Berea High School is helping all students develop world-class skills in preparation for life and career by embodying the values expressed in our motto: Community, Character, and Excellence. As one of the most diverse schools in Greenville County (42% Hispanic, 26% white, 28% African American, 4% other), we have embraced community and remain true to our traditional values and our family atmosphere. We have implemented a rigorous college and career focused curriculum that promotes preparing for students for their future.
Berea High School is a one to one school where all students are issued Chromebooks. Our faculty has trained to effectively use this technology as a learning tool to not substitute for, but enhance instruction. Our students and teachers use a variety of resources to create and communicate across numerous mediums and augment what they are learning. For example, through the implementation of cold reads coupled with online discussion boards our students collaboration on text analysis has increased and has had a positive impact on our passage rates in English. Students are not limited to think, pair, and share in the classroom; now they have the opportunity to collaborate at any time with people in their classroom or across the world. This technology has also been instrumental in developing our ESL Newcomer program. Online resources and programs allow students with limited to no ability to speak English to learn the language at a rapid pace. This allows them to participate in class with their peers and have a more meaningful learning experience.
We have several instructional programs (theatre and arts, advanced manufacturing, agriculture, creative writing, cyber patriot cyber security team, and digital media) that expose students to knowledge beyond the traditional subjects. These programs, and other CATE classes, have provided our students the opportunity to collaborate on rigorous projects and express themselves creatively while preparing for careers. Our Theatre program received an excellent rating in state competitions this year. We also had several students receive theatre scholarships to college. Our cyber security competition team placed second in our region and went to the state FBLA tournament. Our Junior Achievement Titans competition team placed 5th in the upstate in their first year competing. These programs and others have opened up new doors for our students, encouraging them to work toward a future that they did not know existed while simultaneously building their capacity to excel.
Berea High School continues to provide opportunities for our students that go beyond the classroom. Bulldog RUN, a college access program, provides opportunities for our students to visit colleges and universities in our region. Students take a day trip in the fall to schools within the state and in the spring they take an overnight trip to visit colleges and universities further away. By having the opportunity to see different campuses and experience what college life really is about, our students are more motivated to attain their academic goals. Students who have participated have a 100% acceptance rate to college. Additionally, to enhance our learning environment for high-performing students, we offer both AP classes and dual credit opportunities with Greenville Technical College. Through these programs, students have the opportunity to earn both college and high school credit all while they practice high level of thinking in a rigorous, college-level course.
Our unofficial motto is “Make them smart; Make them good.” With an emphasis on making them good, BHS has embedded programs that teach good character and reward students for displaying that character. Character development begins in the ninth grade with our advisory and freshmen success classes, both of which emphasize personal development and being accountable for your actions. We also have programs in place to reinforce good choices. The Renaissance rewards program as well as our Freshman Academy offer incentives for students for doing the right thing. Community partners provide coupons and discounts to students to reinforce choices students make about coming to school, being kind to others, and maintaining high academic standards.
We believe that our success is due, in large part, to our faculty, who has built a highly collaborative environment that puts student interests before their own. Our goal is to provide a high quality education for all students and to prepare them to be successful in all aspects of their lives after high school. With the help and support of our community, we have no doubt that we will continue to accomplish our mission.
Sincerely,
Mike Noel, Principal Meg Thompson, SIC Chair