Our school is helping all students develop the World Class Skills of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate by maintaining our tradition of excellence and ensuring that Spring Valley High School continues to be a place where students are able to fully take advantage of their educational opportunities and learn to be caring and responsible young people. Continued success comes forth when we provide experiences that are engaging, meaningful, and challenging. Spring Valley has a history of fine academic, athletic, and extracurricular accomplishments. Our dedicated faculty and staff aim to challenge our students academically and provide guidance that leads to improvements in independent thinking, decision-making, and problem solving. The collaboration of the school community and all stakeholders working together is a key quality of an effective school. It takes all of us to help our students reach success in becoming 21st century learners.
In its 53nd year, Spring Valley demonstrated unyielding commitment to excellence even as we continued to face challenges presented by the pandemic. We have been focused on helping all students develop the World Class Skills of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate. Our students will be the creative and innovative thinkers and problem solvers of the future who understand the importance of collaborative teamwork and communication. For the fourth time in five years in 2022, the U.S. News & World Report ranked Spring Valley in the top 20 high schools out of the more than 240 high schools in the state. The 2023 rankings have not been released.
Achieving a tradition of excellence does not just happen randomly – it happens in a culture of improvement driven by intentionality and purpose that rests on a common mission and vision. As a unified school community, our intentions are guided by an overarching goal to develop college and career ready graduates who embody the characteristics outlined in the Profile of the SC Graduate. This goal requires constant review of all data to keep abreast of where we are in our journey. Our administration fully realizes that the most significant element in achieving this goal is the teacher in the classroom; consequently, it is vital that we are also intentional in our efforts to recruit and retain outstanding faculty members. With an exceptional faculty, a common belief in excellence for all students, data-driven goal setting, and a clear vision of our destination, we are resolute in our ability to perpetuate our tradition of excellence. We believe this multi-faceted approach to developing the whole child will help our students grow to embody the traits identified in the Profile of the SC Graduate: integrity, self-direction, global perspective, perseverance, work ethic, and interpersonal skills.
The comprehensive nature of our curriculum and extracurricular activities ensures that every student has multiple opportunities for success. To meet the needs of diverse students, we offer college prep, honors, and advanced placement courses in all core content areas and in many of our elective areas. Essential learning for students is based on state and national standards. Classroom experiences are extended with field studies and experiential learning. Teachers employ all levels of Bloom’s taxonomy, with emphasis on higher-order thinking skills, in student-centered classrooms.
In April 2023 and for the 6th time in 7 years, the Spring Valley Discovery and Explorations Magnet Programs were recognized by the Magnet Schools of America organization as a National Magnet Merit School and a Certified National Demonstration Magnet School.
Spring Valley provides numerous opportunities for all students to learn and exhibit World Class Skills and Life and Career Characteristics as they participate in an array of activities, including 42 athletic teams representing twenty sports and a wide variety of curricular, co-curricular, and extracurricular activities and service projects. During our 2022 Winter Days community service campaign, students led the way as our school and community worked together through the pandemic to uplift others and spread holiday cheer. The theme for Winter Days was, “Winter Wonderland” as Spring Valley celebrates our 38th Winter Days and 38 years of giving back to our community.” Our community reached of all of Winter Days Goals:
• 27,000 Cans/non-perishable food items (servings)
• 400 New Toys
• 400 Homeless Outreach Bags
• 1200 Books for Children
• $11,000 Make-a-Wish South Carolina
Because we believe active participation fosters academic achievement, we provide means for students to be active in creating our culture. Students are primarily responsible for organizing and staging all presentations and activities. Visual and Performing Arts students create a Fine Arts Assembly each spring and perform in the Senior Assembly, which included an excellent lineup of student artwork, animations, an ensemble performance, and student solos. Our Visual Arts program produced Southeast Regional Level Scholastic award winners again this school year. The Spring Valley Orchestra students earned Superior ratings at the 2023 South Carolina Music Educators Association CPA event, and students earned seats on the District Honors Orchestra. Also, our Chorus students earned seats on the Districts Honors Chorus. Our varsity athletic programs won three region championships. At the South Carolina Association of Student Councils, the Spring Valley Student Council earned the National Gold Council of Excellence Award by the National Student Council Council. Our Boys Track Team won the state championship for the second year in a row, and our JROTC Drill Team won the State Drill Competition again this year for the third time in a row. We have also seen an increase in the number of students taking AP courses and exams over the last eight years. During the 2016 - 2017 school year 330 students took 657 AP exams. This school year 515 students took 959 exams, which meant that nearly 25% of our students were enrolled in at least one AP course.
The strong, brilliant, and resilient members of the Viking Class of 2023 had a phenomenal year. Evidence of this class’s success can be found in the accomplishment of a U.S. Presidential Scholar, nine National Merit Finalists, 81 SC High School League Scholar Athletes, 44 Honor Graduates, 48 Palmetto Fellows, 155 HOPE Scholars, 111 LIFE Scholarship recipients, 129 CATE Completers, 23 students signed athletic scholarships to compete at the next level, and 21 students signed letters of intent to serve in the Armed Forces and to fight for our country and our freedom. In all, the Class of 2023 amassed nearly $41 million dollars in scholarship offers, which is a $2 million increase over last year. This is the 11th straight year of students earning more than $30 million dollars in scholarship offers.
We are committed to our vision of creating a student-centered learning environment where educators strive to meet the needs of all learners by designing academically challenging, meaningful and engaging work that continuously inspires and ignites creativity, discovery, exploration, and innovation. We will continue to work with our students, families, and the community to provide a secure environment and innovative educational experience to empower our students to achieve excellence and take responsibility for their lives, their learning, and the world in which they live.
Principal: Mr. Jeff Temoney; SIC Chairperson: Mrs. Sarah Khan
