Our school is helping all students develop the World Class Skills of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate. As a way to spotlight these necessary skills, Blythewood Middle School (BMS) created an award that recognizes students who exemplify the ideals of World Class Knowledge and World Class Skills while developing Life and Career Readiness. We diligently work to fulfill the Mission Statement of Blythewood Middle School and to ensure that not even a global pandemic can deter the Blythewood Middle School faculty/staff, students, parents, and stakeholders from standing firm on our school’s mantra, #BMSMakeItHappen.
The 2021-2022 school year proved to be another successful one for Blythewood Middle School. After two years of being in the midst of a global pandemic, our faculty/staff were eager to return to some type of normalcy. We kicked off our school year with the mindset of perseverance and gratitude, while intentionally tending to the social-emotional needs of our BMS Community.
Teaching and learning remain the top priority at BMS, but it’s the meaningful relationships that our teachers foster with students that make teaching and learning possible daily. A combination of rigor, relevance, and support provides the perfect learning environment for our students.
As the BMS students, teachers, and parents reacclimated to being fully in-person this school year, in accordance with our mission statement, we were able to celebrate several successes: honor roll assemblies, in-person athletic events, pep rallies, Club Fridays, and Field Day. Not only did our students excel in the classroom this school year, but they also participated in several service learning projects: a canned food drive, “Winter Wishes'' campaign with our neighboring high school to benefit the Sistercare non-profit agency; and in conjunction with our School Improvement Council (SIC), our students provided handwritten Valentine’s Day cards for Veterans and Senior Citizens; finally, we raised money for a BMS family who lost everything in a home fire. The BMS faculty/staff went above and beyond to provide additional resources, extra support, additional learning opportunities, and tutoring for all students. This school year, we repurposed unused time during our school day and started a morning study hall on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings from 6:50-7:20 am to allow students to focus on missing assignments. Some students were invited to a “specialized” study hall in which they were assigned a specific teacher to report to in the mornings to monitor their grades and missing assignments.
Together with our PTO, SIC, parents, and the larger Blythewood Community, we continued to look for ways to not only celebrate our students but our teachers as well. Our SIC sponsored “Thankful Thursdays”, which consisted of special treats for all BMS faculty/staff. The SIC also recognized the hard work of our Nurse and Nursing Assistant by providing medical equipment, supplies, and a Keurig for the Health Room. The BMS PTO provided a Back-to-School breakfast for our staff and showered everyone with treats, and a delicious luncheon during Teacher Appreciation Week. We continued with virtual Honor Parades, virtual Character Awards, in-person Move-Up Awards, and all other forms of student recognition that have become so much a part of who we are at Blythewood Middle School.
This school year, we were able to return to our normal Physical Education (PE) class routines. Our PE teachers also arranged to have our annual Dodgeball Tournament, as well as have quarterly Enrichment sponsored Community Days during grade level Enrichment time. Additionally, we hosted our annual field day, in which several former BMS students, who are in high school, were able to volunteer to receive service learning hours. Having events such as these, in addition to being able to continue with athletic events, as well as the arts, afforded our students the opportunity to continue to delve into multiple areas of intelligence as well as continue to soar and have outlets beyond mere academics.
Our faculty/staff and students proved that Blythewood Middle School can still prosper in spite of the circumstances. We continued to be recognized for several awards, honors, and recognitions: BETA Club School of Distinction, Quiz Whiz Tournament Champions, 22 students named as Junior Scholars, both band and orchestra programs received Superior ratings at their respective CPA performances, Championship level middle school sports programs, DODEA Grant, and remained a USC Professional Development School. The 2021-2022 school year was a great one for Blythewood Middle School.
Karis M. Mazyck, Principal
Denean Rivers, SIC Chair