This year, Lexington County School District One honed our new vision of “Empower Each Child to Design the Future,” by focusing on “All Means ALL.” No matter their attendance zone, age or race, we desire that all of our students become global citizens, ready for the challenges and opportunities that await them.
As always, we make decisions that shape this goal with input from Lexington District One’s Board of Trustees, staff, students, parents, business leaders and community members. They provide us with real-world feedback about the skills our students will need to succeed after they graduate.
Our educators at all grade levels continue their emphasis on “power skills,” including accountability, collaboration, communication, critical thinking, interpersonal skills, integrity, perseverance and willingness to take risks. Their innovative methods challenge students, from kindergarten to high school, to inquire about the world around them, collaborate with partners and eagerly take on leadership roles in their school.
You will find power skills demonstrated districtwide through initiatives such as Seal of Biliteracy, Code To The Future, the Google Partnership–Dynamic Learning Project, International Baccalaureate, Blended Learning, industry certifications, dual credit offerings and Expeditionary Learning.
As a result, Lexington District One students continue to surpass state and national averages on national assessments, including SAT and ACT. The district’s scores ranked fourth among South Carolina school districts on ACT and fifth on SAT. Students continued to exceed state averages in mathematics, science, English and social studies on End-of-Course Exams.
Lexington One’s on-time graduation rate for 2018 was 89.5 percent and our 2019 high school graduates earned more than $158.7 million in scholarships.
In addition to core academics, our schools and teachers empower students by offering unique and engaging learning opportunities in technology, the arts and athletics. Our schools emphasize life and career characteristics, such as sportsmanship, interpersonal skills, work ethic and good citizenship, from kindergarten through grade 12, knowing well-rounded students require more than just academics to achieve success.
Students put character education into action by supporting charities and volunteer work. One of our high schools won the national gold award from the Jefferson Awards Foundation for outstanding community service in support of cancer patients and their families. Our schools also support organizations such as Relay For Life and the United Way, as well as local nonprofits such as Mission Lexington. In 2018–2019, students sent care packages to deployed military personnel, raised money for animal rescues and collected items for hurricane victims.
The approved 2019–2020 budget supports “Project Hope,” an initiative that serves both the emotional and behavioral needs of our students, by providing at least a 0.5 trained School Resource Officer at every elementary school, as well as eight more mental health counselors across the district, with approximately a 0.5 mental health counselor at every school.
This year, our celebrations include an elementary school achieving FranklinCovey Leader in Me Lighthouse status; a middle school winning Capturing Kids’ Hearts National Showcase School; another middle school receiving a milestone EL Education Credential; a school counselor winning Palmetto State School Counselor Association 2019 Middle School Counselor of the Year; and the recognition of one of our own as National Principal of the Year.
As we pursue excellence with the guiding force of “All Means ALL,” we look forward to more achievements and success during the 2019–2020 school year.
Gregory D. Little, Ed.D., Superintendent
Debra L. Knight, Board of Trustees Chair
