Laurens County

Today is the day to have fun at STEAM on the SQUARE! A special ceremony will be held at 10 AM to honor community members who have been champions of art for Laurens.

Laurens County School District 55 celebrates our School Librarians. Thank you for all that you do for the students in Laurens 55!

Enjoy the performances of the Laurens District 55 High School Symphony and Chamber Orchestras. This event is free and open to all community members. Graphic Plain Text: https://bit.ly/April2-5CommunityEvents

The Laurens County First Steps has been a strong partner of Laurens County School District 55 for many years. Later today, Laurens County First Steps will hold an activity to raise funds to continue the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. This initiative will directly benefit the students in our district. Please come out to support them. April 2-5 Community Events Plain Text: https://bit.ly/April2-5CommunityEvents

A few more days before our big Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics event! STEAM on the Square opens at 9 AM at Laurens Square. Plaza Performances 9:00 AM Laurens County School District 55 (LCSD 55) Middle and High School Chorus 10:00 AM Awards Ceremony 10:15 AM LCSD 55 Elementary Music 11:00 AM LCSD 56 Elementary Music 12:00 PM Laurens Middle School & Sanders Middle School Band 1:00 PM Hickory Tavern School & Gray Court-Owings Band 2:00 PM Laurens District 55 High School Band Magnolia Room/Museum All-Day Student Art Display 11:00 AM LCSD 55 Strings Digital Flyer Plain Text: https://bit.ly/STEAMontheSQUARE

Lucas Avenue Baptist Church sponsored our district's Batman Empowerment assemblies in November 2024. In appreciation of our partnership, we are sharing information on an event the church is offering to the Laurens community.

Due to the probable passage of the Education Assistance Act (House Bill 3196) and due to the state requesting that make-up days be embedded into the school year, recommendations are being made to the 2025-26 Calendar. The Laurens 55/56 Calendar Committee met to make the revisions to the 25-26 calendar, as well as, propose the 2026-27 Academic Calendar. The committee presented these calendars to the schools for feedback and recommendations from the teachers/staff. Please review and provide feedback on the following calendars. The data will be reviewed by the calendar committee on April 2, 2025, and will remain open until the April 28, 2025, Laurens County School District 55 School Board meeting. This survey should take five minutes or less to complete. For questions or assistance completing this survey, contact Faye Colley, Coordinator of Communications, at fccolley@laurens55.org. https://bit.ly/2025-2026CalendarUpdatesFeedback

Final Reminder: Our Office of Special Education Services is offering a free seminar on Behavior Intervention Strategies. The focus is on Conscious Discipline. Light refreshments will be served. We look forward to seeing our parents, guardians, and community members tonight!

The South Carolina STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) Educational Month is celebrated annually between March 14th (Pi Day) and April 14th (World Quantum Day). Our district highlights Sanders Middle School Science Teacher Harika Etha for STEM Month. Harika Etha holds a Master of Science Plus 30 in Education from the College of Charleston, a Master of Science in Computer Science from Clemson University, and a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering from Claflin University. She holds endorsements in Gifted and Talented, Read to Succeed, and Project-Based Learning (PBL). She is currently working on her National Board Certification for teaching. She exhibits traits of a 5-star Science teacher inside and outside the classroom. To benefit her students, she continues to pursue higher learning through research cohorts. Her 2024-2025 cohort participation is described below. 1. Clemson University – Research Experience for Teachers (RET) in Advanced Manufacturing & Energy Systems • Selected as one of only 14 teachers in South Carolina. • Researching Protonic Ceramic Fuel Cells (PCFCs) for sustainable energy, using ultrasonic spray coating and laser metal deposition • Received a 3D printer, which is now used for engineering design and STEM projects in her classroom 2. Furman University – National Institutes of Health (NIH) IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) & National Science Foundation (NSF) EPSCoR RET • Engaged in biomedical and computational research, focused on real-world problem-solving. • Awarded $500 in classroom supply funding to expand access to hands-on STEM learning. 3. University of South Carolina – University of South Carolina AWAKE STEM PBL • Currently completing three graduate-level courses in Project-Based Learning (PBL) • Designing classroom units centered on climate change and sustainability • Provided with an iPad and a Swivl Robot to support interactive lesson delivery and student engagement.

March is Music in Our Schools Month. We are celebrating by highlighting students who benefit from our music programs. Today, we wrap the celebration by featuring Makenna Rosamond, a senior student at Laurens District 55 High School (LDHS). She sings soprano in the LDHS Chorus. Choral Director Ashley King sees Makenna as a natural leader and admires her for her willingness to volunteer for extra performance opportunities.

March is Youth Art Month. Our art teachers are happy to share some of their students' work. Great job students! https://bit.ly/2025YouthArtMonth

March is Music in Our Schools Month. We are celebrating by highlighting students who benefit from our music programs. Today, we feature Kinsley Garcia, an 8th-grade Band member at Sanders Middle School (SMS). Music helps Kinsley stay positive about life and become successful in the classroom. She thinks enjoying music and being part of the band should be an opportunity that all people should take advantage of. She also said, "Band has impacted me through my amazing directors, who have been with me every step of the way, so I can do what I love. Creating and playing music for me and others to enjoy!"

Laurens District 55 High School (LDHS) Principal Compton and Athletic Director Coach Spires surprised Jennifer Guiry, LDHS Athletic Trainer, with a banner and a token of appreciation to celebrate her during National Athletic Training Month. Also at the surprise gathering were Superintendent Dr. Jody Penland, School Board Chair Cathy Little, School Board Member Mike Hughes, Coach Atkinson, LDHS Assistant Principal Erin Hahn, Elizabeth Franklin, Ronda Benson, and Cassie Power.

March is Music in Our Schools Month. We are celebrating by highlighting students who benefit from our music programs. Today, we feature Connor Jennings, a 5th-grade general Music student at Waterloo Elementary School (WES). Connor is thankful to be in Music class in elementary. He believes it has prepared him to join the band program next year.

The Lakelands Basketball Officials Association held its annual banquet on Thursday, March 27, 2025, in Greenwood, South Carolina. The event was held to recognize the accomplishments of the coaches and athletes in the Lakelands area during the 2024-2025 basketball season. Laurens District 55 High School had three honorees: Coach Armond Flood Sr., Zoe Young-Dial, and Ty J. Jones. Congratulations! https://bit.ly/41R53sM

Laurens County School District 55 Approves Naming the Laurens District 55 High School Athletic Training Room in Honor of Coach Barry Atkinson. Thank you for your service, Coach Atkinson! Read our press release: https://bit.ly/CoachAtkinsonAthleticTrainingRoom https://bit.ly/SpanishCoachBarryAtkinsonAthleticTrainingRoom

Laurens District 55 High School Girls' Basketball player Zoe Young-Dial will compete in the South Carolina Basketball Coaches Association North-South All-Star Game. The game will take place on Saturday, March 29, 2025, at Brooklyn-Cayce High School in Columbia, South Carolina, at 1:00 PM. Admission is $15. Good luck, Zoe!

Our Robotics Teams are heading to the FIRST South Carolina State Championship in Anderson, South Carolina, April 3-5, 2025. Congratulations to FRC Team 4451, ROBOTZ Garage, and FRC Team 4864, Innovation Station! Thank you to all the coaches, mentors, and supporters of our teams!

Congratulations, Victoria Jordan, on being featured in Education Week! Victoria Jordan is a Teaching Specialist at Gray Court-Owings School. She is a classroom teacher who is actively involved in enhancing and supporting the teaching experience of fellow teachers. She collaborates with the school leadership team to analyze student data to help create and institute an academic achievement plan for the school. As a teacher-leader, Victoria Jordan was tapped to implement yoga strategies to help teach students self-regulation and mindfulness. These strategies supplement the Conscious Discipline work we are doing in Laurens County School District 55. Amy Starky an independent Certified Occupational Therapist provided Victoria Jordan necessary training to implement mindfulness in the classroom. Read the Education Week Article at https://bit.ly/VictoriaJordanMindfulness

Congratulations to the following Laurens District 55 High School students: Robert Bradway Jordan Stroud Price Turner Braden Yarbrough (Not in Photo) Logan Gault Hunter Richardson I'Zalon Williams Cody Patterson Ryan Nichols Max Martin Austin McCall Jackson Cole We are so proud of these young men for being selected to participate this summer in the American Legion Palmetto Boys State. They impressed American Legion Post 25 Panelists Tim Sain, Janet Sain, Jim Peterson, Kay Peterson, and Maritza Ellis with their wits, presence, extracurricular activities, academic record, and most of all, their citizenship. These students are deemed by the American Legion as potential leaders of our community, state, and country. They have integrity and patriotism. Their experience at the Palmetto Boys State will give them more insight into the United States Government. Thank you, American Legion Post 25 for your willingness to sponsor these students to participate in Palmetto Boys State.