At R. H. Fulmer Middle School, we are committed to preparing all students for success by cultivating the World Class Skills and Life and Career Characteristics of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate. We pursue this mission through our alignment with the four pillars of the National Schools to Watch framework: academic excellence, developmental responsiveness, social equity, and organizational structures that support learning.
Fulmer is proud to have earned our fourth redesignation as a National School to Watch by the National Forum to Accelerate Middle Grades Reform. This prestigious honor reflects not only a badge of past success, but a blueprint for continuous improvement. The Schools to Watch model is deeply embedded in our culture and remains our north star in navigating the unique needs of adolescent learners in a rigorous and supportive environment.
For more than 16 years, Fulmer has championed a Professional Learning Community (PLC) approach at both the school and district levels. This model fosters professional collaboration focused on a guaranteed and viable curriculum, common assessments, systematic data analysis, and a multi-tiered system of support (MTSS) for academic and behavioral interventions. Fulmer has earned the distinction of being named a Model PLC School by Solution Tree, Inc., placing us among only a handful of schools in South Carolina to have received this designation. Intervention and remediation systems were implemented schoolwide, providing all students with timely and targeted support. In tandem, we prioritized students’ social development through counseling services, a school social worker, and consistent check-ins via our Advisory/Club programming.
Fulmer continues to shine in the arts. Our band, chorus, and orchestra programs earned Superior and Excellent ratings in district and statewide assessments, while also embracing culturally relevant arts integration to enrich student experience and expression. In its inaugural year of competition, our Junior Beta Club achieved recognition at both the state and national levels, proving that excellence is not just a tradition, but an expectation.
Our partnership with the University of South Carolina as a Professional Development School (PDS) positions Fulmer as a dynamic hub for innovation in teacher preparation and professional learning. As one of only 22 PDS schools in the Midlands, Fulmer offers preservice teachers a vibrant environment for growth while simultaneously engaging in research-driven instructional practices that benefit our school community.
At R. H. Fulmer Middle School, student learning is our purpose and our passion. We remain steadfast in our commitment to academic rigor, equitable access, and responsive instruction. Through ongoing analysis of achievement and perception data, we continue to refine our practices to ensure every student is supported, challenged, and celebrated on their path to becoming a successful South Carolina graduate.
Jonathan Wilburn, Principal
Lindsay Vaughn, SIC Representative
