Minnie Hughes Elementary School, located in the rural community of Hollywood, SC, is “INTENTIONALLY ALL IN” in helping all students develop the World Class Skills of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate. Our school is working to accomplish this goal by incorporating research-based and proven instructional strategies in the classroom. We strive to consistently provide individualized and small group interventions based on data driven decision-making. We are building leaders at Minnie Hughes Elementary School that will go into the community and contribute in positive ways. Students are learning and practicing techniques to understand their learning by conducting student-led conferences, which we believe helps students take ownership of their learning. We have established a rigorous Student Ambassador Program, where students apply and endure an intense interview process. Students in the program are held to a higher standard as a leader, but also rewarded, thus learning the experiences of a college/career oriented graduate. We ensure that each child has access to virtual resources by incorporating the latest technology in all of our classrooms.
Our teachers are “INTENTIONALLY ALL IN” and are engaged in ongoing professional learning communities to accelerate student performance and focus on targeted school-wide areas for continuous instructional improvement. Our focus includes targeted instruction through personalized learning. Teachers also began LETRS training to build the foundation for literacy as we prepared for the new EL curriculum for the 2022-2023 school year. We also completed Restorative Practice Training school-wide during the 2022-2023 school year and are currently receiving coaching sessions to implement what we learned. Our teachers also participated in the Education Innovation Research (EIR) Project. This helps our teachers to be more aware of their own cultural biases and provides them with choices in professional development opportunities, centered on cultural competencies, to help lead to culturally responsive instruction that empowers the achievement and attainment of students.
To support our students emotionally, we utilized our Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) team to proactively identify and address the varied social and emotional needs of all students. All classes use the Second Step curriculum to address the emotional needs of our students. We also use Zones of Regulation for our tier II and III students. Our SEL Support Specialist works with small groups and individual students to help address their emotional needs. We also utilized outside resources to help with social emotional learning for our male students such as the “Young Men Rise” program. We are able to provide Art Therapy to a small girls group and a small boys group once a week using the Clinical Art Therapy Initiative (CATI).
Minnie Hughes Elementary School has established mutually beneficial relationships with community partnerships, such as the Charleston County Parks & Recreation Commission, St. Paul’s Hollywood Public Library, Trident Technical College, and local churches. We are proud to add local restaurants to that partnership list as well such as Station17, Stoners Pizza, and Pooka’s Kitchen. Our close-knit community embraced our efforts to educate and provide transformative learning experiences to create engaging, hands-on classroom environments and empower students to develop the in-demand knowledge and skills they need to thrive.
We continued to provide Talent Development and Personalized Learning opportunities for our students. The school received numerous grant awards, such as Project Lead the Way (PLTW). PLTW introduces pathways into computer science, engineering, and curricular modules to engage students in hands-on activities, projects, and problem solving. PLTW empowers students to solve real-world challenges and inspires them to reimagine how they see themselves. Other awards include the Bosch Eco & STEM Grant and the Volvo Community Education Grant. We also received recognition as 2nd place winners of the South Atlantic Region Colgate Bright Smiles Kid’s Award.
Our school community values our stakeholders being “INTENTIONALLY ALL IN” at Minnie Hughes Elementary School and we know that, together, we can advance student learning, equity, and the success of all of our students.
Mrs. Ashland Temoney, Principal
Mrs. Marsha Aleem, School Improvement Council Chairperson