Buist Academy for Advanced Studies continued its proud tradition of academic excellence during the 2024-2025 school year. The United States Department of Education recognized the school as a 2024 National Blue Ribbon School. Schools can only be nominated for this distinction every five years. It is an incredible honor to be recognized for this distinguished achievement twice within the past seven years. Being named a National Blue Ribbon School reflects the school's unwavering devotion to providing an exceptional education and fostering a supportive learning environment for all our students. The City of Charleston also issued a proclamation to recognize Buist Academy Day on December 3, 2024, in honor of the school’s recent designation as a National Blue Ribbon School.
The faculty and staff engaged students in world-class instruction. Students reached astounding levels of growth and achievement. Buist Academy is helping all students develop the world-class skills expected of the South Carolina Graduate by nurturing an environment that encourages critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and effective communication.
Collaboration and effective communication are essential to student and organizational success. The faculty and staff at Buist Academy consistently model effective collaboration and communication practices. They collaborate through various professional learning communities within the school. Teachers meet weekly with the IB Coordinator and instructional coach to plan units, review standards, and reflect on best practices in teaching and learning. The master schedule provides common planning time for grade-level teams.
Students find opportunities to collaborate and communicate in the classroom by working with partners and within groups. Grade levels with common standards collaborate to reinforce and support specific skills or concepts. Student collaboration and communication are encouraged through competitive academic competitions such as Mock Trial, Quiz Bowl, Battle of the Books, and Scripps Spelling Bee.
Efforts were made to improve and build relationships within the school community. Teacher-led clubs continued to provide students with an increased sense of belonging. Clubs were held during the school day. In-school clubs allowed all students the opportunity to participate. Parents took the lead with recreational after-school sports. Students also participated in a variety of team-building activities and field trips throughout the year.
As an International Baccalaureate school, Buist strives to provide students with the knowledge, attributes, and skills to work together. IB communicators express themselves confidently and creatively in more than one language and in many other ways. They also collaborate effectively and listen carefully to the perspectives of different individuals and groups. IB projects, such as the Primary Years Programme (PYP) exhibition and the Middle Years Programme (MYP) community service project, allow students to work in groups. In the final year of the PYP, students undertake an extended collaborative project known as the PYP Exhibition. At the end of eighth grade, the MYP community service project offers a significant opportunity for students to collaborate and engage in service learning. Students successfully communicated the outcomes of their projects to parents, teachers, fellow students, and community members.
To ensure that all students are reading at or above grade level, Buist Academy offers a variety of instructional support groups during the school day and after school. Intervention times were built into the master schedule for all grade levels. Students received enrichment to support their diverse learning needs.
By modeling collaborative practices and providing students with opportunities for collaboration, we are equipping them with the skills necessary for future success. With the support of faculty, staff, administration, parents, and the community, we will continue to excel academically and provide students with multiple opportunities to establish the world-class skills expected of a South Carolina Graduate.
Shawntay White, Principal
Jill Chandler, SIC Chair
