At Hodges Elementary School, we ensure all students develop the World Class Skills of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate by providing learning and leadership experiences that are robust and student centered. As a School of Inquiry, engaging learners through questioning and investigative processes is at the forefront of all we do. With inquiry and the Leader in Me framework as our guides, students are provided with learning experiences that nurture the whole child.
In our school, a common language of inquiry is embedded into Tier 1 instruction as students are encouraged to become independent thinkers and confident communicators from the first day of kindergarten. Question stems posted in each classroom emphasize self monitoring and serve as a scaffold for reasoning skills and academic conversation. The progression of inquiry based language at each grade level allows students to become confident in expressing ideas in multiple forms. It is not out of the ordinary to walk into a classroom at Hodges Elementary and hear a student using phrases such as “to build upon this idea..” and “I’d like to add..”. Each classroom participates in a school wide independent reading block called B.E.E. Time. Books Engage Everyone is a time where students choose what they read, building stamina and further strengthening critical thinking skills through the lens of inquiry.
Students at Hodges are able to practice leadership and design solutions through the Leader in Me framework. Steven Covey’s 7 Habits are used school wide to set goals and expectations for learning as well as establish classroom and school leadership positions. Students are charged with taking ownership of their learning by setting learning goals and steps for achieving with plenty of adult encouragement and support along the way. Each student shares his or her contributions to learning in a quarterly Contribution Day assembly including all stakeholders. Monday Morning Gatherings and Friday Celebrations are school-wide meetings in which a class teaches the rest of our school what they have learned through a self crafted presentation. During these sessions, students engage with diverse learning sources to gain knowledge, and present through digital or oral presentations, as well as songs, and skits.
We have made a priority at Hodges to provide students with opportunities to develop networks and engage as citizens. Each student has a classroom and/or school wide job through which they lead and serve their school community . These jobs range from classroom inventory controller, to safety manager, to botanist. Students also design and participate in community service projects in support of local food banks, Relay for Life, Jump Rope for Heart, Connie Maxwell Children's Home, the Greenwood Animal Shelter and other non profit organizations. These include various drives as well as goods and services markets in order to raise funds for these causes. Students also take an active role in social justice matters and community needs concerns by researching issues within our community and developing plans of actions to provide positive change.
Hodges truly is a place where the whole child is considered in all aspects of what we do. We celebrate our student growth through the Kiwanis Club Terrific Kid Awards, Character Student of the Month Awards, Citizenship Awards, Student Contribution Days, SC Science Academy Awards, and Inquiry Awards as well as whole school, fun oriented learning celebrations for reaching our goals. At Hodges Elementary, students and teachers thrive in a school full of wonder and inquiry with the goal of being lifelong leaders and learners as we exemplify the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate.
