White Knoll Elementary School is helping all students develop the World-Class Skills of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate by creating an environment that promotes rigorous instruction along with engaging activities to produce students who think critically and are able to solve problems collaboratively. The WKE family continued to foster genuine relationships with our students and families as we faced unprecedented circumstances in the spring of 2020.
At WKE, we believe our mission statement speaks to our values: At WKE we are committed to educating ALL children by building lasting relationships and nurturing each child for success. WKE’s stakeholders have chosen to embrace Lexington District One’s Vision: Empower each child to design the future. This process has communicated the importance to all stakeholders of collaborating ideas and honoring feedback to support the best interest of our school.
The faculty and staff at WKE believe in our school motto: “We Lead, We Learn, We Love.” Building genuine relationships sets the foundation for stronger classroom structures, intentional planning for rigorous instruction and differentiation among all. Due to the pandemic, teachers had to alter the way instruction was provided to students; where safety was the top priority for all students. The instructional model shifted through the school year; beginning with the family model utilizing hybrid cohorts, then eventually guiding us back into 5 days a week of in-person learning. Throughout these shifts, our teachers focused on student learning while continuing to build the family culture and providing the “blanket of love” our students and families needed to get through the difficult time. We remain thankful for them and their unwavering commitment to our students and their families.
The faculty and staff have a strong commitment to professional learning and improving our practice to ensure the best experiences for our students. We believe that all of our work for children begins with relationships. Wanting to improve our practice in equity and inclusion, and strengthening our relationships with students, our faculty studied the work of Cornelius Minor. This work led us to examine our systems, traditions and practices to evaluate where barriers exist and continue to find solutions to better meet the needs of our students. This is an ongoing commitment that will continue during the 2021–22 school year.
In an effort to foster acceptance and inclusion, WKE is a Unified Champion School. We promote social inclusion through intentionally planned and implemented activities affecting system-wide change. With sports as the foundation, Unified Champion schools offer a unique combination of effective activities that equip young people with tools and training to create a climate of acceptance. WKE aims to ensure that students with disabilities are routinely included in and feel a part of all activities, opportunities, and functions of our school.
Giving to the community is a way students can develop their self-concept. WKE and our school community conducted a fundraiser to support one of our own students, a second-grade student suffering from Guillain-Barre syndrome. Students and families came together to raise money and all donations collected went directly to the family to support them in the care of our student.
WKE continues to be a computer science immersion program across grades K–five. During the 2020-21 school year, our students completed two coding cycles: Scratch; LEGO Analog (Grades K–two); and Minecraft (Grades three–five). Students participated in building demonstrations of learning with culminating projects which were presented as Epic Build Showcases done virtually. Students completed flipgrid videos to share with their parents and community members. Moving forward, our coding projects will be integrated into the core curriculum. Students will be able to continue to embrace the 4 C’s — critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity — while continuing to expand their computer science skillset.
For the safety of our community, activities and events were unable to take place this school year. Through the support of our Title I school liaison, we were able to host our first-ever WKE Book Character Parking Lot Bingo. As we move into the next school year, our home-school relations are a huge part of who we are and will be our focus in continuing to bring parents into our school. Parents and community are vital components of our school’s success, and we will continue to involve our parents and community members by hosting events such as Muffins for Moms, Donuts for Dads, Reading Prize Patrol, and Skate Night.
During the 2020–21 school year, we commend our parents for their resilience and support for our face-to-face learners as well as our virtual learners, and their commitment to trust us during these uncertain times. They respected the protocols and guidelines set forth. The safety and well-being of each family remain an integral part of our ongoing success. At WKE — We Lead, We Learn, We Love.
Nicole Mitchell, Principal
Jennifer McPherson, SIC Chair
