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Richland One Awarded Nearly $15 Million Magnet School Programs Grant

Richland One has been awarded a $14.9 million Magnet Schools Assistance Program (MSAP) grant from the U.S. Department of Education. Only 19 school districts nationwide and only two in South Carolina were chosen to receive the grant awards through a competitive application process.

The MSAP grants “support efforts to develop and revitalize magnet schools with academically challenging and innovative instructional approaches designed to bring together students from different social, economic, ethnic and racial backgrounds.”

“Today, we’re investing in schools and communities that have shown a commitment to intentionally serving students and closing opportunity gaps based on race, place and circumstance in America,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. “These grant awards will help communities reimagine our schools through a more equitable lens and raise the bar for how we serve students who too often get left behind.”

Richland One will use the grant funds over a five-year period to implement BLAST (Building Lasting Aerospace and STEAM Trajectories) at three schools – a new school-within-a-school aerospace magnet program at Watkins-Nance Elementary School; a revised school-within-a-school aerospace magnet program at W.A. Perry Middle School; and a revised school-within-a-school national defense-themed magnet program with four academies (pre-engineering, biomedical, cybersecurity and aerospace) at Columbia High School.

BLAST aims to increase diversity through magnet programming, improve academic achievement and encourage students to aspire to careers in aerospace and STEM-related (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields.

Elementary and middle school students enrolled in BLAST will engage in activity-based, project-based and problem-based learning with real-world applications. High school students will have dual-enrollment opportunities at local colleges and universities, as well as opportunities for hands-on learning through internships and externships with program partners.

All students who live within the Richland One attendance zone will be eligible to apply to attend one of the BLAST magnet school programs. Bus transportation will be provided for students accepted. The programs will begin in August 2023. The online application system will open in December 2022.

“We are excited to have been selected to receive the MSAP grant, especially because we are always working to expand the learning opportunities and experiences we provide for all of our students as we prepare them for college and careers,” said Richland One Superintendent Dr. Craig Witherspoon.

Alive at 25 Classes - Now Online

Alive at 25 is offering virtual classes online. These live, virtual classes are led by an Alive at 25 instructor and monitored by SCNSC staff. We are conducting the online classes just as we would if we were in the classroom with students. Students will receive a certificate for participating and completing the full class. You can get more details and sign up for a class by clicking here. We do not currently have any information about if/when in-person classes may resume, so we encourage you to take this class online if you are able to do so. Please also note that there are important details listed on their web page about participation, payment, and device connectivity requirements. 

Completion of the Alive at 25 course is a requirement to receive a parking pass in Richland One and in most school districts across South Carolina. If you anticipate that your student will be applying to receive an Columbia High parking pass for the 2020-2021 school year, we encourage you to take the class now, especially if you are a rising senior. Please note: if you have previously completed the Alive at 25 course, you do NOT have to take it again. Please also know that we will send more details about the specific process for applying for an Columbia High parking pass in the coming weeks, and our goal is to to schedule in-person Alive at 25 classes at Columbia High as soon as we are able to do so.

We know that parking is a challenge at Columbia High and we want you to be as prepared, safe, and efficient as possible. Seniors will be issued parking passes first and then, if space is available, we will issue any remaining spaces to juniors. For now, we wanted you to have access to the online Alive at 25 course information should you wish to take advantage of it. 

Any questions about Alive at 25 or parking passes should be directed to Fletcher Spigner at fletcher.spigner@richlandone.org. We know this is a stressful time and are happy to help you with any questions you may have! 

Click here for more information on Alive at 25