Wagener-Salley High School is helping all students acquire World-Class Skills aligned with the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate. We will accomplish this by integrating activities into our school curriculum to develop our students’ critical thinking and communication skills. During the 2025-26 school year, we continued to implement the strategic plan that will help us focus our efforts on preparing every student with the skills necessary to be college and career-ready. In this plan, faculty and staff will receive training to support our expectation that each student graduates with the knowledge required to transition to a two- or four-year college or university and with the critical thinking and problem-solving skills necessary to prosper in today’s workforce.
During the 2025–26 academic year, Wagener-Salley High School proudly celebrated outstanding achievements across our CATE pathways, demonstrating our commitment to preparing students with World Class Skills.
Agriculture
Our Agriculture program continues to achieve national and state prominence. For the third consecutive year, our FFA chapter was ranked as a “National Superior Chapter” by the National FFA Organization. In competitive events, our team placed at the South Carolina State Soil and Land Evaluation Competition, qualifying for the National Land & Range Judging Contest in El Reno, Oklahoma. Additionally, the Tractor Driving Team placed 1st in the Region 4 contest and 3rd at the state level, a student earned the highest individual score at the Region 4 Tool ID contest, and another student was selected to represent our school as a Region 4 State Officer Candidate.
Cosmetology
Our Cosmetology students excelled at the Battle of the Schools state competition hosted by the Palmetto State Barbers Association. Individual students earned top honors across multiple categories, including 1st and 3rd place in 3D Nails, 2nd and 3rd place in Creative Nails, 2nd place in Full Glam Makeup, 3rd place in Glam Makeup, 3rd place in Braids, and 3rd place in Bridal Hairstyle. Thanks to these stellar performances, Wagener-Salley High School was named School of the Year and will proudly host the event next year.
Family & Consumer Science
Milestones in our Family & Consumer Science pathway highlight our students' readiness for the education field. Twelve Early Education students successfully passed and earned their National 15-hour Childhood Education Certification. Furthermore, seven students in our Teacher Cadet program signed "Letters of Intent" after being accepted into college education majors, with one student accepted into the prestigious Teaching Fellows program and another accepted into the Call Me MISTER program.
Welding
Our Welding program showcased exceptional technical skill and community involvement this year. Eight students successfully earned their industry certifications at Aiken Technical College. At the Midlands Tech State Welding Competition, our students dominated the podium, securing 1st place in Category 2, 1st place in Category 3, and 2nd place in Category 1.
In SkillsUSA state competitions, a student placed 2nd in the individual welding contest, while our fabrication team secured a 3rd-place finish. Our students also took home 2nd place in the metal art sculpture category at the South Carolina State Fair. Back home, the program gave back to the community by building a trailer grill for the district's Aiken Works program and designing and fabricating the lettering for the Town of Salley’s new civic signs.
Our school and its stakeholders look forward to honoring our school’s past, and contributing to our school’s success in the future!
Rasheem L. Neloms Sr., Principal
Leonard Bynum, SIC Co-Chairperson
Wileen Williams, SIC Co-Chairperson
