STEM curriculum

Monday night’s meeting of the School District 56 Board of Trustees began with a lot of applause as recognition was given to some high achieving students, teachers and schools.

Dr David O’Shields introduced students who had excelled with the Michelin STEM Challenge. They were recognized for demonstrated proficiency in the STEM curriculum of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. Students all the way from the 3rd Grade to Clinton High were recognized.

Students who have been awarded the Palmetto Fellows Scholarship (the top state supported scholarship) were also recognized. Dr O’Shields noted that the number of students at Clinton High School had actually gone down BUT the number of Palmetto Fellows had gone up.

Teachers recognized included:

Ashley Davenport for excellence in Math and Science instruction. Ms Davenport is a Master Teacher at Clinton High School.

Valerie Jones for being named the Laurens County Distinguished Teacher of Reading.

Annette Vaughn for her efforts in obtaining a grant of $5,000 from the Lowe’s Corporation to support the agriculture department and the ongoing arboretum project.

And Eddie Marshall of Joanna Woodson Elementary School for acquiring a $4000 grant for the Fuel Up to Play Sixty program encouraging physical fitness for students.

And finally, as a result of the recent district wide accreditation, all schools in the district were presented with flags signifying their status as an accredited Advance ED institution.