White Knoll Elementary School is helping all students develop the World-Class Skills of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate by creating a school environment where every child can succeed. At WKE, we prioritize relationships to develop a solid foundation for student learning: “We love, we learn and we lead.” This vision statement guides the vital work of our school, and helps us to align school structures and decisions to benefit the whole child.

In the 2022–23 school year, WKE served nearly 700 students in 3K–fifth grade. We worked to develop the foundational skills of reading, writing and math while increasing critical thinking and problem-solving in all grade levels. This schoolwide focus on creating opportunities for students to critically think provides students with skills that can be easily transferred to life and leadership. In addition to increasing opportunities for problem-solving, our teachers also focused on developing learning experiences that empowered our students through increased agency. Student agency is the ability for students to manage their own learning; this focus provides opportunities that increase independence and allow students to increase ownership of their own learning.

WKE is situated in a small bedroom community with all students living in the surrounding 3-mile radius. This neighborhood setting provides a unique opportunity for our school to be the true center of the community. With this in mind, WKE has been working hard to increase relationships with our families and local businesses. This school year we doubled our school and community events so that we had many opportunities to welcome our families into school. This is critical work as we must all work in partnership for the success of our children. We were also excited to host our second annual family field trip at the South Carolina State Museum. This annual activity provides a unique opportunity for our families to learn together outside of the school setting. This year more than 200 families attended on a school holiday. Our community partnerships have increased by 200%. We have also grown in our ability to serve student needs outside of academics with a weekly food program, a clothing closet, an in-house mental health counselor and dental care. Using Title I funds, we provide a full-time family liaison who is able to work directly with our families and assist with any needs that arise, work that we believe is critical to the success of our students.

Loving, learning and leading is the daily work of WKE. We will continue to work hard and develop opportunities for all students to succeed. We want every child under our care to leave us with the promise of possibilities and hope for their future.

Elizabeth Whisennant, Principal

Beth Banco, SIC Chair