The goal of Barnwell Elementary School is to help all students develop the world class skills and career characteristics of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate by providing a safe and academically challenging learning environment. Our theme for 2019-2020 is “Leaders in Excellence: Honoring the Past, Building the Future.” We are a proud Title I school that continues its tradition of providing students with a quality educational program in a caring and nurturing environment. Our mission is to prepare our students for lifelong success by providing individualized learning experiences. Our main goal is to build a safe and positive learning environment where staff and students enjoy coming to school every day to learn, and where parents are proud to have their children attend. We believe it is important to model respect and foster a caring school culture where everyone feels valued and appreciated. Finally, we believe in building partnerships between school, home, and community.
Barnwell Elementary continues to provide students with a well-rounded curriculum that is aligned with the South Carolina State Standards. Using a wide array of strategies, materials and methodologies, the teachers strive to differentiate their instruction to address the educational needs and learning styles of each student. Our school utilizes a Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) to assist students that need additional help in academics and/or behavior. Our teachers work collaboratively with interventionists and instructional coaches to provide our students with comprehensive support.
With the support of various grants and community partnerships, additional funds enabled our students to go beyond the typical elementary school curriculum. These funds assisted with funding field trips and enhancing our current school initiatives. We are grateful for our community and regional partners that visited the new Barnwell Elementary School STEM Lab this year. Guests also had the opportunity to visit tables highlighting STEM programs, such as our Girls Who Code program, our Robotics Team club, and the DIG after-school program. We held two Career Day events for our students that focused on STEM careers.
Our fine-arts program provided opportunities for students to participate in band, art, and chorus. Our students held an Evening with the Arts featuring visual artwork, a band performance and a theatrical production of “Jingle Bell Jukebox.”
One aspect that contributes to Barnwell Elementary’s success is the dedication of the hardworking staff and the continued support of local community and parents. With their support we were able to host a fun-filled Fall Festival, send our students to an overnight educational field trip at Camp Leopold, visit the Ruth Patrick Science Center at USC-Aiken, and additional trips. In addition to giving to our students, at BES we teach our students to also give back to the community. The school supported many community outreach initiatives such as a can food drive which collected more than 5,000 non-perishable items for our local food bank, Pennies for Patients, Toys for Tots, and many more.
Our PBIS program, with a goal of all our students becoming caring, responsible, and trustworthy citizens continued in the 2019-2020 school year. Students were able to select items from our “Mighty Mustang Mall” if their name was selected from the pool of students with no discipline referrals or absences for the week. With our emphasis on character development, we continue to move forward in our quest to build responsible citizens who will go out each day and make the right choices.
The success of Barnwell Elementary can be attributed to the participation, involvement, and collaborative efforts of dedicated students, parents, community members, and staff that see the value and need for a quality education.
Kay M. Gooding, Principal
Rachelle Hardin, SIC Chairperson
