Laurens County

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.

Gentle Reminder: Please mark your calendars and plan a fun day engaging in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics at STEAM on the SQUARE. Digital Flyer Plain Text: https://bit.ly/STEAMontheSQUARE

There's time to help Ms. Green win the title of FSI Teacher All-Star for March 2025. Vote at https://fsioffice.com/teacher-all-stars Voting ends March 24th.

We thank Mr. Jerome Reynolds for his inspiring speech last month and his generosity. Thank you, Coach Greg Porter, for inviting Mr. Reynolds as the keynote speaker! Read our published press release to learn about Mr. Reynold's speech: https://bit.ly/2025BlackHistoryMonth

March is Music in Our Schools Month. We are celebrating by highlighting students who benefit from our music programs. Today, we feature Brittany Cruz-Lopez, an 8th-grade student at Sanders Middle School (SMS). She has been playing the viola since her 6th grade. Brittany is a very active student. She is the Vice President of the SMS Student Council and a member of the National Junior Honors Society.

Behavior Intervention Strategies is a broad topic. The Laurens County School District 55 (LCSD 55) Office of Special Education Services (OSES) is offering session two on April 1, 2025. The focus of the session is Conscious Discipline. The session will be led by LCSD 55 Director of Accountability, Federal Programs, and Professional Learning Amanda Lecaroz. Light snacks will be served. Please plan to attend this very informative seminar.

Every year, students, parents, and teachers across the state are asked to participate in the South Carolina School Climate Survey. This survey asks about participants’ experience with the physical, learning, and social environment at our schools. The results of this survey will be used in calculating school report cards, and the information given will be used to make school-, district-, and state-level educational decisions. The survey is available to teachers and students in Laurens District 55 between February 24, 2025, and April 11, 2025. Parent and Guardian surveys are available from March 18, 2025, to April 11, 2025. A printed letter explaining the survey was sent home on March 18, 2025. For easy parent access to the survey, a QR code unique to each child was attached to the letter. Completion of the survey should take about ten to fifteen minutes. We ask our parents and guardians to please read the statements and reflect on this school year to give the best responses. Kindly take this opportunity to share feedback and know that what you share will be greatly valued as we seek to continually grow. Thank you for your support and for being a vital part of our school community. Together, we can achieve our vision of a 5-Star School District!

Congratulations, Principal Compton! The South Carolina Athletic Administrators Association named him the 2024-2025 Braveheart Awardee for exhibiting a spirit of bravery and courage while enduring trying personal experiences.

We are pleased to announce that Ms. Elizabeth Green has been named FSI Office Teacher All-Stars March 2025 Top Ten Finalist. Ms. Green is a third-grade teacher at Ford Elementary School. She is in her first year of teaching, yet exemplifies excellence by going above and beyond for her students every day. She is very positive and very open-minded. She has a growth mindset and seeks to constantly improve her professional skills. She seeks guidance and applies what she learns. Ms. Green practices differentiated instruction in her classroom and often teaches students in small groups. She is data-driven and tracks her students' progress. Her students love her because they know she cares about them and she is committed to helping each of them grow. Help Ms. Green win the title of FSI Teacher All-Star for March 2025. Vote at https://fsioffice.com/teacher-all-stars Voting ends March 24th.

Great job Laurens Middle School & Sanders Middle School Combined Orchestra! Thank you, Sarah Rinaudo, for leading our students to excellence!

Fox Carolina News Reporter Myra Ruiz visited Sanders Middle School today to look at Ms. Harika Etha's Science Classroom and to feature the Laurens County School District 55 Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Bus. Catch her report at 5 PM today.

Our Laurens District 55 High School Honors Orchestra received the highest grade of Superior with Distinction on their Concert Performance Assessment, an improvement on the rating of Excellent last year. We're trending in the right direction, thank you, Mr. Kristopher Briggs! Congratulations, students!