Wagener-Salley High School is helping all students develop the World Class Skills of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate through the integration of activities designed to help our students develop critical thinking skills, and communication skills. Students also learned the benefits of collaboration and were exposed to a variety of activities designed to develop and explore their creativity. During the 2017-18 school year, as a school community, we refined the aims of our thematic school concept. Beginning in 2018-19, our academy will implement a set of strategic focus goals designed to unify all educational stakeholders and guarantee the fulfillment of our updated mission. These student-centered focus goals will serve as our roadmap to success. As a committed team, our district, administration, faculty, staff, students, and community will work hand-in-hand to ensure that academy students graduate having met three comprehensive, holistic goals. Students will graduate with academic knowledge required to transition into a two or four-year college or university. Students will graduate with leadership experiences, real-world experiences, and the instilled EmployABILITY Skills needed to secure and maintain employment in a career field or branch of the military. Students will graduate with critical-thinking and problem-solving skills necessary to live and thrive as contributing members of society. We believe that students who are the embodiment of these focus goals will be primed for excellence beyond high school.
While the class of 2018 presented a variety of opportunities for growth in terms of critical thinking, there were a number of successes and educational experiences for our students that allowed them to specifically demonstrate the world class skills that make up the profile of the South Carolina graduate. For the very first time, two of our students received a Platinum designation on the South Carolina WorkKeys examination. This accomplishment is proof of our commitment to excellence. While this was one of the smallest classes, our graduating seniors secured over $900,000 dollars in scholarships and 84% of our students were accepted into two or four-year colleges. A total of 31 students participated in dual-enrollment classes and earned college credit while simultaneously earning their high school diplomas. Due to our re-branding as a leadership and military science academy, we expect all of these numbers to improve vastly for the 2018-19 year.
In addition to academic success, we celebrated successes associated with athletics and extra-curricular clubs and activities. Students involved in the Jefferson Leadership Awards Foundation - Students in Action organization enjoyed an extremely successful first year. They attended two conferences in Columbia, SC and learned project management, teamwork, and leadership skills. SIA members surveyed students and faculty to determine school wide needs and identified “attracting business to the area” as their primary, long-term goal. Their projects are a primary example of the integration of critical thinking, communication, collaboration and creativity within a framework of community service. Their efforts were rewarded when our school became a “Silver Banner” leadership academy. FFA students in our new Environmental and Natural Resources Career Cluster attended and enjoyed the very first Blue Ridge Ecology trip where collaboration and the development of leadership skills was the central focus. A number of our ELA, Theatre, and Fine Arts students attended theater performances and our Theatre students performed for their peers, the faculty and the community for the first time. All of these experiences attest to our belief in providing our students with the kinds of enrichment they deserve and need. Once again, our War-Eagle JROTC Battalion, in conjunction with Students in Action, sponsored and organized a successful Red Cross Blood Drive in which our school exceeded its goal. These events allowed participants to show their dedication to citizenship and charity in a meaningful way.
The 2018-19 academic year will be a transformative year for Wagener-Salley Academy of Leadership and Military Science. We will continue to refine, promote, and foster the success of our thematic program and rededicate our efforts to ensuring success and positive outcomes for all of our students. In addition to this, we expect to see significant gains on all high-stakes tests and assessments associated with our students.
We remain proud of all that we have accomplished and will continue to be forward thinking and proactive in our continued efforts to be one of the premier high schools in Aiken County and the state of South Carolina.
Ute Aadland
Principal
Heather Loy
SIC Chairperson