In an effort to assist students in developing World Class Knowledge, Saluda Trail STEAM Middle School continues to challenge all students to excel in the areas of academics, arts, and athletics. To serve students in need of remediation or enrichment, support structures are available throughout the year. These structures include an integrated team of teachers providing leveled interventions to encourage students’ academic success. The faculty and staff participate in efforts to increase student achievement by working effectively in content specific and cross-curricular Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) to design and administer reliable common assessments, analyze assessment data, and determine student mastery of identified essential learnings. Students have the unique opportunity to explore the Related Arts areas by taking courses such as Sculpture, Digital Animation, Robotics, Engineering, Digital Piano, Chorus, Band, Theatre, Journalism, and Web-Design.
The faculty and staff of Saluda Trail STEAM Middle School continue to integrate World Class Skills strategically through the STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) program. Continued professional development is provided focused on the utilization of a structured framework for the design of effective and engaging STEAM/PBL units of instruction. As active partners and participants of the State Department's Office of Personalized Learning, the faculty has been able to participate in targeted professional development to ensure all units are standards-driven and include appropriate blended learning experiences. Students participate in "off-line" and "on-line" inquiry-based activities with opportunities for collaboration, application of critical thinking skills, technology integration, and personalized learning pathways. Students are often assessed in a non-traditional manner, resulting in products that require the use of the engineering design process. Also, as part of the District’s 1:1 initiative, each Saluda Trail student is issued a laptop for use at school and at home. Distribution of these devices has allowed for full implementation of CANVAS, a Learning Management System, yielding an increase in technology integration, blended learning practices, student engagement, and opportunities for communication with families.
The 2020-2021 school year marked Year 5 of the “Living the WildCat Way” initiative centering upon the principles of Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) and emphasizing Life and Career Characteristics. The goal is to teach students behavioral expectations, while recognizing many positive behaviors, focused on the values of Character, Honor, Achievement, Motivation, and Perseverance (C.H.A.M.P.) in the areas of academics, arts, and athletics. Our CHAMP coin incentive program was initiated this year to provide recognition and incentives to those demonstrating desired behaviors. A focus team was established to explore further restorative practices and plans to implement several professional developments and practices during the upcoming year.
As a result of their consistent work, faculty and students continue to be recognized for their outstanding accomplishments. As partners of the State Department's Office of Personalized Learning and Transform SC, the school hosts many school visits during which it shares its STEAM program, PBL instructional framework, and blended learning practices, as a result, developing collaborative partnerships with each visiting school. The administration and select teacher leaders continue to work collaboratively with the SC Department of Education regarding the development of competencies aligned with the Profile of the SC Graduate. The school served as a host site for a state sponsored inquiry lab focused on personalized and blended learning practices. Administrators, teachers, and students routinely present to local organizations, at state venues, and at national conferences on various topics of technology integration, PBL, personalized learning, and STEAM. Saluda Trail Middle School has also been selected to participate in ongoing professional development provided by Modern Learner and will serve as a site stop for the National Digital Convergence Conference. The students of Saluda Trail continue to compete successfully in various academic events. Thirty-four students advanced and competed in the regional level of the National History Day competition, but were unable to compete at the state level due to the state-wide emergency school closure. Ten students received First Place finishes and/or honorable mentions in their respective categories at the Piedmont Regional Middle Level Science Fair and advanced to the National Broadcom Master’s Science Fair. Saluda Trail STEAM Middle School students, staff, and community continue to work together to provide the best opportunities and most engaging experiences for all its students.
