2018-2019 Points of Pride

• Richland One students will have the option of having more plant-based meals on their school’s menu this year with items such as buffalo cauliflower bites. All dishes being prepared will meet the K-12 nutritional standards of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

• Eleven Richland One high school seniors have been named semifinalists in the 2019 National Merit Scholarship Program. Richland One congratulates the following seniors for their selection as semifinalists, an honor that less than 1 percent of U.S. high school seniors achieve. Dreher High School’s semifinalists include Kathleen R. Allden, Porter W. Burkett, Jacob Lenski, Luke S. Lumpkin, Grace A. Stricklin, Leah Vazsonyi and Florence R. Wang. A.C. Flora High School’s semifinalists are Kylee A. Fulton, Audrey N. Galimba, Jonathan A. Pertile and Philippa A. Richter.

• Richland One earned a 2018 Partnership District Award from the National Network of Partnership Schools (NNPS) at Johns Hopkins University for its Soar into Summer Success More than 400 students and parents attended Soar into Summer Success, which was held June 2 at the South Carolina State Fairgrounds. The primary purpose of the free event was to share tips with parents about what they can do at home during the summer to keep their children engaged and learning. Information also was provided about college readiness, district programs and services, and community resources. Attendees also enjoyed food, games and prizes. The NNPS District Award Committee praised Soar into Summer Success, which was coordinated by Richland One’s Office of Federal and State Programs, as a “thoughtful and useful activity” that engaged families, helped reduce students’ summer learning slide and kept students engaged and learning during vacation.

• Twenty-five Dreher High School students have earned the College Board’s Advanced Placement (AP) Capstone Diploma based on the work they completed in the 2017-2018 school year. An additional eight students have earned the College Board’s AP Seminar and Research Certificate. Dreher was among the first four schools in South Carolina to offer AP Capstone coursework.

• G. Sanders Middle School opened a new DON’T QUIT! Fitness Center in October. Sanders was one of three South Carolina schools selected as a DON’T QUIT! Fitness Champion earlier this year for demonstrating new and innovative ways of promoting student physical activity and wellness. Governor Henry McMaster signed a proclamation declaring October as “DON’T QUIT Fitness Month.”

• Students at E.E. Taylor Elementary School received a surprise donation of grocery carts fill of books for their school and home libraries. The books were donated by Kellogg’s and BI-LO in an effort to put more books in more hands. BI-LO Senior Vice President Bill Nasshan read to students during the donation event.
  
  
  
• Four Richland One seniors have been named Commended Students in the 2019 National Merit Scholarship Program, one of the country’s most prestigious academic recognition programs.

Richland One congratulates the following seniors for their selection as Commended Students:

• John F. Chapman,C. Flora High School
• Celeste Johnson, Dreher High School
• Thomas Johnson, Dreher High School
• Zuri Gilmore-Stevenson, Dreher High School

Commended Students score in the top 2-3% of the 1.6 million students nationwide who took the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) as juniors in October 2017.

• Richland One had seven student-athletes nominated for the 2018 Mr. Richland County High School Football Player of the Year Award. The winner will receive a $2,000 scholarship.

• Two Richland One employees—Samantha Carlisle, Principal of South Kilbourne Elementary School and Joya Gregg, Human Resources Coordinator—were selected to participate in the South Carolina Education Policy Fellowship Program (SC-EPFP). SC-EPFP is a 10-month intensive professional development program for established and emerging leaders in education and related fields. Fellows work to promote leadership, develop professional networks, demystify education policy and foster greater understanding of the roles of government in the community in education.

• BOOM (Building Occupational Opportunities in the Midlands), a highly successful construction job training program for special needs students, is expanding and winning awards for excellence. Five students with disabilities from Richland One, Richland Two and Lexington-Richland Five took a construction class at Midlands Technical College’s Airport Campus. All students received OSHA certification and a job offer or internship in the construction industry as a result of the program. In addition to winning the Program of the Year Award from the SC Division on Career Development and Transition, BOOM has been named the 2018 Outstanding Continuing Education Cooperative Program by the SC Association for Higher Continuing Education (SCAHCE). But the good news doesn’t stop there. The program recently received an innovation grant from the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce which will allow each district to serve five additional students in 2018-2019 and another five students in 2019-2020 for a total of 15 students per district.

• Richland One will induct four new members into the school district’s Hall of Fame in February, district officials announced October 17. Induction into the Hall of Fame is the highest honor bestowed upon individuals by the Richland One Board of School Commissioners.

The four members of the 2018 Richland One Hall of Fame induction class are:

• Vince Ford, a graduate of A.C. Flora High School and chief community health services officer for Palmetto Health who served on the Richland One Board of School Commissioners for 24 years and advocated for several key district policies, programs and initiatives, including the board’s passage of the landmark Healthy and Nutritious School Environment policy which removed soft drinks and unhealthy snacks from school vending machines accessible by students;
  
  
• Freddie E. Grace, Jr., who was Richland One’s lead orchestra teacher and an assistant high school band director and was instrumental in starting the district’s string program, later creating what is now known as the Richland One Honors Orchestra – Mr. Grace passed away in 2009;
  
  
  
• Jim Hockman, a retired Richland One teacher and administrator who helped introduce Richland One teachers to the use of technology as coordinator of the #1 Teacher Center and later established the district’s instructional technology program; and
  
  
  
• Reverend Dr. Solomon Jackson, Jr., a graduate of Booker T. Washington High School whose foundation has awarded $1 million in scholarships to Richland One students and funded the restoration of the historic Booker T. Washington High School auditorium.

• Richland One students took home three top prizes in the state swim championships. The Dreher High School swim team won the AAAA state title in the 200-meter free relay. The team includes students Hayley Mason, Eleanor Wachtel, Hannah Ammons and Jane Koch. Their coaches are Kelly Veeder and Lauren Dillon. This is the second 200M free relay state title for the program. Emerson Edwards and Tanner Edwards from C. Flora High School also won individual state swim titles. Emerson won the 100-yard freestyle, and Tanner is the state’s 100-yard backstroke champion. Their coaches are Kim Gould and Charles Goodrich.

• Richland One art students won numerous awards at this year’s South Carolina State Fair Art Competition, including two Best in Show honors, seven first-place awards and five second-place trophies. Crayton Middle School art teacher Kim Elliott won the Educator’s Award for having the most middle school ribbon winners in the state.

BEST IN SHOW WINNERS, SOUTH CAROLINA STATE FAIR ART COMPETITION

FIRST-PLACE WINNERS

SECOND-PLACE WINNERS

• The A.C. Flora High School girls tennis team won the 2018 Class 4A state championship November 10. The Lady Falcons won 5-1 over Hilton Head High School, finishing their season undefeated. Congratulations to the players and coaches including Head Coach Amy Martin who also was named the Crescent Construction Midlands Coach of the Week.

• Eau Claire High School’s volleyball program has received double honors this year. Senior Aerial Starks was named Region 3-AA Player of the Year and Demetris Murray was named Region 3-AA Coach of the Year, with her program finishing second in the region.

• Lamar Richards, a Richland One Middle College student, along with his research partner Austin Geer of the South Carolina Governor’s School for Science and Math, became the first high school students to win the 2018 Louisiana State University National Undergraduate Research Competition. The pair of young researchers competed against undergraduate students from across the nation. Their first-place win in engineering and technology marked the first time a high school student has won this undergraduate competition. Since earning this award, Lamar plans to submit his research for publication and hopes to present his findings at the National Conferences on Undergraduate Research in Washington, D.C.

• Ariel Washington, a school psychologist intern assisting students, parents and staff at Edward E. Taylor Elementary School, recently received the Best Innovative Practice Award from the North Carolina School Psychology Association. She received the award for her work in developing a workshop to teach faculty about changing their approaches to dealing with student misbehavior by using more effective methods of correction.

• C. Flora High School Coach Collin Drafts was named Class 4A Lower State Coach of the Year by the South Carolina Football Coaches Association. Although the Falcons ended their quest for the state championship title last weekend, they made it to the second round of the state playoffs, ending their season with a 9-3 record after a 0-10 season last year. Coach Drafts’ team had an undefeated 5-0 region record, outscoring opponents 204-56. They also shattered the school record with nine consecutive wins.

• Richland One extends its congratulations to the 11 district students selected for the 2018-2019 South Carolina All-State Chorus.
  • C. Flora High School
    • Dylan Guilda  
  • Dreher High School
    • Anna Boesl
    • Susanna DaSilvio
    • Arrington Jones
    • Nia Burton
    • Juliette Woodin
    • Celeste Johnson
    • Tyler Wesley
    • Demarcus Williams
    • Timothy Smith
    • Derreck Webber

• Students in Heyward Career and Technology Center’s entertainment and media technology class won first place in the Reel Scripts for Real Change PSA Contest sponsored by the Lexington/Richland Alcohol and Drug Abuse Council (LRADAC). Their proud teacher is Reginald China. Each year, Richland County and Lexington County students engage in a friendly competition to create a 30-second PSA promoting healthy lifestyles by steering clear of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs. The students were judged on originality, clarity of message and social media votes.

• Richland One students Thomas Green of Columbia High School and Ron Davis, Jr. of Eau Claire High School are among the five finalists for the 2018 Mr. Richland County High School Football Player of the Year Award. This prestigious award is presented annually to the top varsity high school senior football player in Richland County who demonstrates great character, sharp intellect and community service, as well as academic and athletic excellence.

• Lower Richland High School junior Christian I. Houghton, who plays the trumpet, has been selected to participate in the 2019 High School Honors Performance Series at the Sydney Opera House this summer. It challenges accomplished high school musicians at one of the world’s most recognized and revered performance institutions: the Concert Hall at Sydney Opera House.

• Being selected for the SC Music Educators Association (SCMEA) All-State Guitar Ensemble is a prestigious honor. This year, half of the students selected for the ensemble are guitar students from Dreher High School, under the direction of music teacher Ben Broughton. The district extends its congratulations for this achievement to Mr. Broughton and his outstanding students Aujaunae Brown, Mikayla Chisholm, Emily Gates, Lennon Hunt, Coby Van Rosevelt, Nathaniel Harvey, Trenton Luginbill, Quinlan Dandridge, Leah Poates, Mikeala Rainey, Dana DeVeaux, Gabby Boyd, Caroline Hynes, Zack Godby, Micah Adams, Ross Crowley, Rex Hagins, and Patrick Bunch.

• Dreher High School senior Kyrell Michaelwas awarded the Doug Shaw scholarship, which is given to the football player who demonstrates great character and leadership skills during the week-long preparation for the North/South All-Star Football game. Kyrell’s team won 13–10 at the game on Saturday, December 15.

• Congratulations to A. Johnson High School students William Barnes and Ja'Lisa Bannister for their first-place and second-place wins, respectively, in the M.Y.O.B (Minding Your Own Business) and Shark Tank school competition sponsored by EngenuitySC.

• Army JROTC Cadet Lieutenant Colonel Breanna Calhoun, a senior at Lower Richland High School, has been selected as a Junior Achievement Student Ambassador for the 2019 South Carolina Business Hall of Fame event.  As one of eight Junior Achievement Ambassadors from South Carolina, Cadet Calhoun will videotape an introduction of Hall of Fame award winners and attend the Hall of Fame event, which will be held March 12 at the USC Alumni Center in Columbia. Cadet Calhoun also is the Battalion Commander for Lower Richland’s Army JROTC Diamond Battalion.

• At the University of South Carolina vs. Tennessee Volunteers men’s basketball game, Webber Elementary School will be presented with a $9,000 check from the corporate office of International Paper and the Coaching for Literacy organization. Webber is the only school in South Carolina that will receive this grant award. Coaching for Literacy’s mission is to leverage the power and influence of athletics to develop successful readers. Employees at the International Paper mill in Eastover have been mentors to Webber students for more than 20 years, sharing meals with them at school as Lunch Buddies and serving as the school’s business partner.

• The Society for Science and the Public selected Dreher High School senior Anthony Androulakis as a top 300 Scholar in the 78th Regeneron Science Talent Search, the nation's oldest and most prestigious science and mathematics competition for high school seniors. Anthony is being recognized for his investigative research on stroke patients. His goal is to help to treat stroke patients. As a Science Talent Search Scholar, Anthony will receive a $2,000 prize and $2,000 will be given to Dreher to use toward STEM (science, technology, engineering and math)-related activities. Nationwide, nearly 2000 students entered the competition. Anthony is one of only two South Carolina students selected to receive this honor this year.

• Three Richland One students have been selected to perform in the South Carolina Music Educators (SCMEA) All-State Orchestra at its February 24 concert. The district extends its congratulations to Hand Middle School bass player Elizabeth Nobles, Dreher High School bass player Kelsi Hallman and Eau Claire High School violinist Amber Spencer. Their very proud orchestra teachers, respectively, are Brian McCants of Hand, Jo Hanna of Dreher and Tyler Henderson of Eau Claire.

• Ali Jenkins, a kindergarten teacher at Meadowfield Elementary School, was recently named Top Teacher on the Block by H&R Block. The honor recognizes outstanding teachers.

• Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin and members of the Columbia City Council recently recognized Meadowfield Elementary School fifth grader Delton Myers for his self-published book The Invisible Injury and his efforts to bring awareness to children's mental health. 

• Vulcan Materials Company Foundation recently presented Olympia Learning Center with a $1,000 check to support the school’s Student Character Program.

• Richland One congratulates the students named as winners in its Lights On Afterschool Poster Contest. The annual Lights On Celebration emphasizes the importance of afterschool programs for helping working families while providing a safe learning environment for their children.

• Richland One’s outstanding performing arts programs have nurtured the talents of some of South Carolina’s finest young musicians. The district extends its congratulations to the following middle and high school students who, after undergoing rigorous auditions, were selected for state and regional band and orchestra honors.
  
  

• What a way to end your senior year as a high school wrestler: With a 44-2 record, Columbia High School student Clayton Darby won the Class 2A/1A state wrestling championship in the 126-pound weight class on February 23. His win comes on the heels of his selection for the 2018-2019 North-South All Star Wrestling Team.

Clayton wasn’t the only proud Richland One wrestler at the state competition in Anderson. Three other Richland One student-athletes placed third in their respective weight classes:

• Travon Riley, C.A. Johnson High School – 106-pound weight class
• Trevon Hart, C.A. Johnson High School – 220-pound weight class
• Jaylin Broadnax, Columbia High – 138-pound weight class

• The number of state basketball championship titles for the Keenan Raiders just keeps growing. The J. Keenan High School boys basketball team defeated Ridgeland-Hardeeville 70-40 on March 2 at the Colonial Life Arena, marking the team’s eighth state title.

Richland One is also proud of the valiant effort of the Keenan girls in their quest for the state title on Saturday vs. Bishop England. The Lady Raiders were the 2018-2019 Region and Upper State Champions. Junior Dyani Burke scored her 1,000th point in her high school basketball career in the state championship game.

• The Isley Brothers conducted a Master Class for Richland One students and students from surrounding districts. The Isley Brothers also performed at the Koger center for the Arts on February 22^nd.

• Eleven Richland One high school seniors have been named finalists in the 2019 National Merit Scholarship Program, a prestigious program which awards scholarships to academically talented students across the country. In this high-stakes competition, students will compete for 7,500 scholarships worth $31 million. Richland One congratulates the following seniors for their selection as finalists:

Dreher High School

• Kathleen R. Allden
• Porter W. Burkett
• Jacob Lenski
• Luke S. Lumpkin
• Grace A. Stricklin
• Leah Vazsonyi
• Florence R. Wang

A.C. Flora High School

• Kylee A. Fulton
• Audrey N. Galimba
• Jonathan A. Pertile
• Philippa A. Richter

• The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) ranked the 2018 edition of “Whisper,” Dreher High School’s literary and art magazine, as "Superior," making it one of only two to be so honored in South Carolina. The magazine is sponsored by art teacher Jennifer Gorlewski. Student editors of the 2018 edition were Seamus McCollister, Elizabeth Rambo, Ania Suber, Bonnie Swan-Kloos and Catherine Willm. Many Dreher students contributed their written work to the publication. Ms. Gorlewski’s art students created original artwork and designs to accompany the articles. Dreher’s award-winning publication can be viewed online at https://www.richlandone.org/site/Default.aspx?PageID=4990. Details about the award and how the students' work was evaluated are on the NCTE website http://www2.ncte.org/awards/program-to-recognize-in-student-literary-magazines/ .

• Three C. Flora High School students won state theatre performance awards recently at the 2019 Palmetto Dramatic Association Festival. Cameron Vipperman won for best solo musical performance. Jaxson Hillard and Olivia Davis  took home first-place awards in the duet scene performance category. As state winners, all three students have qualified to advance to the national competition this summer. Overall, 18 Flora students participated in the competition.
• Arden Elementary School student Za’Riah Archie placed third in South Carolina in the National Missing Children’s Poster Contest. One of the goals of the contest is to make students more aware of missing children and to promote child safety.

• The South Carolina Education Association (SCEA) recognized A. Perry Middle School students for their participation in its Read Across South Carolina art contest. Art teacher Sara McNeely and her students received T-shirts printed with prize-winning artwork, as well as books about the history of art. Student TreQuan Grimes received a special recognition as a participant in the contest which is designed to promote literacy and art across South Carolina.
• Hyatt Park Elementary School recently held its first induction ceremony for students selected for academic excellence by the National Junior Beta Club. The district extends it congratulations to fifth graders Donquarius Pagan, Zarya Mines, Adin Davis-Young, Danielle Groff, Anthony Covington-Gordon and Aiyana Brown.

• EngenuitySC and Richland One expanded the popular “Dress to Impress” showcase, an annual program that aims to make business etiquette and soft skills fashionable. Initially created in 2014 for students at Lower Richland High School, the enterprise was expanded in 2018 to welcome students from C.A. Johnson, Eau Claire and Columbia high schools. For 2019, the program will broaden its horizons even further, including students from five additional Richland One high schools, programs and centers. Each year, students partaking in the program receive “soft skills” training, new business outfits (to keep), and professional grooming lessons. They also attend an etiquette dinner where they learn about formal table manners and more. While only a select group of students are chosen to participate in Dress to Impress, the entire student body at each participating school benefits from the learning experience. The Showcase is an opportunity for students to learn the soft skills of professionalism as they prepare to enter college and/or South Carolina’s highly skilled workforce.

Updated March 12, 2019