Waccamaw Elementary School is located just outside of Conway, South Carolina and is a part of the Carolina Forest attendance area. The school served approximately 900 students in grades Pre-K through fifth grade in the 2019-20 school year. Currently, approximately 51% of WES students are Caucasian, 24% Black or African American, 16% Hispanic/Latino, 1% American Indian or Alaska Native, and 8% two or more races. Our poverty rate of approximately 76% of the student population, indicates that 76% of WES students receive free or reduced lunch.
Our school is helping all students develop the World Class Skills of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate. Waccamaw Elementary School has 65 Professional staff members who work diligently to ensure growth for all students at WES. The mission of Waccamaw Elementary School, a diverse and growing community of unique individuals, is to ensure that each child will experience optimal social, emotional, academic, and physical success through a challenging and progressive child-centered educational program in a safe and healthy learning environment.
The vision of Waccamaw Elementary is to be a premier, world-class school in which every student acquires an excellent education. Our school will be a welcoming center organized around high-quality teaching and learning. Our vision is guided by a set of beliefs that serve as the foundation for all of our efforts.
Foremost, we believe that our purpose is to develop the potential of each student and ensure that all students become productive members of their community, able to adapt to a diverse, ever-changing world. We also believe that we have the obligation to challenge every student to meet higher academic standards than his/her current level. In order to accomplish this, we believe that our students deserve exceptional and passionate staff, who share our core values. Our core values are:
• We put service to students above all else.
• We take responsibility for the success of all students.
• We care passionately about our work with children.
• We build strong positive relationships with students, staff, parents, and community.
• We model and promote civility and integrity.
While the 2020-21 school year included mandated health and safety protocols that created unique challenges, the staff of Waccamaw Elementary continued to focus on developing and continuing relationships with students, families and the community. Virtual platforms allowed school staff to remain connected with families and to provide any support needed to students. In addition, Waccamaw Elementary partners with Coastal Carolina University to provide unique opportunities for mentor support, and one-on-one instructional support from CCU students. We have accomplished this through our work with local service clubs such as the Rotary, Rotaract and Kiwanis. The Rotary Club provides items and funding for our clothes closet, used to support students and families in need. Waccamaw Elementary School participates in events such as Jump Rope for Heart and Relay for Life. Our active Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) sponsors activities throughout the year such as a Field Day, Family Arts Night, and the 5th grade Drive Through Clap Out. In addition, WES partners with Black Water Middle School to have the middle school principal participate in our 5th grade end of year program, providing an opportunity for parents and students to meet their upcoming school principal. WES also partners with Carolina Forest High School. The CFHS show choir participates in school events and CFHS seniors hold a “Senior Walk” through the halls of WES where seniors wear caps and gowns and our WES students celebrate their accomplishments. These events foster community and cluster area collaboration and help families focus on the long-range goal of high school graduation. WES takes pride in student success and the relationships that are built with our community.
We are supported by our School Improvement Council, PTO, and various community organizations. Our School Improvement Council meets regularly to discuss the academic progress of our school and to discuss parental involvement activities and community support for school events. Parent Workshops are held throughout the school year to provide parents with information about the curriculum and strategies to help students at home. We have had great participation in events such as: virtual STEM/literacy make & take sessions, Awards programs, Virtual Book Fair, and our 5th grade end of year Clap Out celebration.
Our school is helping all students develop the World Class Skills of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate by providing opportunities that challenge students in the areas of academic, personal, physical, and social development. Driven by SC State Standards, our staff provides a rigorous curriculum that includes opportunities for acceleration, remediation, and enrichment through small group instruction, intervention and the gifted/ talented program. Students in all grades have access to digital devices throughout the school day. Students are provided opportunities to explore colleges and careers during our 4th/5th grade “College Exploration Day.”
The school wide management system at Waccamaw Elementary is centered around our wildcat mascot and focuses on our school wide motto of “The Waccamaw Way: Listeners, Learners and Leaders”. The faculty and staff of Waccamaw Elementary understand that it takes an entire school community working together to create student success. We expect our students to help create a positive, safe, and nurturing learning environment for all members of our school. To accomplish this, we focus on character education through instruction of life skills. Students are recognized and rewarded bi-weekly for exhibiting life skills and quarterly celebrations are held each nine weeks to celebrate student success. Students have the opportunity to earn individual, class and school incentives, including our Wildcat Wagon prizes. This mobile prize store is taken around to each classroom on a rotation. Our staff works diligently to help students reach their full potential and we are extremely proud of them. Students are recognized for their accomplishments and work daily to demonstrate “The Waccamaw Way” at Waccamaw Elementary. This year we have implemented a social emotional learning program and apply this learning throughout all instruction for students.
Our teachers grow and work together by participating in professional development activities and focusing on instructional strategies to improve student achievement. Using grade-level collaborative planning time, teachers, coaches and administrators develop strategies for addressing student weaknesses, enriching the learning process and challenging students. We are committed to promoting a school environment conducive to learning and growing together.
Leslie S. Huggins, Principal
Arenthia Gray, SIC Chairperson
