As we continue our mission of “Empowering ALL students to be productive global citizens in the 21st century by fostering accountability, lifelong learning and respect,” we have focused on our Student Growth Area: to implement strategies that improve asset-based thinking and growth mindset, including components of progress tracking and personalized learning experiences. We feel that when students and staff take ownership of their learning, they feel a greater sense of belonging to the WKHS family, which will improve their academic performance. Our faculty’s work and our students’ academic success enabled U.S. News & World Report to name our school as “One of America’s Best Schools” two years in a row.
To enhance our efforts to provide our students with a world-class education, our district built a 32-classroom addition on the east side of our campus and a state-of-the-art Performing Arts Center on the west side of the campus. In addition to more classrooms, the academic wing also houses collaborative areas on the first and second floor, conference rooms and offices. Each classroom contains new furniture that is designed to increase collaboration and allow for flexible seating as needed. The Performing Arts Center serves as a gathering place for the community, and help the school strengthen family and community relationships.
As we look back on this school year, we would like to highlight the success of our students and teachers. Cameron Gilespie, a senior in the OCP program, completed the BOOM Project at Midlands Technical College as part of his senior year. He gained his OSHA 10 certification and upon graduation was offered a job in the construction industry. At a Local High School to Hire event, one of our seniors was hired on the spot and started a week after graduation. Michelin has a High-School-to-Hired program. One of our early grads was their first hire in 2023. WKHS had 68 interns/co-ops. One of them was hired full-time this summer; another was offered employment at a franchise in NC where they'll be attending college; another Sports Med Clinical intern was an Athletic Trainer aid at Benedict College while at WKHS and now is a student aid for football at USC.
Our band was the Recipient of the 2023 SCBDA Outstanding Performance Award for Musical Excellence! The highest award given to a band program in South Carolina. Winter Guard were International Finalists in Richmond, VA. WKHS Chorus received Superior with Distinction Ratings at SCMEA CPA for Performance and Sight Reading. They also received an Excellent Ratings at SCMEA for Solo & Ensemble. Our orchestra received the SCMEA Outstanding Performance Award 5A "Gold" Category and two Concert Performance Assessment "Superior with Distinction". In the Arts, we had 12 students that had art accepted into the SC State Fair. The theatre and drama department took that show to the South Carolina Theatre Association's High School festival. They received excellent critique and won an award for Students' original music composition.
We were recognized as a Distinguished Unit for the third year in a row. Our drill team placed 4th in the Area 6 Championship. Our cadets performed 1922 hours of community service and school support. Senior football player Jaylen Watson won the Josh Torrence Athletic Award.
Academically, our school offered 15 dual enrollment courses and enrolled 103 students in those courses. One of our VEX Robotics teams qualified for the World Championship. The senior class was awarded over $27,000,000 in scholarships. Of the 426 senior class graduates, 97 were Career and Technology Education completers. Our staff recognized Cheryl Felder as our Teacher of the Year and Chelsea Garner was nominated for teacher of the year for Teachers of Tomorrow.
In an effort to activate the potential of our staff and students and to recognize our work, we began working with the National Blue Ribbon organization to gather data that we will analyze to determine our areas of strength and areas in which we can grow. It is our plan to use this data to qualify for National Blue Ribbon status in the next few years.
Our school has also entered into a partnership with the Centergy Project in an effort to bring wraparound services to our school building that will support our community’s needs. Partnering with the Centergy Project, we will be able to address the social and emotional needs of our students and their families. This will enable our school to provide a system of support for the community that will ease many of the stressors our families and communities are experiencing.
White Knoll High began its AVID journey with teacher training and scholar recruitment in the spring of 2021. AVID Implementation officially began in the 2021-2022 school year, with a student cohort of 25 AVID Scholars and an AVID Site Team of 8 teachers, counselors, and administrators trained by AVID Center. Presently, the AVID Scholar cohort has grown to over 60 students in grades 9-11, and the AVID Site Team features 17 trained staff members in all core subject areas, as well as special education, ESOL, instructional support, and administration. White Knoll High is working towards earning its AVID School-wide certification in the next several years while also supporting AVID’s mission of closing the opportunity gap by preparing all students for college and career readiness and success in a global society.
In closing, these are exciting times at WKHS. We are taking an introspective look at our current reality to build systems of support for our students, faculty and families. We will continue to let our motto “Believe, Achieve, Succeed” drive our work with students to prepare them for the many options and opportunities they have at WKHS and in their future.
Nicholas Pearson, Principal
Ryan LoGuzzo, SIC Chair
