Richland School District Two, located in Northeast Richland County, is the district of choice where every school and every center is an excellent choice. Our mission, in partnership with our community, is to develop global citizens of tomorrow - citizens who are prepared to lead and excel in their chosen pathways.
We are committed to helping all students develop the World Class Skills of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate by continuously seeking opportunities for them to maximize their gifts and talents. As students pursue their pathways to purpose, Richland Two provides the resources needed to develop the World Class Skills of creativity and innovation; critical thinking and problem solving; collaboration and teamwork; communication, information, media and technology; and knowing how to learn.
Creativity and innovation are infused into the culture of Richland Two and visible in classrooms throughout the entire district. One example is a student-led project to improve COVID-19 contact tracing in schools that won $65,000 in technology and classroom supplies in the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Contest, a nationwide education competition which challenges students in grades 6-12 to use STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) skills to address local issues and inspire change in their communities.
Richland Two signed two significant memorandums of agreement that will offer students more innovative learning opportunities: (1) An academic impact partnership with Allen University will deliver programs and activities in the form of expert subject matter presenters, science summer laboratory experiences, master class summer sessions with performing musicians, and broad-based collaboration on initiatives that serve the Midlands; (2) A partnership with Providence Health will give students access to healthcare professionals, subject matter experts for enrichment, mentorship and acceleration programs, field trips for elementary grades, and shadowing experiences for high school.
Recently, John Kerry, Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, applauded Richland Two during the US Department of State’s annual Global Teaching Dialogue. He recognized the critical thinking and problem solving skills as well as collaboration and teamwork at the Richland Two Institute of Innovation (R2i2) Student Innovation Center with Senegal, West Africa as a “stellar example” of addressing the climate crisis and integrating global collaboration and climate into the curriculum. Through joint classroom initiatives, students are developing innovative solutions for climate challenges. They have designed and built solar chargers for cell phones and a photocopier.
A 100% graduation rate for the first cohort of 20 students enrolled in the Richland Two AVID Early College further demonstrates the collaboration and teamwork that is being achieved in Richland Two. Four years after they began, in May 2021 students in the early college earned their high school diplomas and college degrees at the same time. They received Associate’s degrees in the Arts through a partnership with the University of South Carolina-Sumter. The partnership covered two years of tuition for each student, valued at over $25,000.
Students in Richland Two have a plethora of opportunities to achieve the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate. Richland Two is home to a 2021 National Blue Ribbon Lighthouse School and a 2021 National Blue Ribbon Beacon School. We offer 39 magnet programs. Seventeen are nationally certified magnets and eight are Demonstration Magnet Schools. These schools have met rigorous Magnet School Standards of Excellence set by the National Institute for Magnet School Leadership. They serve as innovation laboratories for others to learn best practices in theme-based education.
Our district continues to be a leader in providing excellent communication, information, media and technology to students and staff. During the start of the global pandemic, the district’s technology team distributed laptops to students and installed outdoor Wi-Fi zones at various schools and locations throughout the community. This provided access to the internet for students to stay on task with their e-learning assignments. Additionally, to promote effective two-way communication we added two new communications tools: Let’s Talk! and Happeo. Let’s Talk!, routes online inquiries from parents and community members automatically to the person or team best suited to respond. Happeo, also known as R2HQ, is a user-friendly platform for our employee website .
This year I asked all employees to commit or recommit to Richland Two’s Premier Way of serving students and community partners by focusing on four Core Values of Learning, Character, Community and Joy. Being premier is about achieving what may seem impossible through being innovative, continuously giving your best effort, fostering diversity and inclusion, and developing a premier state of mind. In doing so, our students will continue to leave us knowing how to learn with the World Class Skills of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate.
Warm Regards,
Baron R. Davis, Ph.D.
Superintendent
