New Ellenton Middle STEAM Magnet School (NEMS) is an AdvancED STEM accredited institution that is devoted to helping all students develop the World Class Skills of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate by providing a safe, caring, and academically challenging learning environment. Our students are challenged to excel in a global society with the support of parents, highly qualified professional educators, support staff, and the community.
We are dedicated to building and maintaining a culture of high expectations by challenging our students with instructional best practices to reach their full potential and through the continuous professional development of our teachers. Our teachers are always seeking to utilize effective, research-based programs, strategies, and universal screeners to support student learning and classroom instruction such as STEAM, Advisor/Advisee Program, Acceleration Program, Read180, Math180, Reading Counts,Measure of Academic Progress (MAP) Reading & Math, differentiation, and small group instruction. To ensure that quality instruction is a part of our culture of learning, our teachers act as a team. All teachers work collaboratively in weekly Professional Learning Communities for STEAM interdisciplinary planning, addressing students’ academic needs, discuss behavioral concerns, reviewing grade-level technology guarantees, examining best instructional practices, evaluating student and teacher successes, planning needed professional development to address instructional or pedagogical concerns, and reviewing student data. Teachers also collaborate to create school-wide STEAM projects and project-based learning lessons. Furthermore, our students have multiple opportunities to work collaboratively in groups in a flexibly scheduled environment that enables them to engage in student-led learning experiences with their peers from different classes.
At New Ellenton Middle STEAM Magnet School, we are proud of the hard work, effort, and dedication put forth by our faculty and staff members. New Ellenton earned an “Excellent” on its 2018 and 2019 South Carolina State Report Cards! One hundred percent of our faculty is highly qualified. Teachers have secured several grants and Donors Choose projects to enhance the instructional program. Our Algebra I instructor continues to have passing rates of 100% on the state End-of-Course Examination Program (EOCEP). In addition to having a highly qualified staff, our students have also excelled in academic and extracurricular opportunities. Our students have participated in the Aiken County Academic Team Competitions, Science Fairs, CyberPatriots Competitions, MathCounts Competition, Future City Competition, Spelling Bee, Junior Scholar Program, local art competitions, state and local band competitions, and the University of South Carolina-Aiken Concert Festival.
NEMS rises to the challenges of a small community school by developing and maintaining a strong connection with our parents, community organizations, and businesses to help our students reach their goals and achieve at high levels. In the past, our school partnered with community agencies, area businesses and local churches to provide on-site tutoring during the school day, college, career and technology exploration opportunities, and character building for our students. In addition to tutoring, we also provide students the opportunity to catch-up on passed assignments in “Catch-up Café”. Students are allowed to complete overdue assignments during their lunch period. In order to effectively meet the needs of our students, we continuously strive to offer an educationally sound experience and foster positive relationships with our students. Thank you for investing in our future South Carolina graduates and future world leaders!
Shunte Dugar, Principal
Sonya Mazzell, School Improvement Council Chairperson
