Points of Pride
Quarter 1
- Terrian Gillette, the head track and field coach, assistant football coach and assistant boys basketball coach at St. Andrews Middle School, has been named Richland One’s 2023-2024 Middle School Coach of the Year.
- Jason Sandifer, the varsity wrestling coach at Dreher High School, has been named Richland One’s 2023-2024 High School Coach of the Year.
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Crayton Middle School has been named a 2024 School of Distinction by the Association for Middle Level Education (AMLE), becoming the first school in South Carolina to earn the distinction. The recognition honors schools that demonstrate outstanding commitment to middle grades education and continuous improvement. Crayton is one of 17 schools in the United States to be named a School of Distinction by AMLE.
- Richland One ranked sixth among all South Carolina school districts for the most students earning Seals of Biliteracy during the 2023-2024 school year. Eighty-seven students earned South Carolina Seals of Biliteracy, which is a new record for the district.
- Satchel Ford Elementary School fifth-grade student Bailey Bostic placed first in the state elementary division and fifth in the national elementary division of the InvestWrite Spring 2024 essay contest. The essay contest, organized by the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA) Foundation, is open to schools that participate in the foundation’s Stock Market Game. In the essay, students answer a question about long-term saving and investing that is meant to address real-world financial issues and situations. Bailey’s prizes included a banner and a $100 American Express gift card.
- Dreher High School Class of 2024 graduate Naja Weinkle has been awarded the 2024 Dr. Percy A. Mack Leadership Scholarship. The $1,000 scholarship is awarded annually to a Richland One high school senior who demonstrates leadership skills and potential, as well as well-rounded involvement in co-curricular activities. The scholarship is named in honor of Dr. Percy A. Mack, who served as the district’s superintendent from 2008-2014. Dr. Mack is also a member of the Richland One Hall of Fame.
- Five Richland One teachers have been awarded $1,000 grants through the district’s 2024-2025 Educational Ingenuity Grants Program. All Richland One teachers are eligible to apply for grant awards of up to $1,000 each. The grants support teachers in implementing context-specific, inquiry-driven projects that enhance learning experiences and outcomes for students. Click here to see the names of the newest Educational Ingenuity Grant recipients.
- Fifty-two Richland One students had perfect scores in math, English language arts (ELA) or both subject areas in the Spring 2024 administration of SC READY (South Carolina College- and Career-Ready Assessments). Students in grades 3-8 statewide took the SC READY ELA and math assessments. Forty-seven students had perfect scores in math. Three students had perfect scores in ELA. Two students had perfect scores in both. Click here for the names of the students who received perfect scores.
- Three Richland One educators have been selected for the South Carolina ASCD’s (formerly the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development) Emerging Leaders program. The non-profit organization’s mission is to improve teaching and learning for all students. Click here for the names of the Richland One educators who were named Emerging Leaders.
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Twenty-one Richland One theater students represented the district during the International Thespian Excellence Awards (Thespys) program. The Thespy Awards, organized by the Educational Theatre Association, “recognize student excellence in 21 categories of theatrical performance, technical theatre, writing and filmmaking.” Three Richland One students received Superior ratings in their respective categories. Fourteen students received Excellent ratings. Click here for the names of the students who participated.
- Dreher High School sophomore Elizabeth Wise has qualified to compete in the junior teen division of the National American Miss (NAM) competition. The beauty pageant “emphasizes the importance of developing real-world skills and shaping the future leaders of tomorrow.” Elizabeth was named a junior teen division state finalist during the South Carolina NAM pageant. She was also awarded the Spirit of Pageantry award, and she was named runner-up in the “Best Resume’” and “Heart of Service” competitions.
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Dreher High School’s Botany Club has been awarded a $4,320 microgrant from the City of Columbia through the Bloomberg Youth Climate Action Fund. The club will use the microgrant money to increase biodiversity at the school by planting native plants on campus. The organization is also working with the City of Columbia to introduce more biodiversity at a city-run park as well as providing plant beds to grow food crops in a community garden. The Botany Club’s project was one of nine projects and initiatives in the city to be awarded a microgrant.
- Forest Heights Elementary School curriculum resource teacher Dr. Torri Smith was chosen to participate in the Strategies for Teacher Advancement and Renewal (STAR) Fall 2024 seminar, sponsored by the Foundation for Professional Development and the Palmetto State Teachers Association. She was one of 10 educators from across South Carolina who were selected for the seminar.
- Twenty-one Richland One high school students have been honored with the College Board’s National Recognition Program award, which recognizes high-performing students in underrepresented communities. Click here for the names of the award recipients.
- All 48 Richland One schools are among the 879 schools nationwide to be named as America’s Healthiest Schools for the 2023-2024 school year. Again this year, Richland One has more award winners than any other school district in South Carolina. The recognition, awarded by Alliance for a Healthier Generation, a leading children’s health organization, honors schools’ dedication to supporting the health and well-being of students, staff, and families.
- Forty Dreher High School seniors and Class of 2024 graduates have earned the AP Capstone Diploma. The AP Capstone Diploma program helps students develop critical thinking, research, collaboration and presentation skills that are essential to academic success. Click here for the names of the AP Capstone Diploma recipients.
- Six Richland One students have been named semifinalists in the 2025 National Merit Scholarship Program, which recognizes academically talented high school seniors across the country. Over 16,000 semifinalists will compete for 6,870 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $26 million. The scholarships will be offered in the spring. Click here for the names of Richland One’s National Merit Scholarship semifinalists.
- Satchel Ford Elementary School has been named a National Banner Unified Champion School by the Special Olympics. This is the third consecutive year that a Richland One school has received this recognition. Satchel Ford is one of ten schools in South Carolina to receive the designation this year.
- Bryan Lynip, a multilingual learning specialist at Meadowfield Elementary School, has been named a 2024-2025 WIDA Fellow. The fellowship program recognizes educators in WIDA’s efforts to bring quality and equitable education to multilingual learners. Lynip is one of two educators from South Carolina selected for the program.
- Terrence Holley, a social studies teacher at St. Andrews Middle School, has been selected for the Palmetto State Teachers Association’s (PSTA) Emerging Leaders Institute (ELI). The institute engages teacher leaders in educational policy, advocacy, leadership, proven educational practices and pedagogies, and growth within the PSTA. Holley was one of six teachers from across South Carolina selected for the ELI.
- Four Richland One educators have been named Microsoft Innovative Educator (MIE) Experts for the 2024-2025 school year. The MIE program recognizes visionaries in the field who are using technology to enhance the instruction of their colleagues for improved student outcomes. Crayton Middle School curriculum resource teacher Cathleen Lacey has been named an MIE Expert for the fifth consecutive year, as well as a Microsoft Innovative Educator Fellow for the third consecutive year. Crayton social studies teacher Meghan Rorar and Richland One high school ELA curriculum consultant Sean Samon are in their second year as MIE Experts. Crayton career and technical education (CTE) teacher Julia Folks is in her first year as an MIE Expert.
- Seven Richland One student-athletes have been nominated for the 2024 Richland County High School Football Player of the Year award. Click here for the names of Richland One’s Player of the Year nominees and the schools they attend.
- For the second year in a row, two Richland One high schools have been named to College Board’s AP School Honor Roll. The recognition program, which launched in 2023, celebrates schools whose AP programs are “delivering results for students while broadening access.” The AP School Honor Roll offers four levels of distinction: bronze, silver, gold and platinum. Dreher High School earned the silver recognition. A.C. Flora High School earned the bronze recognition.
- Five Richland One administrators have been selected for the South Carolina Department of Education’s Institute for District Administrators (IDA). The program is “designed to support entry-level district leaders with the knowledge, skills, and characteristics needed to serve on and lead highly effective district teams.” Click here for the names of Richland One’s participants in the IDA’s Cohort 27.
- A.C. Flora High School’s boys and girls swim teams were named Class AAAA Region 3 champions.
- Thirty Richland One art students received honors and awards in the 2024 South Carolina State Fair’s Art Competition. Richland One students competed in the 2-D, 3-D and photography divisions. These students were among the approximately 240 K-12 students from across the state who were recognized. Liliana Taylor, an eighth-grade student at Hand Middle School, received “Best in Show” for the middle school 2-D division. Click here for the names of all of the award recipients in Richland One. In addition to the student winners, Dreher High School art teacher Mary Catherine Raines received the South Carolina State Fair’s Student Art Education Teacher Award for the high school division. The award is given to the art teacher who submits the most amount of student artwork in their respective division.