Clinton Elementary, where it's a great place to "BEE" a kid, currently serves 410 students in grades K – 5th. Clinton Elementary is dedicated to creating a friendly, child-centered environment which addresses the social, emotional, and intellectual needs of every child. We are committed to exposing our students to many learning opportunities that promote college and career readiness, as evidenced through PLTW Launch classes, AVID, Career Day, content-aligned field trips, and technology integration.
We continue to help our students develop the World Class Skills of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate by focusing on creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, and communication. As a part of our commitment to preparing students to meet these graduate characteristics, CES offers multiple opportunities for students to participate in both service and leadership roles. These varied programs include Student Government, morning announcements, peer tutoring, and Safety Patrol. Additional school clubs and activities that help to meet the varying interests of our students are Art Club, Steel Drum Band, After-School Program, and Jr. Beta Club. One of our main focuses during the 2021-22 school year was serving others in our community. We built a foundation for serving the community by working with our local nursing homes, United Ministries, Laurens County Humane Society, Laurens County Cancer Society, and Presbyterian College.
Additionally, our partnerships with local churches and colleges, businesses, civic groups, and volunteers provide support through both donations and mentorships. United Ministries Backpack Program, coat and blanket giveaways, ongoing food collections, Disaster Relief, and holiday assistance are just a few examples of how the needs of our students and community are being met.
Communication is vital to strengthening the connection between home, school, and the community. Various types of communication are used to keep all stakeholders actively engaged in our school and the learning process for our students. These methods include Parent Portal, Class Dojo, Seesaw, Google Classroom, Twitter, CES website, CES and PTO Facebook pages, school marquee, emails, newsletters, phone calls, School Messenger, home visits, parades, and yard signs. CES works diligently to increase communication with parents.
Administrators and teachers work collaboratively in Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) to analyze data and personalize learning for our students. Our teachers also work collaboratively on grade-level strategies through a program called STEP. Ongoing professional learning opportunities at the state, district, and school levels help our staff stay current on educational trends, best instructional practices, and strategies for enhancing student engagement. This year, Clinton Elementary looked closely at the social and emotional state of our staff and our students. A book study using Berit Gordon “The Joyful Teacher” provided a structure to help K-5 teachers across all content areas reflect on their professional development needs, set goals that work, and access practical strategies that helped them meet their goals.
This year, we were able to measure our students’ learning through MAP formative assessments, MAP Reading Fluency, benchmarking, and SC Ready and SC Pass. During the 2021-2022 school year our school placed among the top 30% of elementary schools in the state of South Carolina, making it a U.S. News Best Elementary School. Schools who received this award were assessed on their pupils’ proficiencies in mathematics and reading, as measured by state assessment tests. Half of the ranking formula was the results themselves; the other half was the results in the context of socioeconomic demographics. In other words, the top-ranked schools are high achieving ones that succeeded in educating all their students.
In keeping with Clinton Elementary School’s vision, we have worked to create compassionate, growth-minded children who embrace risk and change to achieve success. This vision is supported by our district vision where students become ethical and productive citizens-achieving excellence, embracing innovations, and forging new traditions.
Holly Cook, SIC Chairperson
Melodie Edwards, Principal