Our district strives to cultivate World-Class Skills centered on Life and Career Characteristics applied in the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate. We ensure that all students have the credentials to succeed as responsible, productive citizens by providing excellent opportunities in academics, athletics, and the arts. World Class Knowledge is evident district-wide. Instruction continued its focus on technology and Project Based Learning in 2018-2019, our major tenets for curriculum. Project Based Learning is our framework that supports all students, fostering student agency, encouraging deeper learning, integrating technology, and providing flexible learning pathways.
Our District enriched students’ opportunities for World Class Skills and World Class Knowledge with grant funding used to implement Advancement via Individual Determination (AVID). Initially, both of our high schools were included, and now we are on our way to full AVID implementation in our middle schools. AVID is a global nonprofit organization dedicated to closing the achievement gap by preparing all students for college and postsecondary opportunities. Students from both Gaffney and Blacksburg High Schools and eighth graders from all four of our middle schools participated in AVID during the 2018-19 school year. These students received one period of AVID strategies and daily tutoring and core teachers incorporated AVID strategies in their daily instruction. Achievement test data indicates that the program continues to be successful for student learning. AVID will be continued in 2019-2020 school year by adding our sixth and seventh grades to the program. Many of our teachers are AVID-trained and they are facilitating the fidelity of program implementation across our district.
Cherokee County School District is a Transform SC district. Districts in the Transform network “commit to creating a culture of innovation and implementing a combination of innovative practices to transform learning and teaching for every student and every teacher in every classroom every day.” We are a fully 1:1 Technology District. Our initiative began at the high school level in August, 2015 and students in all four middle schools received laptops in August, 2016. We were able to accelerate our timeline for our elementary students in grades 3-5 and those students received their devices in February, 2017 and 5K-2 students received classroom device sets in August, 2017, completing our 1:1 initiative. We will continue our 1:1 initiative in 2019-2020 by providing all of our high school students with Chrome Books.
Evidence continues to indicate that World Class Skills and Knowledge are being developed throughout Cherokee County School District. Several middle school students qualified for state recognition from Duke TIP and all four Cherokee County Middle Schools had 8th graders that earned Junior Scholars status. Ewing Middle School and Granard Middle School were OEC Academic Challenge winners. The graduating class of 2018 earned over seventeen million dollars in scholarships which included Palmetto Fellows and Life Scholarship recipients. Instruction that focuses on collaboration, research, and technology are found in all classrooms.
Opportunities to develop Life and Career Characteristics were provided to our students throughout the year. Blacksburg High School Baseball were Class AA District III Champions and their Marching Band placed fourth at the SCBDA Marching Band State Championship. Granard Middle School were Basketball Tournament Champions and Gaffney High School had Shrine Bowl Participants and a North/South Competition All-Stars. We had SCPASS 2018-2019 Maximum Scorers and SC READY 2018-2019 Maximum Scorers. Two Blacksburg High School freshmen teams advanced to round two in their competitive HOSA-Future Health Professionals events finishing in the top in their competition out of thirty-five other teams. A student from Gaffney High School won the sixth annual University of South Carolina, South Carolina High School Writing Contest and a Gaffney Middle School Student won a Patriots Pen writing award. Alma Elementary, B.D. Lee Elementary, Blacksburg Elementary, Northwest Elementary, Blacksburg Middle, and Ewing Middle First Lego League teams advanced to regional competition, which shows evidence of collaboration and problem solving. High school students were recognized at the Know(2) “Night at the Oscars” for their contributions to the community. Four members of the Class of 2019 were recognized for twelve year of perfect attendance, showing a high level of self-direction and work ethic.
Additionally, local industries have assisted the Cherokee County School District with Life and Career Characteristics preparation. Two local industries, Freightliner and Timken, as well as the Fullerton Foundation, have provided over $350,000 in grant funds to support our new Institute of Innovation. A grant from BMW allowed us to continue the implementation of Project Lead the Way in all four middle schools and students across the district were involved in various Work-Based Learning activities with local industries during the 2018-2019 school year.
Community partnerships continue to be a vital part of our district’s success. Mary Black Health System-Gaffney supports our Teacher of the Month program and contribute funds to the State Teacher of the Year program. They also are instrumental in the success of our annual health fair. Our local Rotary Club provided shoes for children in our community through their Happy Feet initiative and Broad River Electric Cooperative provided 3,000 book bags for students. Local law enforcement agencies provided school supplies as well.
We appreciate the effort, assistance, and support from all staff and the community in making 2018-2019 a very successful school year. Cherokee County School District is committed to achieving our mission by setting high expectations, transforming instructional practices, and being accountable as we prepare today’s students to become tomorrow’s leaders.
Dr. Dana Fall, Superintendent
