Lexington Two is committed to helping students develop the World Class Skills of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate by offering challenging academic programs and engaging experiences that connect K-12 education with the real-world opportunities of a 21st century global society. By immersing students in instruction focused on critical thinking, problem solving, creativity and collaboration -- supported by communication, information and technology -- our graduates are prepared for their next chapters in education, career and civic engagement.
At the heart of our mission is offering each student a customized educational path within the larger public school setting. Few programs embody this idea better -- or showcase critical thinking, problem-solving, creativity and collaboration in action -- than our Lexington Two Innovation Center. The L2IC, as it is known, has broadened the scope of traditional high school vocational programs into a curriculum that better supports our students in envisioning their own college and career paths -- welding, for example, can apply not only to bridge builders but to engineers who design buildings, farriers who work with animals, and blacksmiths who specialize in historic preservation. The L2IC is a hub for our Early College and dual enrollment programs, providing opportunities for students to earn college credit while still in high school. Our career pathways program -- in partnership with Midlands Technical College, as is our Early College program -- awards dual enrollment or exemption credit for specified courses taken by students pursuing academic and/or career pathways in several areas, among them engineering technologies, select business, information technology, health care, and a number of careers in the industrial and building industries. Our district graduates are leaving Lexington Two not only with high school diplomas but often professional certifications and college credits -- and, in some cases, with completion of associate degrees and freshman-year college course requirements.
Developing World Class Skills in our graduates requires a strong early foundation. The district’s pre-K and early childhood programs focus on creative concepts for our youngest learners. Staff work collaboratively with other preschool providers in the community to ensure a successful school transition for all students. At the elementary level, we emphasize key disciplines -- ELA, math and writing -- knowing that anything is attainable for the student who has mastered these skills. We elevate learning in other key subjects as well, like science, with creative engagement and activities such as school-specific and district-wide K-5 STEM Nights. Most of our schools have selected an academic area of focus, including Leader in Me, AVID, and arts integration. It is at the elementary level that we also begin to introduce a variety of careers through lessons and other activities, helping our students make connections between education and career choices. These connections continue into middle school, where students are immersed in academic and extracurricular activities that further develop their creativity, critical thinking and collaborative skills, with accelerated opportunities to gain high school credits through courses including English I, Algebra I, Fundamentals of Computing, and Art I. Teachers and administrators at the district’s four middle schools work collaboratively, with the addition of high school English I and Algebra I teachers, to create common formative assessments and to address student learning through them. At the high school level, the focus is on honing students’ interests and educational experiences for college and career paths. Collaborative partnerships with businesses, government agencies and higher education institutions result in opportunities for internships and advanced training for our high school students. With the December 2021 groundbreaking for the Lexington Two Performing Arts Center (L2PAC), the district looks forward to having a state-of-the-art venue to support student performances, special events, trainings, and more to expand on our classroom instruction.
Amid the lingering pandemic effects in the 2021-2022 school year, Lexington Two worked to strengthen academic and social/emotional supports. The district launched Lex2.5, a structured after-school program to provide students who are one to two years behind in academic readiness with remediation in missing foundational reading and math skills that they typically do not have time to address during the regular school day, yet hinder their success with accessing grade-level content. We designed this program to be accessible to all K5-12 students, especially those in underserved populations, with a varying structure by grade level. The program begins immediately after school at the school sites. Behavioral support, recreational opportunities, snacks, and bus transportation home also are provided. To boost social/emotional supports, Lexington Two has hired additional social workers and implemented curriculum programs including Second Step and The Core Project. To support the needs of district employees, the district now offers Deer Oaks EAP Services’ Employee Assistance Program (EAP), which includes 4 confidential short-term counseling visits at no cost to employees and their families.
Lexington Two’s goal is to produce graduates who are not only academically ready for college and career but who are engaged citizens. The district offers an array of extracurricular programs in the arts, music, athletics, leadership, student-led media, and business and technology. We emphasize service as an avenue to understanding the needs of the greater global community. In 2021-2022, students across all grade levels participated in service projects, from building training facilities for Dominion Energy, to collecting food and clothing for local organizations, to making quilts for citizens in war-torn Ukraine, to raising more than $35,000 to help children with cancer attend summer camp.
The Class of 2022’s nearly 500 graduates earned an estimated $18 million in scholarships, while our career track students saved roughly $205,000 in post-graduation training toward professional certifications. Our students are gaining World Class Skills of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate, ready for their next chapters in education, career and civic engagement.
