At Saluda River Academy for the Arts, we are committed to empowering every student to achieve academic excellence while nurturing a lifelong passion for learning and the arts. Our mission of academics, arts, and advocacy aligns with the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate, as we strive to help students develop world-class knowledge and skills as well as life and career characteristics. We invest in strong relationships, provide meaningful support, and celebrate the accomplishments of all our students.
As a Kennedy Center award-winning school and an ABC (Arts in Basic Curriculum) Certified School of Distinction, we are proud to integrate the arts across all areas of our daily curriculum. We partnered with ArtsNOW again this year to provide all teachers with eight days of arts-integrated professional development. Ninety-five percent of our staff indicated that using arts integration strategies in their classroom increases their enjoyment of teaching, while 92% specifically agreed that they would remain in teaching as a result of using arts integration strategies with their students. Students across all grade levels benefited from rich learning experiences, including performances and artists-in-residencies. These opportunities led to 99.28% of our students excelling or on track for fine arts standards based on the standards-based report card. Each week, students participated in classes in visual arts, music, theater, physical education, and dance. This year, every student had the chance to perform on stage for the community, with our fourth- and fifth-graders presenting The Lion King KIDS at the Lexington Two Performing Arts Center.
At Saluda River Academy for the Arts, we focus on cultivating world-class skills in our students by promoting critical thinking and embracing the diverse strengths each child brings. Recognizing that every student has unique needs, we prioritize small group instruction and provide targeted Tier II and III math and reading interventions to select students. With this focus, 66% of our students were excelling or on track for mathematics as measured by the Spring MAP Assessment, and 61% of students were on track or excelling in reading. This is an increase in both areas–8% in mathematics and 2% in reading.
We are also committed to instilling a sense of service and community in our students. Each day begins with morning meetings, designed to build a strong classroom culture, foster positive relationships, and reinforce our school-wide PBIS expectations. This time provides an invaluable focus on collaboration, teamwork, communication, and interpersonal skills. As a Unified Champion School, inclusion supports our mission of advocacy through participating in the Special Olympics, partnering our fourth- and fifth-graders with students with disabilities, and weekly lessons on acceptance and belonging. As a result, we saw a decrease of 26.7% of reported major behavior incidents. We also had an increase in attendance with these two initiatives. Our average daily attendance increased from 94.11% to 95.23%.
We are incredibly grateful for the unwavering support of our School Improvement Council, PTO, business partners, and the greater community. Their involvement plays a vital role in our continued growth and success. At Saluda River Academy for the Arts, we remain steadfast in our commitment to developing world-class knowledge, skills, and the life and career characteristics essential for our students' future success.
Brandon Brantly, Principal
Darci Marteeny, SIC Chair
