School District of Pickens County

The 2025-2026 SDPC school Calendar was approved Monday, November 18, 2024. Click the link below to read more about the upcoming school calendar: https://lnkd.in/eihzB-Ux

SDPC is recognizing First Year Induction Teachers across our district in a special social media showcase. We asked each of our First Year Teachers what made them want to become teachers and what they love most about their job as educators. Throughout this campaign, you will hear responses from our newest educators about what it teaching means to them! This week we are highlighting: Hannah Barrett, Liberty Primary School Caitlyn Furr, R.C. Edwards Middle School Morgan LeFils, Crosswell Elementary School Anna Dunn, Liberty Primary School Hanna Barrett teaches kindergarten at Liberty Primary. As a first-year teacher, she enjoys building relationships with her students, creating a safe learning environment in her classroom, and inspiring students to love learning. Caitlyn Furr is a first-year teacher at R.C. Edwards Middle School where she teaches 6th grade science. She says she chose to be a teacher because she wants to make a difference in the lives of her students and future generations. The most rewarding part of teaching to her, is interacting with her students and fostering a love of science within them! Morgan LeFils is a kindergarten teacher at Crosswell Elementary. As a first-year teacher, she says the most rewarding part of her job is seeing their excitement. She hopes that her instruction ripples down each student's life and is the building block of their future. Anna Dunn is a first year teacher at Liberty Primary. She teaches first grade and loves being able to have a positive impact on her students’ lives! #engagingtoday #empoweringtomorow

Did you know? The Pickens County Career & Technology Center is sparking young minds by bringing hands-on learning to our elementary schools. From building birdhouses with students to welcoming Liberty Primary’s students to explore the PCCTC campus, it's all about making learning fun and inspiring! ?????? From baking cookies in Culinary to "flying" in our Aerospace class, students are discovering the exciting courses they could one day pursue. Here’s to nurturing creativity, skills, and dreams from the start! ???? #PCCTC #engagingtoday #empoweringtomorrow

SDPC is recognizing First Year Induction Teachers across our district in a special social media showcase. We asked each of our First Year Teachers what made them want to become teachers and what they love most about their job as educators. Throughout this campaign, you will hear responses from our newest educators about what it teaching means to them! This week we are highlighting: Hannah Simmons, Central Academy of the Arts Amber Elmore, Gettys Middle School Jeni Thompson, Dacusville Elementary School Loganne Bolinger, Crosswell Elementary School Hannah Simmons is the Special Education Resource teacher at Central Academy of the Arts. She says as a teacher, every day is an opportunity to impact the future and the most rewarding part of teaching for her, is seeing her students become confident in their ability to learn and watching the progress they make each day. Amber Elmore teaches 6-8 Science at Gettys Middle School. She says she hopes to help shape the minds and futures of young students, “I have a passion for learning and sharing knowledge and I want to be able to meet the needs of all of my learners and help them find their purpose in life.” Jeni Thompson teaches kindergarten at Dacusville Elementary. She says she became a teacher because she wants to invest in little lives. As a teacher, the most rewarding part of the job is getting to see her students grow, not just academically, but socially. Loganne Bolinger is a first-year teacher at Crosswell Elementary where she teaches Kindergarten. As a kindergarten teacher, she enjoys creating relationships with her students and teaching them to find the good in everything.

Today is a day of remembrance as we honor our veterans. Schools across SDPC held ceremonies, breakfasts, and lessons to honor our veterans. May we never forget their service and sacrifice! As one student at Six Mile Elementary put it, "You guys are Superman in real life!" #engagingtoday #empoweringtomorrow #veteransday2024

SDPC is recognizing First Year Induction Teachers across our district in a special social media showcase. We asked each of our First Year Teachers what made them want to become teachers and what they love most about their job as educators. Throughout this campaign, you will hear responses from our newest educators about what it teaching means to them! This week we are highlighting: Rachel Skroban, Gettys Middle School Morgan Morrow, East End Elementary School Victoria James, Gettys Middle School Haley Painter, Liberty Elementary School Rachel Skroban teaches 6th and 8th grade Inclusion and Academic Support at Gettys Middle School. She says the most rewarding part of teaching is building relationships with her students and she hopes that every student knows that they are loved and cared for. Morgan Morrow teaches first grade at East End Elementary. She says as a teacher that she loves being able to work with kids and give them the support they need. The most rewarding part for her is hearing her students say they love to come to school! She says that she teaches because she wants to support all children in feeling like they can do anything. Victoria James teaches 6th grade ELA and academic support at Gettys Middle School. She says the most rewarding part of teaching is seeing the look on her student’s faces when they understand something they were struggling with before! She hopes that she can make a difference in the lives of her students each day! Haley Painter teaches third grade at Liberty Elementary. The most rewarding part of teaching for her is seeing the students succeed and she hopes to give them the skills they need to be successful in life.

SDPC is recognizing First Year Induction Teachers across our district in a special social media showcase. We asked each of our First Year Teachers what made them want to become teachers and what they love most about their job as educators. Throughout this campaign, you will hear responses from our newest educators about what teaching means to them! This week we are highlighting: Lindsey Jordan, West End Elementary Paula Sanchez-Pulido, Clemson Elementary School Stephen Rowland, Pickens High School Luke Robinson, Gettys Middle School Lindsey Jordan is a first-year teacher at West End Elementary. She teaches 4th grade ELA and social studies. As a teacher, she loves building relationships with her students and hopes that her classroom is a space where students feel welcomed and valued! Paula Sanchez-Pulido teaches Spanish to all grade levels at Clemson Elementary. As a multilingual teacher, she loves being able to build new relationships with her students and loves getting to be a part of their lives. She says it is so rewarding and she is proud of each of her students when they are learning a new language. Stephen Rowland teaches 9th-grade Physical Science at Pickens High School. He says it is rewarding to see his students get excited about learning science. He hopes that he can make a positive impact on his students. He hopes they don’t just learn science, but how to be a positive impact on the community. Luke Robinson teaches Music at Gettys Middle School. He says he loves being able to share his passion for music with his students and that it is rewarding when he sees them develop a love and passion for music as well. He hopes to build relationships with each of his students and wants to be someone they can rely on.

Tonight, at our monthly Board of Trustees Meeting, the following students and schools were recognized for their commitment to Excellence: ??? Five of our schools were recognized for receiving an "Excellent" rating on their South Carolina Report Cards: Clemson Elementary, Ambler Elementary, Six Mile Elementary, Central Academy of the Arts, and D.W. Daniel High School ???The 2024 Daniel Boys Swim team experienced an amazing season and achieved a first for Daniel by landing on the Podium at the 4A State Swim Finals. This team won the Tri-County Meet, the Region 2-AAAA title, and finished as Boys SCHSL AAAA State Runners-Up. The following team members were recognized for their individual titles: ???Jay Owens, Curtis Henry, Phelim Crowley and Luke Hamon won the 4A 200 Medley Relay State Championship and broke a 16-year-old state record with a time of 1:33.60 ???Luke Hamon captured the 200 Free state championship with a time of 1:41.11 and set a new state record for his win in the 100 Fly with a time of 49.30. ???Phelim Crowley won a state championship in the 200 IM with a time of 1:52.67 and finished 3rd in the 100 Free. ???Jay Owens tracked down his competitor in the 100 back and placed second by 0.15 seconds. ???Curtis Henry earned a state championship in the 100 Breaststroke with a time of 49.45 and finished 2nd behind his teammate in the 200 IM. ???The boys 400 Free Relay of Phelim Crowley, Curtis Henry, Jay Owens and Luke Hamon finished the meet with a state title in the 400 Free Relay with a time of 3:12.28. ?? Members of the D.W. Daniel High School Marching Band were recognized as the 2024 AAA State Marching Band Champions! This is the third State title the DWD Marching band has won in a row. Dr. Merck and our board chair thanked the Pickens Twelve Mile Association for their on going support throughout the school year Congratulations to all! #engagingtoday #empoweringtomorrow #celebrationsofsuccess

SDPC is recognizing First Year Induction Teachers across our district in a special social media showcase. We asked each of our First Year Teachers what made them want to become teachers and what they love most about their job as educators. Throughout this campaign, you will hear responses from our newest educators about what it teaching means to them! This week we are highlighting: Hunter Hiland, Gettys Middle School Jordyn Friend, Hagood Elementary School Jessine May, East End Elementary School Nicki Johnson, R.C. Edwards Middle School Hunter Hiland teaches band to all grade levels at Gettys Middle School. He says the most rewarding part of teaching is the look on a student’s face when a concept finally “clicks.” Jordyn Friend is the Resource Teacher at Hagood Elementary. Working with students in K5 - 5th grade, she enjoys seeing her students advocate for their needs and seeing them make progress. She hopes that all of her students know that someone is rooting for them and wants them to know that success comes in different forms. Jessine May is a 5th-grade teacher at East End Elementary. As a Math and Science teacher, it brings her joy to see her students understand and appreciate what they are learning. She says she loves being able to experience her students succeeding and hopes to see her students thrive and find a love of learning. She hopes that students in her classroom will be empowered to grow personally, academically, and socially! Nicki Johnson teaches 6-8 graders at R.C. Edwards Middle School. As a business education teacher, she enjoys being able to help her students see how the content they learn in the classroom can be applied in the real world. She says seeing her students make connections and develop practical skills they can use as they grow is rewarding.

Today, the Pickens County Career & Technology Center hosted members of the Board of Trustees and the Senior Leadership Team as they explored many of the career pathways offered at the PCCTC. Board members and SLT tried their hand at Flying Airplanes in our Aerospace Engineering pathway, helped cook a meal with the Culinary Arts class, learned welding techniques in the Welding course, and much more! This fun, exploratory experience allowed them to experience a day as a PCCTC student. Superintendent Dr. Merck and our Board Chair, Karla Kelley tried their hand at Welding! #engagingtoday #empoweringtomorrow