Fulmer Middle School is helping all students develop World Class Skills and Life and Career Characteristics of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate by continuing to focus on the four key areas of being a National School to Watch, which include being academically excellent, socially equitable, developmentally responsive, and being organized for learning. Fulmer Middle is proud to have been redesignated for the third time as a National School to Watch by the National Forum to Accelerate Middle Grades Reform. The Schools to Watch framework is deeply embedded into our school culture and provides guidance for continuous improvement in a rigorous learning environment that is geared towards meeting the needs of adolescent learners. Over the past 15 school years, Fulmer has promoted a schoolwide and districtwide Professional Learning Community model which has promoted professional collaboration around the development of a guaranteed and viable curriculum and assessment, data analysis protocol, and a multi-tiered system of support for students in the area of academics and behavior. In the 2022-23 school year, Fulmer was designated as Model Professional Learning Community School by Solution Tree, Inc. and became 1 of 5 schools in South Carolina, 1 of 444 schools in the U.S, and 1 of 25 “Schools Like Us” across the nation.
In light of this designation, Fulmer continues to utilize our schoolwide processes to structure instruction in a way that provides support for students' learning. Learning progression was designed through our Professional Learning Communities and the development of Essential Skills that were aligned vertically through grade levels to address skills that were impacted by inconsistent instructional rhythms as a result of the pandemic. Intervention and remediation were provided through our schoolwide systems and accessible for all students as a means of immediate and targeted support. Students' social emotional learning was supported through our School Counselor and School Social Worker, as well as various informal and formal check-ins throughout the school year through our Advisory program.
Orchestra, band, and chorus maintained focus on learning in an arts-rich environment. Various Superior and Excellent ratings were garnered through local and statewide performance assessments. In addition to these performance groups’ success, great emphasis was placed on culturally relevant arts integration to provide exposure for students through music and visual arts. Additionally, our Junior Beta Club garnered success at the state and national level conventions in their inaugural year of participation.
Fulmer Middle School is one of 22 schools in the Midlands to be recognized as a Professional Development School through the University of South Carolina. This partnership has allowed us to provide robust professional development opportunities for practicing teachers, as well as a "sandbox" for preservice teachers to learn and grow in their practice in our dynamic environment. Numerous opportunities for statewide and national attention in middle level instruction were given to our school community through this partnership.
Fulmer Middle continues to serve in the broader context of middle level education in South Carolina. Numerous teachers presented high-quality instructional strategies at the SC Association for Middle Level Education conference in March, as well as the National Schools to Watch Conference in June. Our faculty continues to maintain partnerships with the University of South Carolina, Columbia College, and Midlands Technical College to immerse aspiring teachers into a dynamic middle level environment.
At Fulmer Middle School, our focus is on student learning. We continually strive to be academically excellent, socially equitable, and developmentally responsive so that all of our students have the opportunity to learn and grow in an environment that is designed for adolescent learners. We continue to analyze our assessment and perception data for the purpose of improving our practices and to ensure that we continue on our trajectory of excellence.
Dr. Megan Carrero, Principal
Mrs. Ashley Kerns Brown, SIC Representative
