School Report Card Narrative
2018-2019
Saluda High School is helping all students develop the World Class Skills of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate by offering 135 course selections with advanced options in core academics, world languages, career and technology, and the arts.
The shared vision at Saluda High School is “to impact students in a way that will empower them to have a successful future.” This vision was collaboratively created by all members of our faculty/staff in August 2018. The SHS faculty/staff believes that “success” is measured by our impact, the degree to which students feel empowered, and how well we have set students up for a lifetime of success. In an effort to realize this vision, we have focused heavily on two areas: (1) relationships and (2) high expectations. The Profile of the South Carolina Graduate is an integral part of our work, and we believe that students need world-class knowledge, world-class skills, and life and career characteristics to be college and/or career ready. We also realize that supportive relationships are the vehicle by which everything else is accomplished. By taking an asset-based approach and doing more with less, we are helping to change the narrative of education in a rural, multicultural setting. Rather than focusing on deficits, we are committed to providing high-quality learning experiences for all students, regardless of their social circumstances. What may not be evident by examining our school report card data is that we have been successful in creating a school culture that is warm, inclusive, welcoming, and, above all else, supportive of all students.
In 2016, our leadership team committed to the goal: “Develop and implement a system whereby each student is known by an adult who advocates for his or her success.” Research strongly suggests that students who have at least one adult advocate have a higher rate of success. We also know that supportive schools are able to prevent many of the issues that negatively impact students’ ability to learn, including isolation, poor behavior, and disengagement. Our faculty/staff is made up of caring individuals who take a personal interest in each student and his or her success, both in and out of the classroom. To ensure that every student is well-known by at least one adult and is appropriately engaged, supported, and challenged, we implemented an advisory program called Tiger Den. This 35-minute period provides the time and space for one adult and a group of students to interact on a daily basis for academic enrichment and support, social and emotional learning, and activities that promote school spirit and reinforce 21st century life and career characteristics. Students remain with the same teacher from school year to school year, which creates long-lasting relationships in our building. While each student has access to a school counselor and a full-time graduation coach, our school also provides this structured support system to ensure each student has an adult who advocates for his or her success.
In addition to promoting relationships that support and encourage each student’s academic and personal growth, we also use Tiger Den time once a week for “Club Day,” in which every student participates in a club during school hours. Teachers create varied clubs according to their own hobbies and interests; examples are sewing, yoga, car maintenance, proper makeup application, board games, Star Wars, and the history of baseball. By employing this innovative approach, students who might not otherwise be able to stay after school because of part-time work, family responsibilities, or a lack of transportation now have the chance to pursue personal interests and experience a greater sense of belonging. Students choose the club(s) they wish to participate in, providing additional opportunities to make connections with caring adults in the building. Teachers enjoy this opportunity to share their passions and interests with students and to teach many valuable life lessons not often found in the standards.
We are committed to offering an open enrollment Advanced Placement (AP) program at Saluda High School so that any student who is academically prepared and motivated to take college-level coursework has access to rigor. We administered 224 AP exams in May 2019. This is up from 34 AP exams in 2016, which means AP enrollment at Saluda High School has nearly sextupled in the last three school years. We are proud to be able to offer nine AP courses on our campus taught by Saluda High School teachers.
In spite of being a small, rural school, we pride ourselves in finding innovative ways to provide students with high-quality learning experiences to make them college- and career-ready, including a partnership with Batesburg-Leesville High School, which allows our students to cross county lines to take CATE courses we are unable to offer on our campus, such as welding and firefighting. In addition, Saluda High School students have the opportunity to take 21 different courses at Piedmont Technical College for dual credit. We are proud to involve all stakeholders in achieving what is possible and to challenge traditional perceptions of education in a rural setting.
In 2015, Superintendent Spearman called on the state’s faith-based organizations to get involved in their schools, especially in rural communities without an abundance of resources. We are proud to have strong relationships with many of the churches in the Saluda community. Saluda Baptist Church regularly treats our faculty and staff to breakfasts and allows us to use their facilities at no charge during the month of May for AP testing. Radius Church provides regular monetary donations to our Student Welfare account, which we use to provide food, clothing, and personal items (e.g., toothpaste, deodorant) to students in need. Good Hope Baptist Church does an annual prayer walk on our grounds to pray for success and safety. We also frequently call on members of local churches to assist us at school events, to chaperone field trips, sponsor a club, and more. This is just one more example of how we are putting our students in contact with adults who care about their success.
The Saluda High School Class of 2019 left a legacy of high achievement in academics, athletics, and student activities. Collectively, they earned $2,001,120 in scholarships. There were nine Palmetto Fellows and one Teaching Fellow. Seven students enlisted to join the military.
It has certainly been an exciting year, and we are incredibly proud of what we have been able to accomplish and look forward to all of the advances sure to come.
Sarah C. Longshore, Principal
Trey Shealy, Chairman School Improvement Council