Dear Silver Foxes,
Ten Oaks Middle School is a nurturing family that is responsive to an evolving community. We ensure that all learners are prepared for and committed to lifelong learning with integrity by challenging students with innovative curricula, teaching with high expectations, and cultivating individual talents. Since we first opened our doors, we have not only striven to carry on the tradition of excellence from our sister school, but we have also established our own unique Ten Oaks identity centered around the school’s motto of “Success-Nothing Less!”
Ten Oaks Middle School’s advanced design focuses on collaboration and conservation as one of our distinguishing features. Collaboration spaces provide our students with opportunities to work with each other to complete complex tasks. Teachers use these spaces for small group instruction for their students and collaborative planning sessions with their peers. Additionally, community groups utilize our collaboration spaces for regular meetings. Ten Oaks’ conservation focus is as equally important as our collaboration spaces. The solar panels that cover most of the roof as well as other design and engineering features allow Ten Oaks to conserve energy by generating more power than is needed to operate. However, our conservation efforts do not stop there; our Energy and Science Clubs have successfully established a recycling program in our school. They also work to help inform our staff about how they can continue conserving energy in their classrooms--especially during breaks.
Our Ten Oaks family not only takes care of our school and each other, but they are also mindful of being respectful while serving others. The Mock Trial Team won the Professionalism and Civility Award at their regional competition. Our Student Council Association collected and donated 3,553 canned food items to a local youth home. Silver Foxes gave over $500 in cash and gifts for our Angel Tree, and they collected and donated supplies for fire victims in our community. Since the beginning of the year, we have also offered meeting spaces and tours for the community; and we hosted the Horry County Robotics Competition, as well as three Middle Level learning walks for principals, assistant principals, and instructional coaches. Furthermore, we partnered with Coastal Carolina University to welcome a cohort from the Ministry of Education in the People’s Republic of China . Each of these accomplishments allows us to grow as a Silver Fox family and community.
Moreover, academic achievement is important to our Ten Oaks family. Our staff works extremely hard to provide our students with innovative, technology-rich, world-class curricula that fosters academic success. During the summer, several members of our Silver Fox faculty completed their advanced degree programs. Throughout our first year teachers attended weekly PLC meetings to discuss data and planning, as well as participated in academic and technology staff development sessions. The Ten Oaks faculty honored Mr. Cameron Lentz as its Teacher of the Year and Mrs. Linda Stanley as its Support Staff Member of the Year. The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control awarded Mrs. Leslie Rich, one of our Science Club sponsors, the Recycling Education Grant for $1500. Our STEM teacher Ms. Jerrin Martus won an Horry Electric Cooperative Grant for $645 and the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Competition Grant for $25,000. For a second consecutive year, Mrs. Marion Touzel was selected by National History Day and the American Battle Monuments Commission as one of eighteen teachers for their Understanding Sacrifice program. She was also nominated for National History Day’s Harris History Teacher Award. Our Silver Foxes benefit from the passion for learning and the successes of our Ten Oaks Middle School staff.
In addition to their accomplishments, our staff provides opportunities to cultivate the many talents of our Ten Oaks students. The Silver Foxes finished their football season as the Coastal Region champions. Fine Arts students performed beautifully this year as members of county, region, and state ensembles--we even had the most band students selected for All-County and Region bands in our district. The STEM program continues to have a successful year. Our Robotics Teams and Technology Student Association (TSA) have triumphed at competitions at the local and state levels, and our Silver Foxes will complete at the National TSA Conference this June.
We are thrilled to share our successes this year with the community, and we will continue to be committed to providing our students with the skills and knowledge necessary so that they are college and career ready whenever they leave high school. After considering the achievements of our Ten Oaks students and staff, it is hard to believe that we have accomplished all of this during our inaugural year. We would not have been as successful without the continued support of our community, including our PTO and SIC members whose involvement have been wonderful supports this year. Their involvement is essential to the success of Ten Oaks Middle School. As we move forward, we will continue to model and expect success and nothing less from our Silver Fox family.
Sincerely,
Mr. Benjamin Prince, Principal
Mrs. Melissa Bornfreund, SIC Chairperson
