Barnwell School District 45 is committed to preparing students for lifelong success by promoting individualized learning experiences. The core values that drive us each day are Innovation, Integrity, Investment, and Community. As a district, we value continuous improvement and we believe that education is a shared responsibility of the student, the school, the home, and the community. Barnwell School District 45 views the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate as a shared vision of the knowledge, skills, and characteristics needed for our students to be successful in their future pathways, whether that be college or career.
To our families and community members, we could not be more grateful for their continued support and commitment to Barnwell School District 45. We continue to provide our students with many varied opportunities to enhance their academic achievement, personal development, real world experiences, and good citizenship as we prepare our students to enter the real world equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge they need to be successful. This is evident in the many STE(A)M opportunities available to our students, from PreK through 12th grade. STEM Education helps prepare our students for their futures in our dynamic, everchanging world. We believe strong STEM educational programs will strengthen our educational system, and they will inspire children, boost creativity and work to create the next generation of scientist, engineers, and computer programmers. During the 2019-2020 school year, we were able to expand our STEM opportunities across the district. New STEM Labs were opened at the primary and elementary schools. With these expansions came the addition of state-of-the-art equipment to enhance our students’ applications of critical STEM components, including 3D printing, hydroponics, robotic programming, and much more. As part of this expansion, the elementary school also formed a new robotics team that meets regularly to apply their skills and knowledge, as well as compete at different levels. In 3rd through 12th grades, the district implemented Girls Who Code teams to learn the concepts of loops, variables, conditionals and functions that form the basis for all programming. In the Spring of 2020, the district also announced expansions of the current apprenticeship programs available for high school students. While these are only some examples of new STEM opportunities for students in our district, we continue to partner with Dreams, Imagination, and Gifts (DIG) to offer STEM-based afterschool programs to students in primary through middle school grades.
Each school works, to not only enhance the STEM and Arts opportunities each year, but also to expand upon family engagement practices, community outreach, and support programs for our students. It is these programs that allow us to provide mentoring programs, enhanced programs, and many community-based enrichment opportunities for the children in our service area.
The 2019-2020 school year ended differently than we expected. When the initial closure of our schools happened and our “normal lives” were turned a bit upside down, we reflected on the following words, "In times of adversity and change, we really discover who we are and what we're made of." How true is this! We have seen and re-discovered what an amazing community we have. So much has happened after our initial school closure, and our staff continued to amaze us more each day. It is because of our wonderful staff and their big hearts for our students and the children in this community that we were able to end our school year, while differently than usual, in a positive and effective way.
To our students, we cannot wait to see you walking the halls of our schools again. You are the reason we all do what we do, and you have been in our hearts throughout the closure and beyond.
We are so proud of the Class of 2020. It overwhelms us with pride to watch our Seniors walk across the field and graduate. While we had to do it differently this year, we are so happy we were able to have a graduation in-person ceremony to honor each of them and to allow them to graduate at W.W. Carter field like so many Warhorses before them.
To our parents and families, thank you for working with us and your children to allow them to continue to learn, both during the regular school days and during the closure. You have always been our partners in educating your children, and that has become so much stronger throughout the school closures. You are amazing, and we thank you for your support!
As a district, we continue to thank our stakeholders and Barnwell 45 Family for their continued support of our schools. We feel our people are our greatest resources, and this includes not only our students but also our staff, our families, and our community members. We are grateful to live in a community that wraps their arms around our schools and partners with us to help our students be successful and grow academically, emotionally, and socially. Our district takes very seriously our responsibility to prepare our students for their future, and we continually seek ways to provide increased opportunities for the students in Barnwell School District 45. Working together with our stakeholders, our community, and our families, we take great pride in assisting our students as they grow and develop into our future South Carolina graduates and leaders.