The focus of Calhoun County Public Schools continues to center around "Teaching and Learning." Our staff aims to provide our students with a world-class educational experience that will enable them to explore prosperous professions upon high school completion. The District's Honors Academy has seen students working towards and, in some instances, obtaining an Associate of Arts Degree from Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College days before graduating from Calhoun County High School. Notably, we have become an eLearning and Transform SC School District.
The 2021-22 school year was our first year fully face-to-face since the COVID-19 pandemic. Our schools saw many students return from virtual learning to rejoin in-person instruction. Our students and staff stand to be applauded for their extraordinary efforts to recover from the losses of being separated due to the pandemic. Many of our students and families took advantage of the summer enrichment programs that offered students the opportunity to return to the classroom to continue the process of regaining lost skills and recouping course credit.
We continued the year by offering programs that strengthen and enhance the social and emotional well-being of our students. Offerings through the Department of Mental Health and the other service providers who interact with our students were vital. As a District, we learned a lot of valuable lessons that we will build upon in the 2022-23 school year to help prepare for academic and social success. As we close the 21-22 year to start a new, we must continue our focus on the academic progress of our students while attempting to get them closer to "normal" or the world that they were accustomed to prior to the pandemic. Equally as important, our athletic teams competed with class and superior effort. The Boys' Varsity Basketball team won a record tenth State Championship. The Track team earned several team and individual awards at the Region and State Championship meets. The Girls' Varsity Basketball, Volleyball, and Softball and Boys' Football, Baseball, and Co-ed Soccer teams all made significant playoff performances.
An additional focus this coming year will consist of a literacy initiative for parents and children/students from birth to third grade. We are extremely excited about the addition of this new initiative. Our work continues with First Steps, Head Start, the Calhoun County Library, and the District's Chief Academic Officer, Principals, and staff who make up the District's Literacy Committee. As we approach, what we hope, is the end of the pandemic, we will continue to support our countless partnerships throughout the local community and State and will begin the work to establish new relationships that will benefit our stakeholders.
Again, I applaud the efforts of all of our stakeholders: students, parents, staff, and community members for their patience and courage as we dealt with the new challenges brought on by the virus. In spite of those unique challenges, preliminary reports indicate that our students grew, in large, and even achieved proficiency in academic performance. We expect to have another productive year in 2022-23.
Dr. Ferlondo J. Tullock, Superintendent
