The faculty and staff at Emerald High School help students develop the world class skills of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate through various avenues which include, but are not limited to, project-based learning, AVID WICOR strategies, and our school-wide approach to balanced literacy. Emerald’s environment allows students to develop necessary skills in the appropriate use of media and technology, which has resulted in an increase in student engagement. Through student-centered experiences, EHS students are not only taught content that aligns to South Carolina standards, but they also develop the necessary life skills for functioning in our society.
The proficient utilization of technological resources during the 2021-2022 school year created new learning opportunities for students to collaborate with one another and members of the community to develop sustainable solutions for real-world problems. Our students encounter a range of opportunities that require them to be creative, think critically, communicate effectively, and collaborate with others. Exposure to collaborative tech tools has provided new avenues for our students to engage with community members of all industries. By receiving authentic feedback from members of our community who reflect all sectors of industry, our students are challenged to work together to consider the implications of their initiatives.
Enhanced by the PBL culture at EHS, our STEM focused courses have allowed students to explore subjects related to networking, PLTW, and computer science. Our successfully piloted Aerospace Engineering Curriculum, initiated in the 2017-2018 school year, provides students with opportunities to excel in mathematics and science. Since its inception in 2017, six students have successfully completed the four-course curriculum with a cohort of their peers. The program has grown tremendously, and the course enrollment for the incoming class of freshmen in 2022-2023 is three times the size of our first cohort.
Teacher-leaders at EHS continue to train their peers in effective strategies for the successful implementation of PBLs in their courses. As these teachers have grown more comfortable with the various components of the PBL, they have become more creative in incorporating meaningful PBLs throughout their courses of study. Our students will continue to thrive because of the permeated PBL culture at EHS.
Faculty and staff members at Emerald High School continue to build meaningful relationships with students through our various mentoring programs. In addition, faculty and staff collaborate to make data-informed decisions concerning the individual needs of our students. Such an approach allows us to focus on their personal, social, and academic growth. During the 2020-2021 school year, we established an MTSS site team that began collecting data on our students’ engagement in our school. This team will continue to capture and incorporate pertinent data which will be used to provide tiered interventions for all of our students.
Jamie Blount Brandy Jones
Principal SIC Chairperson
