Rock Hill School News for Thursday, December 19 #rockhill #rhsd3 #rhschools

Congratulations to . . .

• Tammy White, principal at Sunset Park Center for Accelerated Studies, on receiving her Ph.D. in Educational Administration from the University of South Carolina on December 16. 
• the students and staff at the Phoenix Academy on collecting 208 cards for the Red Cross Holiday Cards for Heroes Drive. 

 

“Gators” Feel the Spirit of Christmas

• The Bowtie Club at Dutchman Creek Middle School, co-sponsored by Torri Barber, Roger Sanders and Michael Wessinger, has provided the Salvation Army with lots of toys for children needing a special delivery this Christmas.
  
• Guidance counselors at Dutchman Creek have collected over 150 Christmas gifts for DCMS students in need, including clothing, iTunes cards and video games and over $750 in gift cards for more than 45 families. Gifts were donated by DCMS families, community members, student organizations and faculty/staff. 
  

 

Inclement Weather

In the event school can’t resume on January 6 or has to be delayed due to bad weather, employees should expect a ParentLink call “around” 6:30 a.m. (or the night before) as to what they should do. However, employees should remember that school delays and cancellations will be posted on the district’s website and on Facebook immediately after any decision to close or delay is made.

     

For the administrative policy regarding inclement weather, go to http://www.rock-hill.k12.sc.us/UserFiles/district/Documents/District%20Information/Inclement%20Weather%20Guidelines%20Feb%202011.pdf.

 

 

Elaine T. Baker

Director of Information Services

Rock Hill Schools

Celebrating 125 Years of Public Education, 1888-2013

Rock Hill School District News #rockhill #rockhillschools #rhsd3

Congratulations to . . .

• the staff at ParentSmart on being awarded the Sisters of Mercy grant for the second consecutive year. The grant—in the amount of $36,936—will be used to meet the needs of non-English-speaking families and to hire an additional bilingual parent educator.  
• Oakdale Elementary teachers Gale Lee and David Norton on each receiving a $1,000 grant from the PPG Industries Foundation. Gail’s grant was awarded for “Radio Controlled Cars: Math Concepts;” David’s grant was for STEM Club materials.
• Oakdale Elementary students on collecting 1,800 food items for the Catawba Indian Nation food pantry, which will provide food for over 200 families during the holidays. This was not only a great experience of caring for others and giving, it afforded many opportunities for students to participate in various math investigations. Students in all grades collected data and presented it in graphs, charts, ten frames and line plots. They computed totals, averages and percentages and classified food items and calculated the total weight of the food donated.
• Assoc. Supt. for Accountability and Instruction, Dr. Harriet Jaworowski, on being featured in the Rock Hill Area Chamber’s December newsletter.
• Rock Hill High’s Jacob Strickland on his selection as one of 50 All Star Mascots from across the country to perform at the January 1 Capital One Bowl pre-Game in Orlando. Jacob, the son of Becky Strickland at Castle Heights, was selected as a Mascot All American by Universal Cheerleaders Association. (See attached photo of Jacob.)
• Kim Anderson, currently a science teacher at Northwestern High School, on being selected as the district’s new instructional science specialist.
• ¡Beth Lifsey, in the district office, on being promoted to Accounting Manager.  The district now has two accounting managers, Beth and Stephanie Haselrig.
• ¡Sullivan 8^th-grader Kyle Tolbert on being selected as one of 12 males from S.C. to participate in the Southern Division Men’s Choir which will perform in Jacksonville (FL) in March. Kyle, a bass, is the student of Lisa Pecarina.
• ¡fourth-grade Gifted and Talented students of Charlene Crocker at Oakdale elementary who collected gently used children’s books for the students at the Central Child Development Center. When the students visited the CCDC on Dec. 11, they proudly read to the students before giving them the books to take home.

Holiday Concerts

Tonight (December 12)

• Rawlinson Road Middle School Orchestra –7 pm in auditorium
• Sullivan Middle School Orchestra – 7 pm in auditorium
• Rock Hill High Bands – 7 pm in auditorium. Admission will be one canned food item. 

December 13

Rawlinson Road Middle School Dance – 6:30 in auditorium

December 17

• Northwestern High School Orchestras – 7:30 in auditorium
• Rawlinson Road Middle School Bands – 6 pm (6th grade) and 7 pm (7^th & 8^th grades) in auditorium
• Saluda Trail Middle School Bands – 4:30 pm in auditorium
• South Pointe High School Music Dept. to present "Concert for Hope" – 7 pm in auditorium. The concert will feature the choirs, under the direction of Eugene Bumgardner; the orchestra, directed by Heather Turner; and bands directed by James Turner. Admission is 2 canned goods to be donated to Project Hope.

Elaine T. Baker

Director of Information Services

Rock Hill Schools

Celebrating 125 Years of Public Education, 1888-2013

Northside Elementary Performance on December 20 #rockhill #rockhillschools #rhsd3

Rock Hill School District Holiday Concerts #rockhill

Please note that the Northwestern Trojans will vie for the state 4A Div. 2 football championship tomorrow at noon, December 7, against the Stratford High School Knights (not Gators) in Williams Brice Stadium in Columbia. Tickets, at $10, will be available at the gates which will open at 11:00.

Elementary Honors Choir

4 pm Dec. 8 in Byrnes Aud. at Winthrop. The choir will be featured with the York County Choral Society. Admission will be $15.

Northwestern 

Bands – 7:30 Dec. 10 in auditorium. The concert will feature traditional holiday music, as well as an encore performance of the band's 2013 competition show "Musical Candy." Admission will be free, but donations to the Rock Hill Empty Stocking Fund will be accepted.

Elite Chamber Orchestra – 7:30 pm Dec. 12. The Elite Chamber Orchestra will perform for the Rock Hill Music Club.

Orchestras – 7:30 Dec. 17 in auditorium

Rawlinson Road Middle School

Chorus –7 pm Dec. 10 in auditorium

Dance – 6:30 Dec. 13 in auditorium

Orchestra –7 pm Dec. 12 in auditorium

Bands – 6 pm and 7 pm Dec. 17 in auditorium

Rock Hill High

Bands – 7 pm Dec. 12 in auditorium. The concert will feature the Jazz Band, Percussion Ensemble, the Concert Band, and smaller ensembles. Admission will be one canned food item.

South Pointe High

Music Dept. to present "Concert for Hope" – 7 pm Dec. 17 in auditorium

Sullivan Middle School

Chorus – 7 pm Dec. 10 in auditorium, free

Orchestra – 7 pm Dec. 12 in auditorium

Elaine T. Baker

Director of Information Services

Rock Hill Schools

Rock Hill School District News #rockhill #rockhillschools #rhsd3

Congratulations to . . .

¡Northwestern’s head football coach, Kyle Richardson, on his selection by the S.C. Athletic Coaches Assn. as the Upper-State Football Coach of the Year. In addition, Mason Rudolph, Trojan quarterback, has been selected as the Upper-State Back of the Year.

¡Martha Menchinger and her technology media students at the Applied Technology Center on producing a PSA (public service announcement) for the York County Solicitor’s Office on the dangers and consequences of sexting. A news conference was held this morning in the D.O. where this PSA and one from Fort Mill were introduced.

School and Community Events

• The Rock Hill Community Theatre will hold auditions at 7 pm on Dec. 8 & 9 for “She Loves Me,” described by some as the most charming musical ever written. Parts are available for males and females, ages 16 and older. Visit www.rockhilltheatre.org/SheLovesMe.html for a list of characters and other details.  
• The York County Education Assn. will host “S.C. Legislative Meet and Greet Night” from 6-8 pm January 30 in the Cyber Café in the RH Flexible Learning Center. This will be a great opportunity to meet local legislators and find out their views on the new teacher evaluation system and Common Core. 

Fundraisers

• Cards offering discounts from a number of popular Rock Hill restaurants and other businesses are now available from Rock Hill High School for $20. Proceeds will benefit the school’s basketball program.
• For those who will be shopping on Dec. 23 or running errands, the Northwestern Performance Ensemble is offering a “Mommy’s Morning Out”  from 8-noon in the Rawlinson Road gym for children ages 3-10. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Enjoy a delicious pancake breakfast with Santa from 8-10 Sat. morning, Dec. 14, at Fatz Café. Proceeds will benefit the Sunset Park PTO. Tickets are $7.

Good Luck Trojans!

The Northwestern High School  Trojans will play in the 4A Division 2 football championship at noon this Saturday (Dec. 7) in Williams Brice Stadium in Columbia. Their opponent will be Stratford High School in Berkeley County. Tickets, at $10, will be available in the Northwestern Athletic Department through the school day tomorrow and at the gate.

Holiday Concerts

• Elementary Honors Choir – 4 pm Dec. 8 in Byrnes Aud. at Winthrop.  The choir, under the direction of Jeri McGuffin, assisted by Kenton Simon, will be featured with the York County Choral Society. Admission is $15.
• Sullivan Middle School Chorus – 7 pm December 10 in auditorium, free
• Rock Hill High Bands – 7 pm Dec. 12 in auditorium. The concert will feature the Jazz Band, Percussion Ensemble, the Concert Band, and smaller ensembles. Admission will be one canned food item. 

Dec. 9 School Board Meetings

The Rock Hill School Board will hold two  meetings on Dec. 9: a business meeting at 6 pm and a work session which follows. Click here for the agenda for the business meeting and here for the agenda for the work session. 

Elaine T. Baker

Director of Information Services

Celebrating 125 Years of Public Education, 1888-2013

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Parent Survey for Rock Hill Schools #rockhillschools #rockhill

November 26, 2013

Rock Hill Schools is going through a re-accreditation process with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) and would like your input into this process.  Please take the time to complete the parent perception survey portion for our district.  To access the survey click here.

Rock Hill School District Web Site Link

Rock Hill School News #rockhill #rockhillschools #rhsd3

Congratulations to . . .

• the Junior Civitans at Sullivan Middle School on collecting over 3,600 can goods for families in need during the holiday season. Their proud sponsor, Dr. Sandra Holeman, has provided the photo below:
  
• the faculty and staff at Rock Hill High which raised over $1,600 at the school’s annual silent auction last week. The money will purchase Christmas gifts for RHH students in need.
• students at Ebenezer Avenue Elementary on collecting more than 1,150 food items to donate to the Salvation Army food pantry. Hats off especially to Meredith Jenkins’ third-graders who led the collection with 167 items.

School and Community Events

• Enjoy a delicious pancake breakfast with Santa from 8:00-10:00 Sat. morning, Dec. 14, at Fatz Café on Herlong in Rock Hill. Proceeds will benefit the Sunset Park Elementary PTO.
  
    Tickets will also be available at the door.
• Dutchman Creek Middle School will present “A Night of the Arts” on Dec. 17. Impressive student artwork, which can be viewed at 6:00, will be followed at 7:00 by the presentation of “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,” directed by Elizabeth Klipa.
  
   
• Students at The Children’s School at Sylvia Circle will celebrate Arbor Day on Friday, Dec. 6, with the planting of a tree. Foresters with the City of Rock Hill and Mayor Doug Echols will present the school with a proclamation at 1:00.
• The Rock Hill Family Resource Center (410 E. Black) will check children’s car seats from 9:00-noon this Friday, Dec. 6, to determine if they are safe. In addition, applications for Toys for Tots will be accepted at the Center from 10:00-2:00.
  

Poinsettias for Sale

The South Pointe Theatre Department is selling poinsettias through December 6 to help fund a spring break trip to Broadway! Priced at $12, the flowers will be available the week of Dec. 16.

contact James Chrismon at jchrismo@rhmail.org or Adam Rainey at arainey@rhmail.org to place orders. 

Elaine T. Baker

Director of Information Services

Rock Hill Schools

Celebrating 125 Years of Public Education, 1888-2013  

Rock Hill School District News #rockhill #rockhillschools #rhsd3

Congratulations to . . .

• TJ Williams and the Northwestern High School Choral Dept. on having six students selected for the S.C. All-State Honor Choir. With these six, Rock Hill Schools has a total of 43 students whose auditions were successful.
• Saluda Trail Middle School on recent grants received from the Duke Energy Foundation, distributed through the Clemson University Center for Workforce Development, in support of STEM education.  Liz Hood, media specialist, and Carolyn Moore, program teacher, received a $2,000 grant for a survival raft project. Teacher Pam East and Carolyn Moore received a grant for a project titled "From Cotton to the Closet."

 

Calendar 2014-15

The district's Calendar Committee will meet for the first time on Monday, Nov. 25, at 4:15 pm in the district office. The committee is comprised of 6 teachers, 5 parents, 3 students, and 3 administrators. The York County Calendar Committee will meet on December 4. Once the state determines the tests it will use and the testing dates, it should not be difficult to come up with a calendar to recommend to the board..

 

Teaching in the '20's

At the district's 125th Birthday Celebration, Jane Peeples, a former chairperson of the Rock Hill School Board, referred to teachers as the "magic-makers." She shared the attached list of social requirements for teachers "around" 1915:

Have you ever wondered what being a teacher was like in “the good ole days?” Obviously, the following rules of conduct for teachers in 1915 were for females, but could anyone abide by them?

• You will not marry during the term of your contract.
• You are not to keep company with men.
• You must be home between the hours of 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. unless attending a school function.
• You may not loiter downtown in any of the ice cream stores.
• You may not travel beyond the city limits unless you have the permission of the chairman of the board.
• You may not ride in a carriage or automobile with any man unless he is your father or brother.
• You may not smoke cigarettes.
• You may not dress in bright colors.
• You may under no circumstances dye your hair.
• You must wear, at least, two petticoats.
• Your dresses must not be any shorter than two inches about your ankle.
• To keep the school room neat and clean, you must sweep the floor at least once daily; scrub the floor at least once a week with hot, soapy water; clean the blackboards at least once a day; and start the fire at 7 a.m. so the rooms will be warm by 8 a.m.

 

Football Playoffs

Rock Hill continues to live up to being football city USA with South Pointe and Northwestern still alive in the state football playoffs. Hopefully, the road to Columbia (and the state championship) will run through Rock Hill. Both teams will play this Friday night.  Kickoff takes place at 7:30.

 

Nov. 25 School Board Meeting

The Rock Hill School Board will meet at 6 p.m. Monday in the D.O. Board Room. The district's first group of "Distinguished Climbers"(Future Focus) will be recognized. Click here for a  copy of the meeting packet.

Elaine T. Baker

Director of Information Services

Celebrating 125 Years of Public Education, 1888-2013

Rock Hill Schools Birthday Facts #rockhill #rockhillschools #rhsd3

1888 - 2013

 Rock Hill Schools celebrated the 125th Birthday of public education in the Rock Hill community on Wednesday, November 20. In learning about our history, did you know that:

•  if a teacher or other school employee dies after completing at least one year of service, the designated beneficiary will receive a payment equal to the annual budgeted salary of the member. This program, initially called a pre-retirement insurance benefit under the S.C. Retirement System, became effective July 1, 1968, and it's still in effect in 2013.
•  the Brattonsville Academy, a replica of an 1840's one-room schoolhouse located in Historic Brattonsville, opened on Sept. 20, 1996. It provides third-graders with a historical look at a school day in the life of students who lived in the 1840's. The brainchild of former Supt. Phil McDaniel, the academy was built from donations of money and building products and required no use of tax monies.
• The Carroll School, which opened in 2003 after a former Rosenwald School was renovated, provides fifth-graders with an opportunity  to learn how students who lived in the Great Depression era spent their day. Students learn how to can food, quilt and pick cotton (when in season).
• District Three (now Rock Hill Schools) was the first district in S.C. to implement a School Improvement Council in each school. In 1981 SIC's were called School Advisory Councils
• In 1888 the Trustees of The Graded School appointed a committee to make arrangements for the observance of Arbor Day, looking to the beautification of the school grounds by the planting of shade trees. About 80 students planted a variety of trees on November 27, 1888, mostly water oaks to provide shade for students and visitors alike.
•  A number of schools have existed since 1888. These include Arcade-Victoria (1914-1952), Emmett Scott (1920-1970), and West End (1928-1972). In addition, several of our schools got their beginnings in earlier schools, such as  Northside from Manchester School, Belleview from Highland Park, and Lesslie from a two-story white, clapboard building near the Lesslie Volunteer Fire Dept. Also, at one time, Lesslie Elementary encompassed two campuses, one beside the railroad tracks in the Lesslie Committee and its current location which was originally Hillcrest School.
• Castle Heights opened as an elementary school for black students in 1957 on Flint Street Ext. When the district began its plan to integrate the schools, a white administrator, George Hampton, was assigned to Castle Heights to serve as principal for the 1968-69 school year. Mr. Hampton stayed for half a year, and then the students attending CHES were reassigned to another black school, Edgewood Elementary, for the second half of the year. CH was closed until the fall of 1970 when it reopened as an integrated junior high with new renovations, including a gym. Its student population was comprised of 8th graders with some 7th graders. Its principal was Paul Campbell, who was the principal at Sullivan Junior High the year before. One of Mr. Campbell's asst. principals, Jim Buddin, who still occasionally helps out in the district, served as principal from 1973-1996. He was succeeded by Kelly Kane who opened the new Castle Heights facility on Fire Tower Road in 2004. The former CH facility on Flint Street Ext. was renovated in 2005 and became the Rock Hill Flexible Learning Center.
•  the district has had Air Force Junior ROTC programs since 1971, the year Northwestern High opened. South Pointe High opened in 2005, also with an AFJROTC program.
• York County's popular senator, Robert W. Hayes, Jr., better known as Wes Hayes, is a 1971 graduate of Rock Hill High School where he was "Mr. Bearcat." However, when he served as president of the Junior Class, he was known as "Wesley."
• Dr. William L. Proctor, Dean of Men at Florida State University, was hired by the school board to integrate the schools. Dr. Proctor, who had no ties to the district, agreed to come for only one year (1968-1969) to write a desegregation plan that would be approved by the Dept. of Health/Education/Welfare. The plan was written and approved in the year he was in the district, and then he returned to Florida State. Soon afterward, he became the president of Flagler College in St. Augustine Florida.  
•  the district has had three teachers to be selected as the S.C. Teacher of the Year--Hazel Joiner (Sullivan) in 1973, Bryan Coburn (Northwestern) in 2009-10, and Patti Tate (Northwestern) in 2011-12. The following teachers were runners-up or "Honor Roll" teachers for the state honor: Lillian Gilmore (Edgewood), Cynthia Carpenter (Sylvia Circle), Ann Smith (Lesslie), Tracy Craven (Oakdale), Julie Marshall (Oakdale) and Jeff Venables (Northwestern).
•  the district has had female members on the school board since January 1970. The first female was Bess Barron, and Martha Burwell became the second.
•  the teachers at The Graded School in 1888 were paid a salary of $25 per month.  Furnishings in the school included 106 Triumph desks, 8 recitation seats, and 4 desks for teachers, all of which were bought and paid for from a generous donation of $1000 by the Reverend James Spratt White. The seating capacity of the building was 230.  (Information supplied by William Boyce White, Jr., in his master's thesis on "A History of the Public Schools of the City of Rock Hill.")
• Walter Caswell Sullivan, the longest-serving  Supt. of Schools, served from 1938-1965. Sullivan Middle School, which opened in 1959 as Sullivan Junior High, is named after him, as is the street between the school and Cherry Park.  Before serving as superintendent, Mr. Sullivan served as the principal of Rock Hill High from 1923-1938.
•  the district once provided a nursery for the children of employees? It closed in June 1970.
•  the district implemented “social adjustment classes" at the beginning of the 1971-72 school session in each secondary school?
•  the district's Operations Center (now called Facilities Services) opened in 1981 next to the Career Development Center (now called the Applied Technology Center)? The land in front of Facilities Services (near the highway) was once the proposed site for the district office.
•  just as some churches provide homes for their pastors, the district provided a home for the superintendent. This home was constructed on the site of The Graded School (Central) near where the ParentSmart building now stands. While other superintendents may have lived in this house, records show that the family of Supt. Richard Clyde Burts, who was superintendent from 1914-1938, did live in the home. A pencil drawing of the home, a gift from the Burts family, is in the district office.
•  the student enrollment in 1888 was 124; in 1889-90, 192; in 1890-91, 240. Children between the ages of 6 and 16 who lived in the district paid no tuition. Pupils over 16, as well as children who lived in other districts, were required to pay $1/per month.
•  English and Math Advanced Placement courses were implemented at RHH and NHS in 1980?
•  the district's desegregation plan was approved in a three-year phase-in plan?
• 1968-69 - Bond referendum approved for the construction of new schools on Highway 5 (Northwestern, York Road, Rawlinson Road, Career Development Center (now ATC)
• 1969-70 - 12th grade at Emmett Scott High School (for black students) moved to Rock Hill High
• 1970-71 - Elementary schools comprised of grades 1-6, junior highs with grades  7-9, and Rock Hill High with grades 10-12, all integrated. (Northwestern opened in the fall of 1971.)

(Much of the Information above taken from William B. White's master's thesis, "A History of the Public Schools of the City of Rock Hill, South Carolina, 1888-1951.)

Elaine T. Baker

Director of Information Services

Rock Hill Schools

Rock Hill School News #rockhill #rockhillschools

Congratulations to . . .

• the 37 choral students of Jonathan Hall (Rock Hill High School) and Eugene Bumgardner (South Pointe High School) who made the S.C. All State Honor Choir. Winthrop University will host a performance of all the various choirs under the “All-State” umbrella in late February.
• Kevin Wren, the district’s new manager of Safety, Security, and Environmental Management, whose comments on safety are featured in the November issue of Building Operating Management magazine.

 

Art Dept. to Host Benefit for Teacher

On Nov. 21 from 7-9 pm, the South Pointe High School Fine Arts Dept. will host a benefit for choral music teacher Beverly Laney who is battling cancer. The benefit is a coffee house/open mic night in the school’s media center where students, teachers and guest musicians from the community will perform. There will also be a student art sale and raffle items. Tickets are $2. All proceeds will assist Beverly with costs associated with her treatment. Email abeard@rhmail.org for more information.

 

Reminder

The 2014 School Choice Fair will be held from 6:30-8:00 Thurs. evening, Nov. 21, in the gym at Saluda Trail Middle School. Parents who are interested in learning about the district’s nine schools of choice (The Children’s School, Ebinport, Northside, Oakdale, Richmond Drive, Rosewood, Sunset Park, Saluda Trail and Sullivan) are invited.

 

Noteworthy Dates

Nov. 20 – Support Staff Day

Nov. 20 – 125^th Birthday Celebration

Nov. 27-29 – Thanksgiving Holidays

Dec. 2 – Adult Education Graduation, 7 pm, Castle Heights Auditorium

 

Elaine T. Baker

Director of Information Services

 

Celebrating 125 Years of Public Education, 1888-2013