Career Ready. Initiatives to encourage career exploration and simulation were Reality Town, Be Pro, Be Proud and Greenwood Genetics mobile labs, Teacher Cadet and Student Mentors in feeder schools. Lunch and Learn events allowed students to meet with representatives from colleges. We successfully met this goal by increasing the percentage of students who are College and Career Ready.
Faculty in all curriculum areas plan rigorous instructional lessons based on the South Carolina State Curriculum Standards. All faculty participate in professional development opportunities offered by the school district and by the South Carolina Department of Education. Technology support for teachers is ongoing throughout the school year.
The administration and staff continue to focus on improvements in test scores and on increased graduate rate. Our school offers programs to assist students who do not achieve mastery. Students are provided extra assistance during our daily Bulldog Enrichment. After-school tutoring is offered at no cost. Credit Recovery and Validation are designed to help students achieve on-time graduation. Our Special Services Department’s dedication is one of the foundations of academic success with students who need additional academic, emotional and social support.
In partnership with Central Carolina Technical College, students can earn college credits toward an associate degree while simultaneously achieving credits toward a high school diploma. Advancement Placement offerings include Human Geography, U.S. History, Biology, Calculus, Literature, Language, and Computer Science.
We are extremely proud of many of our academic achievements. Dance was added as a new course this year and our Theater productions involved more students. Dozens of students had their artwork displayed in the district’s “Celebration of the Visual Arts”. Many students were recognized in the annual Junior Welfare League Poetry Event. JROTC Academic and Leadership Teams earned superior ratings in competitions and received national awards. Fifteen students were inducted into the newly formed Tri-M (Modern Music Masters) Society. Twelve seniors qualified as Palmetto Fellows and fifty-two seniors earned the Kershaw County Academic Honors Medal. Two seniors were awarded significant college scholarships: a $25,000 scholarship from the Chick-Fil A Scholarship program and a $50,000 Army ROTC scholarship along with many other scholarships awarded to seniors.
Our Student Council Leadership team sponsors a host of activities to develop a positive school culture that aims to include all students. Some of these activities include freshman orientation, pep rallies, spirit weeks, school dances and the prom, volleyball and flag football games, and food drives. Several other organizations that perform community service are Beta Club, DeSaussure, National Honor Society, and Spirit Club. These student groups support community organizations such as the United Way of Kershaw County, Food for the Soul, the Mobile Nutrition Center, and the American Red Cross, and the Kershaw County Humane Society. We host the annual district Read-In and visit our feeder schools throughout the year to share books with elementary students as two of our literacy outreach programs. The Library program at our school serves as the literacy “hub” of our school by sponsoring many literacy initiatives such as Bulldogs Read, Star Readers, and the Literary Luncheon. Appreciation for cultural diversity and respect for all students is promoted with Hispanic Heritage Month, Black History Month, and Women’s History Month, and Unified Spirit Week.
We are very proud that our Palmetto Leaf newspaper staff collaborated with our town newspaper on monthly features. Our Student Council raised over $5,000 in the United Way Student Campaign. Our Volleyball program raised over $4,000 to assist local families struggling with cancer. Over 1,000 canned goods were collected for local food pantries and over 500 items were donated to the annul Pet Supply Drive sponsored by our school’s Nutrition Services Department
The 2023-2024 Athletic school year at Camden High School is one that will go down in the history books as one of the best ever for the Bulldogs. The theme of the athletic year can be summed up with the slogan, "Never Been Done Better." We can boast eighteen sports that qualified for the state playoffs. We had fifteen teams win region championships. Twelve Bulldogs won the Region Player of the Year award, thirty-two student-athletes were selected to an All-State team, and four Bulldogs were named the best in the state at their sport. Of the ten teams that made the playoffs in a bracket-style format, a record nine made it to at least the State Quarterfinals, seven teams played for the Lower State Championship, which are both school records, and two of our teams (Girls Basketball and Boys Tennis) won their second consecutive state championships. Eight teams finished their seasons in the Top five in the state. We are very proud that a female athlete was named the MaxPreps National Player of the Year (twice), the Gatorade National Player of the Year, and the McDonald’s All-American National Player of the Year. Six senior athletes were in the Top Ten of our graduating class and forty-nine seniors were recognized as South Carolina High School League Scholar Athletes
The motto “One Team, One Town, One Goal” describes the essence of our school and community. Events that encourage parent and community participation are Parent University and Open House.
Camden High is fortunate to have the support of active parent support groups. The School Improvement Council establishes improvement goals by evaluating school data. The SIC also hosts the Camden High School Hall of Fame to recognize individuals who have made exemplary contributions to our school and community. The Academic Booster Club sponsors honor roll recognitions and staff luncheons and awards multiple scholarships at the annual Academic Awards Night. The Camden Bulldog Club sponsors the annual athletic awards banquet and funds team needs. The CamBand Club supports our band program by funding equipment and competitions. Local businesses support our school in many ways. Some examples are the sponsorship of Student of the Month and Teacher Appreciation Week recognitions.
All stakeholders operate with a growth mindset and a desire to improve in all areas of school life. A comprehensive plan for improved academic achievement through data analysis, for improving extracurricular opportunities and for increased parent and community involvement will be our focus as we continue on our path to “Commitment to Excellence.”
