Blue Ridge Middle School develops World Class Skills of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate by creating opportunities for students and staff to excel in a variety of ways.
First of all, Blue Ridge Middle School was recognized as a National School to Watch, which is a designation earned when a school demonstrates academic excellence, developmental responsiveness, social equity and has strong organizational structures and processes in place to support all students, staff, and community stakeholders. Several staff members were recognized through district and state awards. Assistant Principal Sandy Taylor was a finalist for the SCASA Middle Level Assistant Principal of the Year. Assistant Principal Jay Grady was recognized as a Spotlight Employee for Greenville County along with school counselor Sara Broome.
In the visual arts area, students demonstrated their creativity and skills through participation in a variety of shows and activities. Monetary awards were received for 1st and 2nd place winners in the Blue Ridge Lions Club International Peace Poster Contest with the design theme of, “Lead With Compassion.” At the South Carolina Junior Beta Club Convention, two advanced art students received 3rd place for their collaborative 3-D design, “Bernard the Lion.” In the Middle School District Art Show, two students received recognition for printmaking with the achievement of 3rd place and another student received 3rd place for digital media.
In the performing arts area, the orchestra competed in several state level adjudications with outstanding results. The orchestra received an Excellent Rating at the SCMEA Concert Performance Assessment and at the Carowinds Festival of Music. At the SCMEA Solo & Ensemble Festival, students earned 18 Superior ratings and 6 Excellent ratings. In addition to these awards, 4 Orchestra students auditioned and participated in the 2023 Greenville All County Orchestra.
Similar results were received for chorus students. Nine chorus students were selected to participate in All-County Spring Sing. These students had the opportunity to sing with other auditioned students around the district at the Peace Center. Chorus students in 6th and 7th grade received an Excellent Rating at the Carowinds Festival of Music.
Band students had a successful year receiving a multitude of awards. At the SCMEA Concert Performance Assessment, students earned a Superior Rating and 7th grade students earned a Superior Rating at Carowinds, while 6th grade band students earned an Excellent Rating at the same event. At the SCMEA Solo & Ensemble Festival, students earned 46 Superior ratings and 4 Excellent ratings. Ten students received a spot in the Greenville County All County Band, 12 students received a spot in the SC Region 1 Band, and one student performed with All State Band. For the first time in the history of the band program at Blue Ridge Middle School, the band received the Outstanding Performance Award , which is the most prestigious award that SCBDA gives each year to South Carolina band programs. The Blue Ridge Middle School band program performed at a very high level in all SCBDA events including All-State and Region Band, Concert Performance Assessment, and Solo and Ensemble and earned enough points to be recognized as one of the top bands in the state.
In athletics, teamwork and collaboration were demonstrated by players and teams that had winning records. Ten student athletes were recognized individually as All Region players in the categories of boys basketball, girls basketball, volleyball, girls soccer, boys soccer, girls soccer, baseball, and softball. In addition to All Region recognition, one softball player was named the Greenville County Player of the Year. Girls soccer advanced to postseason play for the first time in school history, and the baseball team earned the title of Greenville County Champions.
In another example of teamwork and collaboration, the Robotics team had a very successful season! BRMS sponsored six VEX Robotics Teams for the 2022-2023 school year and attended six local, state and world competitions. At the Sevier Middle School Competition, 29651A received the Create Award and the Sportsmanship Award. At the Clinton Middle School Competition, 29651A received the Design Award; 29651C received the Excellence Award, Tournament Champion, and Build Award; 29651D was a Tournament Finalist. At the JL Mann High School Competition, 29651C and 29651D were both Tournament Finalists. At the Blue Ridge Middle School Competition, 29651A received the Excellence Award; 29651C received the Tournament Champion and Skills Champion; 29651F received the Build Award. From these awards, 29651A, 29651C, 29651D, and 29651F all received an invitation to the South Carolina State Competition. At the SC State Competition, 29651C received the Excellence Award, the most prestigious award in the state! Finally, 29651A, 29651C, and 29651F all received invitations to the VEX Worlds Competition. These three teams spent a week in Dallas, Texas competing with and against other middle school students from all over the world.
Academically, students continued to excel as noted by the18 students who were identified as PSAT Junior Scholars and the fact that Beta Club received several awards at the State Convention including 2nd and 3rd place in 3-D design, 3rd place in engineering, and 4th place in technology.
We are proud of the accomplishments of our students, staff, and school. Through the support of parents and community members, Blue Ridge Middle School will continue to provide opportunities for students and staff to showcase their talents and gifts to benefit the Blue Ridge community.
SIC Chairperson - Dr. Andrew Marshall
Principal - Karen Bullard
