At Thomas E. Kerns Elementary School, we are proudly aligned with Greenville County Schools’ Graduation Plus initiative—Cultivating Superior Graduates: Producing Career and College Ready Students. This year, we take great pride in the tireless dedication of our staff, students, and families, whose collective efforts have helped us reach new heights.
Our mission is to cultivate successful, accountable, and respectful lifelong learners. We accomplish this by ensuring our school is staffed with highly skilled, passionate educators and support staff. Through robust professional learning communities, instructional coaching, and ongoing professional development, we continuously enhance our Tier 1 instruction and deliver a high-quality education for all students.
Weekly collaboration among teachers focuses on data analysis, reflective teaching, and outcome-driven strategies. These practices, alongside our commitment to meeting the diverse academic, social-emotional, and behavioral needs of our students, have contributed to significant achievements—including our removal from the state’s school priority list. We are especially honored to have received the 2024 Superintendent Award for academic improvement in English Language Arts.
Our school’s leadership—including administration, the behavior interventionist, mental health counselor, and school counselor—works closely to nurture respectful and responsible students. Through daily social-emotional learning activities, classroom guidance, and character-building incentives such as Student of the Month, academic and behavioral rewards, and attendance initiatives, our students are given countless opportunities to shine.
Beyond the classroom, students can engage in a wide variety of enrichment programs including Student Council, Good News Club, Girls on the Run, Cub Scouts, Financial Literacy, Robotics, the STEAM Lab, Spanish Club, Chorus, and the WTEK Morning News Show. These activities build well-rounded individuals and prepare students for lifelong success.
We envision a culture of excellence that includes not only our students and staff but also our parents and community. Our school social worker plays a vital role in connecting families with essential resources—school supplies, clothing, and food—through partnerships with local religious and community organizations. Our students also give back, organizing initiatives like holiday toy and food drives to support those in need.
Parental involvement is a key pillar of our success. Our Parent Involvement Coordinator (PIC) and Title I Facilitator host monthly workshops to help families with social-emotional learning, academics, and behavior support. The PIC has successfully recruited over 30 dedicated mentors and volunteers and initiated English classes for parents as well as Spanish classes for teachers—fostering mutual understanding and communication.
Because our school does not currently have a functioning PTA, we are especially grateful to have secured ScanSource, a global company with the headquarters located in Greenville County, to serve in that role. ScanSource has become an invaluable partner in supporting our school community. Their contributions include hosting community events, providing staff and student incentives, funding and chaperoning field trips—including those designed specifically for our Multi-Lingual parents—and volunteering during the school day. Their commitment has helped fill a critical gap and strengthened our connection between school, family, and community.
Our School Improvement Council has also championed the creation of home libraries for every student, reinforcing the importance of literacy. Meanwhile, our leadership team has secured grants to support novice teacher mentorship and sustain our implementation of Conscious Discipline.
At Thomas E. Kerns Elementary, we are more than a school—we are a close-knit community committed to developing the next generation of leaders. With bold dreams, unwavering dedication, and a shared vision of excellence, we strive every day to turn possibilities into realities.
Catch the Wildcat Spirit!
Tyhesha Judge Fogle, SIC Chairperson
