Springfield Middle School is helping all students develop the World Class Skills of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate by maintaining and achieving high academic standards, creating a school culture that supports and challenges our students, and by providing the foundational skills for student success. As a part of the Fort Mill School District partnership with Discovery Education and our Full STEAM Ahead initiative, we are preparing our students for their future by integrating the four C’s of 21st Century Learning. Communication, Collaboration, Critical Thinking, and Creativity are an integral part of our daily instruction. Small group instruction and literacy has been a centerpiece of our staff development activities this past year and the strategies within small group instruction helps to promote the four C’s. Our teachers are constantly searching for ways to help our students communicate, collaborate, think critically, and be creative.
As part of this STEAM initiative, and our commitment to increasing our culture of literacy, we started the year by reading our One Book, One School book, I Will Always Write Back by the central characters of the book, Cailtin Alfirenka and Martin Ganda. Students and teachers read this book together and had great discussions about how we can make a difference. This book is a great example of how small acts of kindness can change the world. At least it did for these two people, who started as pen pals. This book helped us to create a literacy/STEAM family night called Make A Difference (MAD) Family Night. Our students created compassion projects through teamwork and collaboration in the areas of Buildings of Hope, Food of Hope, Stories of Hope, Voices of Hope, and Education Provides Hope.
Education = Hope is a nonprofit organization based in Fort Mill, SC that provides education to students across the globe that otherwise would not have the opportunity. Springfield Middle School is collaborating with a school in Cavaillon, Haiti. Our sister school experienced tremendous devastation because of an earthquake and Hurricane Matthew. Their kindergarten classroom was destroyed. With the help of a matching donor, we raised funds so we can help this school rebuild their classroom. As of today, we have raised $24,000. This has been an amazing process for our students. They have learned empathy and what it means to be a global citizen. We have stressed that together, even small gestures can make a big difference. Make A Difference Night’s success was the direct result of building the students capacity for communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity.
While the shared reading experience and Mustangs Make A Difference Night was certainly a highlight of the year, there were many other successes to celebrate. We were re-designated as a Schools To Watch school. We had a successful visit by the Schools To Watch committee. This designation allows us to collaborate with all of our stakeholders as it relates to academic excellence, being developmentally responsive for our students, providing social equity for all students, and continuing to develop the school structures and programs that support our students and parents. Our daily schedule was developed so that our students would be able to collaborate with each other and our staff. Students are given opportunities to be develop creativity through Friday clubs and academic enrichment during our Horsepower Half Hour period. Of course, our athletic program, band program, and other school activities give our students and staff the opportunity to communicate, collaborate, think critically, and be creative. There are also many service opportunities through our Beta Club, Student Council, and other organizations, which also promote the four C’s.
Springfield Middle School continues to focus on being developmentally responsive to the needs of the adolescent learner. Academic enrichment is available to all students both during the school day and after school with transportation provided. We are partners with a local church to provide tutoring and help for many of our students in one of our neighborhoods. Students are explicitly taught and given opportunities to practice organization, time-management, goal setting, the growth mindset, and social skills during the school day.
In closing, we want our students to be prepared for their futures. College and career readiness is a collective effort of the K-12 years. We strive to prepare and encourage students to become well-rounded individuals ready to accept their roles in an ever-changing society. Our mission statement is “The mission of Springfield Middle School is to prepare all students academically, socially, and emotionally for their futures...every day.” The Fort Mill School District vision and purpose includes “Children First . . . Everyday.” At Springfield, we embrace the district vision and purpose. Our mission statement parallels the constant of Children First. We use this to drive the decisions we make on a daily basis.
Thomas Stenhouse, School Improvement Council Chairperson
Keith Griffin, Principal
