Pelion High School is helping all students develop the World-Class Skills of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate. During the very unusual 2020–21 school year, the PHS community came together to meet the challenges of a global pandemic while maintaining focus on the skills our students need.
Despite multiple learning models, plexiglass-filled classrooms, mask requirements, and general uncertainty about the spread of the virus and upcoming changes, our students, staff, families and community partners demonstrated an unwavering commitment to maximizing student achievement. Our district’s vision demands that we “Empower each child to design the future” and that work carried on throughout the year.
Thirty percent of the senior class qualified for LIFE scholarships, with seven students meeting the high standards for the Palmetto Fellows Scholarship. Our graduates earned more than $13 million in scholarships. In addition, we had three students recognized in each of three different national College Board special programs: Rural and Small Town Recognition, Hispanic Recognition and Indigenous Recognition.
Although there were restrictions and obstacles throughout the school year, our student-athletes and fine arts performers were not deterred. Our varsity football and cross-country teams, along with softball and both boys and girls track teams, won the region, and our wrestling team won the region and advanced all the way to the lower state championship. Individually, we claimed numerous accolades. Eight student-athletes were named to All-State rosters, 44 were named All-Region and three won Region Player of the Year. In addition, three of our coaches earned Region Coach of the Year honors.
Our performing arts and visual arts students also excelled through difficult circumstances. The orchestra program had many accomplishments despite the challenges of learning music virtually and in a hybrid model, with seven students accepted to Region Orchestra, one accepted to All-State Orchestra and 19 recognized with superior ratings at Solo & Ensemble. Our Honors Chamber Orchestra earned a superior rating at Concert Performance Assessment. Orchestra was also chosen to perform virtually for the South Carolina School Boards Association conference last semester.
Although many of the events our choral program normally participates in were cancelled this year, we did have one student accepted to the South Carolina Music Educators Association All-State Chorus. We began pooling funds together to begin the process of updating our piano lab to accommodate more students. The new system allows for more collaboration among students, and provides opportunities to teach improvisation and composition in addition to performance and technique.
The addition of a second art teacher allowed us to greatly expand our Visual Arts department class offerings.
Although deep academic data and documented “success” were hard to gather during the last year-and-a half, we have a solid base of academics to build on. This foundation, enhanced by exciting career and technology offerings and an award-winning fine arts program, makes the stakeholders of our learning community very proud. All in Pelion have high future expectations, and we will continue to build on our successes and strive to empower each Pelion Panther to design the future. #PelionPride
W. Bryan Hearn, Principal
Randall Cooper, SIC Chair
