Camden Elementary School spent the 2025-2026 school year working to create an academically driven and nurturing school environment. Our Title I school continued to be successful in meeting the academic, social, emotional, and physical needs of our students through meaningful relationships between school, home and the community. This year, Camden Elementary School was able to continue the Be Great program in the afternoon, which extended the school day, offering students academic and developmental support. Camden Elementary also provided after school tutoring in the fall and spring to third through fifth grade students that were struggling to meet and maintain grade level standards. Tutoring services for math and reading were also offered during the school day to students needing tier 3 interventions. The school's interventionist also served students struggling to meet and maintain grade level standards in the area of reading during the school day. Students that received intervention and other additional services were pulled during a parallel block so that no new instruction would be missed by students that were not in the room.
Camden Elementary is blessed with a faculty and staff who are highly qualified and dedicated to the field of education. Our staff made it their daily mission to provide students with a safe and nurturing learning environment while meeting standards and instructional demands. We continued our venture as a 1-to-1 school, continuing to provide lessons based on the science of reading, project-based learning opportunities, and hands-on experiences. Standards based lessons were implemented using high quality instructional materials. Students received a rigorous educational experience as well as a variety of enrichment opportunities including Chorus, STEM lab, Safety Patrol, Guys with Ties/Girls with Pearls, Beta Club, Ambassadors, Social Emotional groups led by our counselor, Art, and SEAGUL.
Teachers participated in yearlong professional development and through professional learning committees. This year, we continued our focus on tier 1 strategies, appropriate use of daily enrichment time, and a full-time Reading Interventionist to better meet the needs of all students by providing appropriate interventions. A district math coach and reading coach also implemented meaningful professional development to our teachers during their planning periods.
Our stakeholders continue to be a large support to our students. Camden Elementary had a successful year developing our learners of Kershaw County with the involvement of our supportive School Improvement Council, strong Camden Elementary Partner volunteers, and caring business partners. Through school and community relations, fervent teachers, and strong leadership, Camden Elementary School strives to educate future leaders.
School-wide goals for the 2026-27 school year included:
1. Create an academic culture that promotes rigorous instruction for all students to prepare them to become College- and Career-Ready.
2. Implement strategies, such as the House System, to sustain a positive and encouraging school culture.
3. Create a professional learning environment that attracts and supports highly qualified and diverse faculty and staff.
4. Develop coalitions with families and community stakeholders to enrich and support the well-being of our students.
Dr. Alana Powers, Principal
Jac Carrington, SIC Chairperson
