Lake Carolina is helping all students develop the World Class Skills of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate by focusing on the whole child and opportunities for learning and growth in academics and transforming and understanding how we handle different behaviors.  We utilize AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) best teaching practices across grade levels and settings, providing students with opportunities throughout the day to think critically, move, and collaborate at their needed level of support. Through these practices, we see our students' growth, keeping them focused on learning and our faculty and staff focused on instruction. We provide additional assistance for learners who qualify for Response to Intervention, which provides tiered support in academics and behaviors. We use our instructional practices to elevate our students with rigorous strategies, ensuring that all students grow at their level. We cater to the needs of our students not only within the realm of academics but also provide extra opportunities for social and emotional well-being by regulating ourselves as adults through learning about conscious discipline strategies and techniques.  This district-wide initiative will allow us better to serve our students and their social and emotional needs. 

At Lake Carolina, we are dedicated to teaching our young students about friendship and empathy for others and the world around them through care and concern. Students participated in “The Kindness Tree” activity,  where each classroom created a Kindness Tree to highlight acts of kindness throughout the school day. We also made a “Kind” wall where students were the “I” in Kind. 

We are honored to serve a significant military population at Lake Carolina Lower. Our guidance counselor, with the school's full support, organizes activities for students and parents, including a Veteran’s Day Parade and a week-long celebration of those currently serving. We are deeply committed to creating an inclusive environment that supports and appreciates our military families, a testament to our school's diversity and inclusivity. 

This year's service-learning project focused on giving back to our community through partnering with the USO (United Service Organization). During the month of the Military Child, we conducted a snack drive to help strengthen the well-being of our families serving in the military. 

We offered after-school clubs such as dance, cheer, soccer, karate, and gymnastics, and we hope to expand our after-school extracurricular opportunities. Our Later Gator after-school program served approximately 70 children, who were provided with homework assistance, arts and crafts, and opportunities for organized play/sports.

Our Media Center, also known as the “Hub” of our school, encouraged the love of reading by collaborating with our community and our faculty and staff. Collaborating with our Reading Coach, the students were challenged to read different genres monthly. The students were engaged and excited to read! We were also excited to resume Field Studies to expose our students to various enrichment activities. 

Our equitable commitment to continuous improvement is paramount.  Building culture and community and teaching lifeskills and lifelong guidelines help make all children feel safe. Our efforts to teach kindness, friendship, and acceptance of differences will impact students in the future.   Through the efforts of our LSS (Learning Support Service)  Team, we continued to focus on the social and emotional needs of our students.  ( We also take pride in serving as a Unified School to continue to create and foster a more inclusive world of acceptance for all students.  Lake Carolina Elementary also partners with the University of South Carolina as a Professional Development School. The University of South Carolina provided various opportunities for the administrative staff to be involved in their conversations on equity in education. We partnered with one of our local high schools, and the seniors served as mentors for some of our students.

With the dedication and commitment of TEAM LCE and the support and pride of our diverse parents and community, our accolades are many. However, we truly cherish our sense of community, and together, we will continue to "sail beyond excellence" for ALL children at Lake Carolina Elementary School.

Jacqueline J. Norton, Principal/Jacqueline Abbott, SIC Chairperson