White Knoll Middle School is helping all students develop the world-class skills and life and career characteristics of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate by providing a challenging academic program delivered by competent and caring professionals in a blended-learning environment. Our mission at WKMS is to prepare students for success in high school and to instill habits of scholarship which will serve them well in high school, college, career and life. To reach that goal, we have established four key priorities: to provide excellent and engaging instruction in all classes with a focus on blended learning; to continue to improve school climate with a focus on relationships; to exhibit professionalism in all our actions and interactions; and to strive for continuous improvement. Because our mascot is the hawk, we have also focused on “Soaring to Success.” “SOAR” summarizes our core values as:
- Success for all
- On time and on task
- Academically engaged
- Relationships, responsibility and respect
These values are addressed throughout the curriculum and discussed explicitly in classroom guidance lessons and in our “SOARING” adviser/advisee group meetings.
WKMS embarked on a blended-learning initiative in the spring of 2015. As we complete our third full year of blended-learning implementation, we are seeing students actively engaged in class through collaborative work, using excellent digital content and focusing on quality teacher-led instruction. Our work in blended learning and our district’s commitment to quality digital learning provided the opportunity for us to be selected as one of 50 schools in the United States that participated in the pilot year of the Dynamic Learning Project. The project is a national program supported by Digital Promise, Google and EdTechTeam that aims to improve education equity by empowering teachers to leverage technology in more powerful ways. Through our participation, our teachers have received excellent coaching and professional learning opportunities. This work has directly and positively impacted our students in the classroom. We are excited that we will be participating in the Dynamic Learning Project again next school year.
In addition to our core classes, we offer students an array of opportunities in fine arts and performing arts including art, band, chorus, dance, drama and orchestra. Three-fourths of our students participate in our arts programs. We are proud to be an Arts in Basic Curriculum site. Through this initiative, and with support from our district, we have worked to improve our arts equipment and facilities, and increase student and community access to and appreciation of the arts. We are also proud to offer our students opportunities to compete in athletics through the sports we sponsor at our school and by joint participation in White Knoll High School athletic programs. Approximately 20 percent of our students participate in interscholastic athletics at the middle school, junior varsity and varsity levels.
This year we focused on our goal to improve school climate by implementing principles of the Capturing Kids’ Hearts program. As we look to next year, we are excited that our entire teaching staff received Capturing Kids’ Hearts training in June to prepare to fully implement the program in the 2018–2019 school year. We will also be working through our “SOARING” adviser/advisee program to improve student interactions with each other as we work to develop a culture of kindness at WKMS.
Across the curriculum and throughout the school day, we also focus on student leadership. Our Student Council and other student organizations were active this year in school activities, leadership and fundraising. Service projects included Pasta for Pennies, Relay For Life, Hoops For Heart and food drives. Our school newsletter and yearbook were student-produced. Students also took the lead in all of our major gatherings, including awards programs, curriculum nights, orientations, and arts and athletic events. As we look to the future, we are excited about even more student voices being heard at WKMS.
Our staff also focused on leadership through professional growth and leadership in professional groups. Our Teacher of the Year, Tiffany Shull, was selected as a district teacher of the year finalist and 12 WKMS teachers are National Board Certified Teachers. In addition, WKMS hosted several state-level events including a VEX Robotics Qualifier event, the S.C. Speech and Theatre Association Middle School Festival, and the S.C. Music Educators Association Solo and Ensemble Festival.
Our care for our students is reflected in our counseling initiatives, our focus on good communication, and our excellent parent and community involvement. Our school counseling office has been named a Recognized American School Counselor Association Model Program, our PTSA provides wonderful support for students and staff, and the School Improvement Council gives us valuable insight and suggestions for continuous improvement. Parent attendance at our programs, participation in conferences, and communication with teachers, counselors and administrators are all exemplary.
As we look to the upcoming school year, we are excited about building on these initiatives. We will continue to refine our instructional program with a focus on personalizing learning through a blended-learning approach. We will also work to build even stronger relationships among students, between students and teachers, and with our parents and community. Through our work, we will strive to guide our students in developing the life and career characteristics of integrity, self-direction, global perspective, perseverance, work ethic and interpersonal skills that will enable them to meet their goals in school, career and life. We are proud of our students and staff, and we know we are fortunate to work with awesome parents in such a great community.
Together we are SOARING EVEN HIGHER at WKMS!
Guy Smith, Principal
Penny Montgomery, SIC Chair
