Camden Elementary School spent the 2024-2025 school year working to create an academically driven and nurturing school environment. Our Title I school continued to be successful in meeting the academic, social, emotional, and physical needs of our students through meaningful relationships between school, home and the community. This year, Camden Elementary School was able to continue the Be Great program in the afternoon, which extended the school day, offering students academic and developmental support. Camden Elementary also provided after school tutoring in the fall and spring to third through fifth grade students that were struggling to meet and maintain grade level standards. The school's interventionists also served students struggling to meet and maintain grade level standards in the areas of reading and math during the school day. Students that received intervention and other additional services were pulled during a parallel block so that no new instruction would be missed by students that were not in the room.
Camden Elementary is blessed with a faculty and staff who are highly qualified and dedicated to the field of education. Our staff made it their daily mission to provide students with a safe and nurturing learning environment while meeting standards and instructional demands. We continued our venture as a 1-to-1 school, continuing to provide lessons based on the science of reading, project-based learning opportunities, and hands-on experiences. Students received a rigorous educational experience as well as a variety of enrichment opportunities including Chorus, STEM lab, Safety Patrol, Guys with Ties/Girls with Pearls, Beta Club ,Social Emotional groups led by our counselor, Art, and SEAGUL.
Teachers participated in yearlong professional development and through professional learning committees. This year, we continued our focus with the implementation of a daily enrichment time and a full-time Reading and Math Interventionists to better meet the needs of all students by providing appropriate intervention for students. A district math coach and reading coach also implemented meaningful professional development to our teachers during their planning periods.
Our stakeholders continue to be a large support to our students. Camden Elementary had a successful year developing our learners of Kershaw County with the involvement of our supportive School Improvement Council, strong Camden Elementary Partner volunteers, and caring business partners. Through school and community relations, fervent teachers, and strong leadership, Camden Elementary School strives to educate future leaders.
School-wide goals for the 2024-25 school year included:
1. Create an academic culture that promotes rigorous instruction for all students to prepare them to become College- and Career-Ready.
2. Implement strategies to sustain a positive and encouraging school culture.
3. Create a professional learning environment that attracts and supports highly qualified and diverse faculty and staff.
4. Develop coalitions with families and community stakeholders to enrich and support the well-being of our students.
Dr. Alana Powers, Principal
Kyleigh Shirley, SIC Chairperson
