Even during a challenging 2020-21 school year, the Kershaw County School District (KCSD) continued to keep its focus on helping all students develop the world-class skills and life and career characteristics of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate by ensuring that our students are college and career ready.
KCSD was one of a small number of school districts in South Carolina that offered face-to-face instruction for all students five days a week starting on the first day of school. Although the ongoing pandemic created its own challenges, we continued to hold high expectations for students’ academic performance and success in all three learning options: in-person, synchronous and asynchronous environments. As one of the first eLearning pilot school districts in the state, all of our K-12 students are equipped with their own computing devices, which provides them with significant benefits regardless of their learning options. We received both statewide and national recognition for our reopening plans including the opportunity to be one of five school systems featured on a US Department of Education’s roundtable to talk about the best practices we used for the reopening of schools during the pandemic. Transparency—including an up-to-date website dashboard that listed positive COVID-19 cases and numbers of persons quarantined for close contact—helped to increase community and family support for our efforts.
Through rigorous learning opportunities, we inspire students to think critically and solve real-world problems. Teachers differentiate instruction to meet the needs of all learners and improve student achievement. The continued use of Delayed Start Wednesdays allows weekly professional development time for teachers. Advanced Placement classes and numerous dual-enrollment courses through a partnership with Central Carolina Technical College (CCTC) offer our students opportunities to obtain college credit. An innovative partnership provides qualified Kershaw County graduates with full two-year scholarships to CCTC.
This year again, KCSD’s financial operations received the best audit results possible with “unmodified opinions” from an external independent CPA firm.
Community organizations such as the Taxpayers for Education + Jobs Committee continued to provide support for North Central High School whose campus was destroyed by a tornado in January of 2020. Construction on both a new North Central High School and North Central Elementary School was undertaken in the 2020-21 school year.
Our schools continued to receive state and national honors. KCSD won eight awards in the SC chapter of the National School Public Relations Association’s 2020 Rewards for Excellence communications contest. KCSD Golden Achievement Awards included Leslie M. Stover Middle School’s Post-It Notes to Support Anti-Bullying and its Veterans Day Assembly. KCSD Publications and Electronic Media Awards Winners were Doby’s Mill Elementary School’s DME in Touch Via Facebook (Best in Show), Camden Elementary School’s Facebook page, Camden Elementary School’s The Colt Chronicle, Lugoff-Elgin High School's press releases, Lugoff-Elgin High School’s LEHS Newsletter and Pine Tree Hill Elementary School’s Bullpup Bulletin.
North Central High School (NCHS) won the College Board AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award for the second time. The award recognizes the school for expanding young women’s access to AP Computer Science Principles, an introductory college-level computing course.
The Continuous Learning Center (CLC) and Wateree Elementary School (WES) received the Kershaw Conservation District’s Education Mini-Grants program to support conservation-related student projects.
The Lugoff-Elgin High School softball team won the state AAAA championship. Camden High School's football team won the Lower State AAA Championship.
The Kershaw County Adult Education program received the “Stepped Up to the Plate Award” for developing innovative solutions to address the challenges that have arisen from the COVID-19 pandemic. KCSD received the Facility Enhancement Award for the improvements to the Kershaw County adult education’s learning environment.
KCSD has talented and highly-skilled employees, many of whom were recognized at the national and state levels this school year. Kershaw County Adult Education teacher LeKeith Bufford was named the SC Adult Education Full-time Teacher of the Year during the SC Department of Education’s “Celebrating Success” program while Kershaw County College and Career Navigator Bridgett Bailey was recognized as the Region 2 College and Career Navigator of the Year. Adult Education Director Weyland Burns was inducted into the state’s Adult Education Directors Hall of Fame, Adult Education instructor LeKeith Bufford became a member of the state’s Adult Education Teachers Hall of Fame and College and Career Navigator Bridgett Bailey was inducted into the state’s Adult Education Administrative Staff Hall of Fame.
Four Kershaw County educators received the highest credential available in the teaching profession, bringing the total number of Kershaw County School District (KCSD) employees who are National Board Certified to 90.
Kershaw County School Board Chairman James Smith reached Level 4 in the SC School Boards Association's (SCSBA) Boardmanship Institute.
KCSD Teacher of the Year Jenny Proctor was selected as one of five finalists for the South Carolina Teacher of the Year award.
These accomplishments are a tribute to the excellence of our staff and the unwavering support of our families and the larger community. We appreciate these partnerships that help us to continue our academic success.
Dr. Shane Robbins, ATC
Superintendent
