E-Blast in fiveMarshall Elementary Student Delivers a Bold, Powerful Message and Wins The MLK Oratory Competition

Volume 36: January, 2018

(continued on page 2)

When Jerniya Richardson, a fifth grade student at Marshall Elementary School, walked onto the stage at the fifth annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Oratory Competition, the audience knew something special was about to happen. Her energetic and confident performance engaged the audience and captured the full focus and attention of the judges. When the judge’s scores were tallied, Jerniya was named the winner of a very competitive contest. One of the highlights from Richardson’s speech was her translation of the acronym “BELIEVE IN YOU”: B – Build relationships that can bring about a change. E – Establish rules for your behavior at home and in public. L – Listen to the Voice of Reason and Learn from your

mistakes. I – Inspire others to be great. E – Embrace all things that make you different. V – Have a Vision, Be the Vessel, Be the Voice E – Expect the impossible.

The Orangeburg Consolidated School District Five (OCSD5) Board of Trustees and Superintendent Dr. Jesse Washington recognized twelve teachers who had eighty percent or more of their students successfully pass State tests during a special presentation at the school board meeting on Tuesday, January 16, 2018. Dr. Wanda McMichael, the OCSD5 Executive Di-rector of Testing, Accountability, and Research, intro-duced the teachers and stated. “Tonight, we salute a few of our teachers who have had a significant, posi-tive impact on student achievement. At least eighty percent of their students met the State standard.”

District Teachers Honored for Student Success On State Tests

(continued on page 3)

E-BlastJanuary, 2018

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MLK. . . (continued from pg. 1)I – Include God in everything you do.N – Never settle and Never give up.

Y – Yield not to temptations and Young ladies, do not be afraid to say “Me Too” because time is up.O – Overcome by being open to change.U – Understand that you are not a fail-ure if you keep trying.

Congratulations Jerniya, your words were truly inspiring. The final round of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Oratory Competition was held on the evening of February 1, 2018 at New Mount Zion Church in Orangeburg. The preliminary rounds of the competition began several months ago with qualifying programs in each of the eight elementary schools in Orangeburg Consolidated School District Five (OCSD5). The preliminary competitions determined the school cham-pions who would move on to compete as finalists in the dis-trictwide competition. The competition was open to fourth and fifth grade students who were required to compose and present an original speech of up to five minutes on the topic: “If the great Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was invited to deliver the commencement speech at my graduation, this is what I believe he would say”. The names of the students who qualified to participate in the final round of the MLK Oratory Competition, along with the schools they attend, are:• JerniyaRichardson,MarshallElementarySchool,1stPlace• SincereWilliams,MellichampElementarySchool,2ndPlace• JusperiousDavenport,SheridanElementarySchool,3rdPlace• JabariGuinyard,OrangeburgLeadershipAcademy,Finalist• Elayshia Brown, Bethune-Bowman Elementary School, Finalist• CheniaRobinson,BrookdaleElementarySchool,Finalist• NoahColeman,DoverElementarySchool,Finalist• AaronUlmer,WhittakerElementarySchool,Finalist While the finals of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Oratory Competition provided great inspiration and entertainment for the audience, its primary purpose was to provide fourth and fifth grade students with an opportunity to develop their skills in historical research, reading, writing, and public speaking in classrooms across the district. The program began with opening remarks by Mistress of Ceremonies Dr. Mary Williams, the 2017-18 OCSD5 District Teacher of the Year. She was followed by welcoming remarks from Jessica James, the winner of the 2017 competition, and a high energy musical performance by the Marshall Ele-mentary School Drum Line. Following the speeches by each of the students, Claflin student and Orangeburg-Wilkinson

High School graduate Esther Jones delivered an inspira-tional voice and piano performance that concluded with a standing ovation from the audience. Five community leaders served as judges for the com-petition including: Gail Fogle, Senior Vice President atFirst Citizens Bank; Murray Garvin, Head Men’s Basketball Coach at South Carolina State University; Kenneth Middle-ton,PresidentandChiefExecutiveOfficerofTheMiddletonCompanies; Mary L. Smalls, retired Dean of Library and Information Services at South Carolina State University; and Reverend Ellis White Jr., pastor at Edisto Fork United Methodist Church in Orangeburg. Jimmy Jones Toyota of Orangeburg was the sponsor for the event. Thanks to the generous support from our sponsor, all of the final round participants received tro-phies and certificates recognizing their accomplishments and were treated to a special lunch with their Principalsand coaches. In addition, the top three places received the followingprizes:1stPlace-$500,2ndPlace-$3000,and3rdPlace-$200.Followingthepresentationofawards,OCSD5 Superintendent Dr. Jesse Washington congratulat-ed the students and offered his thanks to the sponsor. “The relationship between Jimmy Jones Toyota and the students and teachers in Orangeburg Consolidated School District Five is a great example of the positive outcomes that are possible when the business community gets involved in our community’s schools,” said Washington. “We are very grateful for the support that Mr. Jones has provided for our children and public education.”

January, 2018 E-Blast

The members of the Orangeburg Rotary Club - Morning and the Orangeburg County Chamber of Commerce gathered at a special breakfast meeting on February 7, 2018 to recognize four local teachers with Educator of the Year Awards. Each of the selected teachers received a personalized plaque along with a monetary gift. Shown in the photo are: (front row, left to right) Tanya Anderson, Educator of the Year from OCSD4; Nicki Boland, Educa-toroftheYearfromOrangeburgPreparatorySchool;Dr.MaryWilliams,EducatoroftheYearfromOCSD5,andKeriFersner,EducatoroftheYearfromOCSD3;(backrow,lefttoright)EvanPowell,HeadofSchoolatOrangeburgPreparatorySchool;Dr. Tim Newman, Superintendent of OCSD4, and Jacqueline Jamison, OCSD5 Director of Elementary Schools.

ArEA TEAchErs rEcOgNIzEd wIThEdUcATOr Of ThE YEAr AwArds

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Teachers Honored. . . (continued from pg. 1) The teachers who were honored for this special achievement are:Marshall Elementary School• DeniseBrown-Johnson,SCREADY–ELA,82.5%• NajaArgrow,SCREADY–Math,84.8%• GervaisFore,SCREADY–Math,87.8%• AudreyIrick,SCPASS–SocialStudies,95.7%• DanaWilliams,SCPASS–SocialStudies,94.59%Robert E. Howard Middle School• ShannaWhite,EOCEP–English1,80.8%The Technology Center• TraceyScoville,NCCERCore–Construction,96%• Hydrick Gass, ServeSafe Foodhandler’s Certification – Culi-naryArts,100%• TheresaJohnson,HeartSaverFirstAidCPRandAED–HealthScience,100%• ShaylaPaul,HeartSaverFirstAidCPRandAED–SportsMedi-cine,90%William J. Clark Middle School• DeborahHailey,EOCEP–English1,97.2%• LisaBenton,EOCEP–Algebra1,100%. To show their appreciation, the members of the OCSD5 Board of Trustees presented each teacher with a certificate, a commemo-rativelapelpin,andacheckfor$250.

Orangeburg-Wilkinson High Schoolwill be Hosting

Area 3 ~ Special OlympicsFridAy, MArcH 16tH

9:00 A.M. - 1:30 P.M. on the trackthere will be vendors, face painting, balloons and other activities. there will be a 50 meter dash,100 meter dash, Shot Put throw, 4x4 relay,

and a host of other events.come out enjoy, support and watch the

athletes from the area compete.Any questions call: 534-6180

AREA 3

ALLENDALE, BAMBERG, BARNWELL, CALHOUN, ORANGEBURG

E-Blast In each edition of the E-Blast in Five, we present profiles of the Teachers of the Year from our schools. This month we will be featuring Dr. Carolyn Gaillard from The Technology Center. Dr. Gaillard was also a Finalist for consideration as the OCSD5 District Teacher of the Year.

Dr. Carolyn Gaillard is a National Board Certi-fied Teacher with 36 years of experience as an edu-cator. As a member of the faculty at The Technology Center, she instructs high school students in courses including Food and Nutrition, Introduction to Teach-ing I, and Teacher Cadet. In addition to teaching in the public school system, Dr. Gaillard has also taught at the college level at South Carolina State University and within the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control. With her diverse back-ground and experiences, she is great resource for her students.

Like so many others in the teaching profession, Dr. Gaillard was influenced to become a teacher at an early age. With the support and encouragement of her grandmother, she followed her dream and committed to a course of teaching and life-long learning. After earning a Bachelor of Science Degree in Food and Nu-trition at South Carolina State University, Dr. Gaillard went on to obtain four more advanced degrees. Here is the story of how she became drawn to the teaching profession in her own words:

“As a child from a rural area, career choices were limited. The trend was to graduate high school and then transition to New York. The children who did not go to New York went into the military. The others were left with teachers and preachers as their career role models. The factors that influenced me to become a teacher were: my grandmother and the love of teach-ing.

In the neighborhood where I grew up, the after school activities for children were working in the fields and completing homework assign-ments. Parents and grandparents knew the im-portance of an education. They made sure that their children and grandchildren knew how to read, write, and do arithmetic. My grandmother took it a little further; she made sure that I was in school daily, Sunday school on Sunday morn-

OCSD5 TEACHER OF THE YEAR PROFILESDr. Carolyn GaillarD – The TeChnoloGy CenTer

ing, and Vacation Bible School dur-ing the summer. She taught me that I am required to share what I learn with others and never forget my roots. She gave me roots and wings.”

Dr. Gaillard also feels a strong com-mitment to give back to her community. As the Director of the Youth Em-powerment Ministry at her church, she works with youth and their parents to help promote Christian teaching to facilitate better relationships among youth, their families, the congregation, and the community. Under her leadership, the Youth Empowerment Ministry spon-sors a Back-to-School Breakfast, a Halloween Festival (trunk or treat), a Youth of the Year Banquet, Vacation Bible School, and a youth community service for the elderly and needy.

Beyond her service to her church, Dr. Gaillard is also very active in the Orangeburg community. In 2012, she became a member of the Orangeburg Community Action Board and began serving an even largerpopulation.AsthecurrentVicePresidentoftheBoard, she has been a strong advocate for addressing the health disparities that exist within our community. She has been especially active in promoting awareness and healthy choices about HIV/AIDS, cancer, hyperten-sion, and diabetes.

Steve Williams, the Director of The Technology Center, shared his praise for the work of Dr. Gaillard by stating, “Dr. Gaillard embodies what students, parents, and stakeholders desire in educators. She is extremely conscientious, and exhibits a level of endurance that surpasses her peers. She is a dedicated and disci-plined professional who is focused and goal-oriented. There is a great need for educators of Dr. Gaillard’s caliber.”

Let’s all congratulate Dr. Gaillard on her selection as a District Teacher of the Year Finalist. Let’s also thank her grandmother for giving her “roots and wings”.

January, 2018

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The BB Campus Dazzling Dolls competed in Orangeburg’s Fes-tive5competitioninDecemberandtookfirstplace.PerformancesfromalloverthecountytookplaceatthePrinceofOrangeburgMalland were voted by the public. Congratulations to our BB Campus Dazzling Dolls.

Dancers Take 1st Place in “Orangeburg’s Festive 5”

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Math teachers Ms. Elliott and Ms. Turkvan hosted Math-a-thon for 3rd-8th grade students. Students had a limited time each round to correct-ly solve math problems. Finalists from each grade will move on to the regional competition to com-pete against students from other schools.

Savannah State University paid a visit to the Bethune-Bowman Cam-pus in order to recognize students who were accepted into the university as well as recruit more students. Among the accepted were; Shamaya Felder, Sahura Levins, Shanice Haqq, Isaac Mays, and Tyler Robinson. For many students, this has not been the only acceptance letter they have received from colleges. Congratulations to everyone!

Bethune-Bowman Campus students participated in the annual Hour of Code event. Hour of Code exposes and encourages students to pursue a career in technol-ogy. For the event, student uses coding techniques to design their own animated Google logo.

Math-A-ThonFinalists toCompete in

RegionalCompetition

Savannah State University Visits BBMH

“Hour of Code” Event Encourages Career

in Technology

E-Blast in five January, 2018“The Buzz” @ BeThune-Bowman K-12 Campus

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Congratulations to Kalyssa Williams who was judged the winner of the 5th grade charac-ter education essay contest at Dover El-ementary School. Our students under-stand it is important to examine them-selves each time a character word is

identified for the month. Kalyssa recently had her essay printed in the Annual 5th Grade Character Education RecognitionProgramforClaflinUniversity.Allofthefifth graders traveled with Kalyssa to represent Dover.

Each month we fo-cus on a character ed-ucation trait during our Eagle’s Nest Advocacy Program time. Thisprogram is implement-ed the fourth Monday of each month. This month’s character trait is cheerfulness. Students engage in discussions and activities that help them connect with the importance of the character trait. They never fail to provide a perspective that we had not thought of before. The discussions are rich and students are ea-ger to give their point of view. Our students also have an oppor-tunity to identify any barriers they may be experiencing through the use of an exit survey utilized by their classroom advocate. Each advocate responds to the student’s exit survey as required. The rapport between staff and students have excelled as a re-sult of this interaction and students know that they have some-one other than their teacher that they can talk to about their concerns. Our advisors (homeroom teachers) get a change to share some of their own experiences with the students and re-inforce any other topics that are relevant to the class. We find value in this program and the many overarching connections it

has created between students, teachers and staff.

Character EducationEssay Contest Winner

EaglE’s NEst advocacy Program

E-BlastTHE DOVER ~ “DISPATCH”

Fourth aNd FiFth gradErs comPEtE iN oratory EvENt The district’s Oratory Competition topic this year is “If Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was invited to deliver the commence-ment speech at your graduation, what would he say?” Our school level Oratory Competition was held December 12th, 2017. A combination of six of our 4th and 5th grade stu-

January, 2018

dents competed, even though all of them were very nervous, they did an amazing job delivering their speeches. The Orangeburg-

Wilkinson Student Government Association presented a step routine and an uplifting song. We were also excited tohaveasour judges:Mrs.PauletteFaust,Dr.MaxineHyman-SpellsandMayorPattyCarson.Mrs.LinaRed-mond acted as our scorekeeper and tabulator. After the elite panel of judges scored the contestants and the scores were tabulated, Noah Coleman, a 4th grader was determined as the winner. Noah has anxiously prepared to be represent Dover at the district’s competition.

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Read! Read! Read! That’s the way students at Marshall received library bucks so they could participate in the first semester library auction. Students were provided library bucks accord-ing to them completing various activi-ties: monthly reading logs, Book Triv-ia,ReadfortheBigGameProgram,and other reading activities. The week before Christmas break, each grade level had an auction. Students were able to buy items for themselves and family members, using the library bucks. The next auction will be in May so READ!!!!!!

Marshall’s Kindergarten students have been studying daily and seasonal weather patterns. We have been talking about weather observa-tions. We have had cold days and warm days, so far this winter. The teachers and students enjoyed the snow we had in January! We also did a bul-letin board about our fun in the snow. Students drew a snowman and wrote about the fun they had in the snow! We also have been watching and discuss-ing weather videos about the seasons and the changes focusing on clouds. We are learning about the different types of clouds. The students enjoyed listening to Little Cloud by Eric Carle. Students were able to make their own clouds, us-ing white tempera paint and construction paper.

Other students used glue and cotton balls to create their clouds. The teacher and students also went on nature walks to observe the shapes they saw in the clouds. Students also partici-pate in making a cloud in a jar after watching a video on making clouds! Students really enjoyed this activity and sharing their observations! The students are enjoying learning about the weather and how it changes so fast! We are hoping that February will bring us cold weather, but sunny days!

MaRsHall’s MEssagEs. . .Weather Fun in Kindergarten

January, 2018 E-Blast

Here at the Hive, we recently hosted our school level Fifth Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Oratory Competition. The purpose of the contest is to allow students of OCSD5 to use their voice to motivate and inspire others through the art of public speaking. The contest theme honors the work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. We had students from fourth and fifth grades competing to be the school level winner. The participants were Madison Davis, Tre’Vay Stroman, DestinyPlush,TytionaWhaley,RashadKnotts,AlexanderRoss,AshlynHughes,Rheina Brown, and Jerniyah Richardson. Our winner was Jerniyah Richardson, with the help of the school coordinator Ms. Keisha N. James. We had an amaz-ing time with this district initiative! We are Marshall!

Marshall Hosts Fifth Annual MLK, Jr. Oratory Competition

Marshall library hosts FirstseMester auction

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The Mellichamp School Family hosted our 2nd Quarter Honors&AwardsProgram&CareerLyceum,wherewerec-ognize students who excel in academics and character as well as spotlight a career. Our guest speaker was Meteo-rologist Tim Miller from the WIS-TV10 News Weather Team. His message was inspiring as he encouraged the students to persevere and strive towards success.

Moments at Mellichamp...E-Blast in five January, 2018

WIS-TV Meteorologist Tim Miller is Guest Speaker at the 2nd Quarter Honors and

Awards Program

Mayor Butler shared inspirational words with the Sheridan Elementary family recently. He shared how important it is to get an education and challenged all students to continue to study and strive to be the best in school. He also shared his story and said that anything is possible re-gardless of your background and that hard work and dedication truly

pays off.

Orangeburg Mayor ButlerVisits and Inspires Sheridan

Elementary Students

Tim Miller, on left, speaks to students at MellichampElementary School.

The Sheridan Superstars really demonstrated the character trait “Generosity” by helping others that are less fortunate for the month of December. The students collected an abundance of supplies such as toothpaste, deodorant, soap, eating utensils, etc. to help victims in need at CASA. The students had a great time collecting items and trying to make a dif-ference in their community. The CASA team was very appreciative for all the love shown from the Sheridan Superstar family.

Sheridan held its annual MLK Oratory competition during December, in the Superstars’ Cafe. Students in 4th and 5th grade had the awesome task of preparing a 2-3 minute speech on the topic “If Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was invited to deliver the commencement speech at your graduation, what will he say?” The judges for this occasion were Ms. Rosa Evans, a retired math teacher, Dr. George Hicks, a professor at S.C. State University, and Rivelon Elementary’s 2017-18 Teacher of the Year, Mrs. Monica King. The winners (all 5thgraders)were:1stPlace,AniyahCarter,Mrs.Whaley’sclass;2ndPlace,JusperiousDavenport,Mr.Lester’sclass;and3rdPlace,ChloeWalker,Ms.Gates’ class. We congratulate all MLK Oratory winners and participants and look forward to supporting Miss Carter as she represents Sheridan Elementary School for the district level competition.

Sheridan’sfacultyandPTOheldatalentshowre-cently to showcase their superstar talent in the Super-stars’ Cafe. Singing, quoting speeches, demonstrating tricks with a basketball, and creative dancing where among some of the special talents. The first place winner was Jashaun Green with his praise dancing talent. Sarah and Samantha Tomson won second place for their contemporary dance. Third place went to the dancing duo, Chase Brown and Serenity Sum-mers. Mr. Gordon also surprised the crowd with his rapping talent at the end of the show.

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“THE sCOOP” @ sHERIDaN ElEMENTaRY

Sheridan Students“Got Talent”

SES Oratory Contest

Community Service Learning ProjectEngage Students

E-Blast in five January, 2018

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E-Blast January, 2018in fiveUPDaTEs FROM WHITTaKER ElEMENTaRY

The Whittaker family showed the true Christmas spirit with tremendous gener-osity for the children of the Orangeburg community. Our advisement sessions were on “generosity” for the month of December. The Junior Beta Club students wanted to help other children in our community. The students decided donating Christ-mas stockings to 10 students would be the perfect community service project. The Whittaker family loved the idea so

much the entire school got involved. We were able to donate a total of 65 stockings and several bags and boxes to children. The faculty and staff discussed generosity in our advisement sessions, which made all of our students excited to help other children. Captain Wanda Long, from the Salvation Army came to our faculty and staff Christmas social to receive the donations and was most grateful. Our advisement lessons are so valuable in teaching our students the true lesson of being generous.

Congratulations to two of William J. Clark Mid-dleSchoolgiftedyoungartists.PraptiPatelandKhylaGidron took top honors in the 2017 Trinity United Methodist Church Children’s Sabbath Day Art Con-test. The Children’s Defense Fund, the national spon-sor of Children’s Sabbath, has worked for 44 years to ensure a level playing field for all children. This year’s theme was “Moving Forward with Hope: Love and Justice for Every Child.” Their empha-sis is on protecting our children and giving them the tools for a successful future. Sixth through eighth grade students illustrated the following question: How can I show acts of love and justice within my community? WeareSUPERPROUDofourgiftedGreyhounds.These students are enrolled in Ms. Wright’s Drawing andPaintclass.

w.J. clark Middle school students win

TUMc sabbath’s day Art contest

Advisement comes To Life at whittaker

The Office of Instructional Technology, within Instructional Services, shared Christmas with their adopted family from Dover Elementarywhohavechildrenages6,8,and9. Picturedarefromlefttoright:Dr.CynthiaCash-Greene,ChiefInstructional Services Officer; Taphnie Sanders, Network Adminis-trator; Quencenia Dantzler, Digital Resource Coach; Jacqueline Jamison, Executive Director Elementary Schools; Jennifer Watson, mother; Flammond Quinn, Help Desk/Technician; Sylvia Wil-liams,Principal,DoverElementary;andEricHam,ExecutiveDi-

rector, Instructional Technology.

dover family Adopted for christmas

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The w.J. clark “Chronicle”

January, 2018 E-Blast

Three students who attended William J. Clark Middle School last year are Division Three winners in the 2017 SouthCarolinaSchoolBusSafetyPosterContest.Thestu-dents are: Joceline Irick, First place and Third place National Sharon Rajadhas, Second place Chloe Bryan, Third place In addition to placing first in Division Three for South Carolina, Joceline’s entry placed third in the National

Competition. The theme was “My Driver---My Safety Hero!” These students are currently in the ninth grade at the HighSchool forHealthProfessions.The studentswill berecognized in February at the South Carolina Department of Education board meeting. The National School Bus Safety Poster Contest issponsoredeachyearbytheNationalAssociationforPupilTransportation, the National Association of State Directors

ofPupilTransportationServices,andtheNa-tional School Transportation Association. The South Carolina Overall Contest Win-ner and first, second, and third place winners in each category will receive a plaque and a framed copy of their posters. Additionally, the Overall Contest Winner’s poster will be used to promote School Bus Driver Apprecia-tion Week in February 2018.

Three Winners of the S.C. School Bus Safety Poster Contest are Former Clark Students

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Happenings @ R.E. Howard Middle schoolE-Blast in five January, 2018

The Greenwood Genetic Center’s Mobile Science Laboratory, the Gene Machine, visited R.E. Howard Middle School. The Gene Machine provided hands-on genetics laboratory activities for the 7th grade students in Mrs. Humphrey’s sci-

ence classes. The stu-dents used engaging and fun modules, and the instructors enhanced classroom learning of timely topics and en-couraged students to consider careers in ge-netics and life science. Special thanks to the South Carolina Depart-ment of Education and Orangeburg’s Legis-lators: Senator John Matthews, Jr., Senator Brad Hutto, Represen-tative Jerry Govan, Jr., Representative Lonnie Hosey, Representative Gilda Cobb-Hunter, and Representative Russell Ott.

The Robert E. Howard Middle School Library Learning Commons has worked to transform the learning environment to reflect the personal interests and needs of students. Students and teachers are not just checking out books, but are now utilizing the space as an extension of their classrooms. Funds secured through the Carolina Consortium for Enterprise Learning (CCEL) were used to redesign the learning environment. Today the learning commons offers flexible spaces for

tutoring, collaboration, content creation, meetings, and reading.

hANds-ON LEArNINg fOr OUr sTUdENTs!

The reinvention of a School library

“THe TAlk” @ The Technology Center

Recently, local barber and business owner Tyrone Boneparte of “2 Da Bone Barber-shop” spoke to the barbering program at The Technology Center. During this occasion, Mr. Boneparte was very transparent while expressing the challenges and tasks involved with being a barber. Boneparte revealed that an early age, he wanted to be a basketball player, but circumstances in life led him to cutting hair. On several occasions during the presentation, Mr. Boneparte emphasized the endless opportunities available with being a barber. The Barbering program at The Technology Center is open to 11th grade students within the district and Calhoun County. Within the program, students learn the tech-niques including styling, trimming for men and women, as well as shaving and main-taining facial hair for men. Students also learn the value of good customer service, salon/shop management, entrepreneurship and relevant soft skills. With successful

completion of the program students can graduate with the credentials of a Licensed Master Hair Care Specialist. It is a common practice for the various programs of The Technology Center to invite speakers from the community, as it gives students opportunities to match the objectives learned in the classrooms with the actual people working the respective industries. Additionally, this gives students a greater sense of what is required to have a successful career and a productive life.

ThE BArBErINg PrOgrAM hOsTs sPEAkEr

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E-Blast in five January, 2018

Robert E. Howard Middle School’s Math Competition Team re-cently participated in the South Carolina Statewide Math Competition (Math Fest 2018). The competition was held on January 27th at Eau Claire High School in Columbia, SC. The students did an excellent job in representing the district’s motto: “Embrace, Empower, Execute for Excellence”. The team consisted of 20 students (5-6th grade, 7-7th grade, and 8-8th grade students). The team now qualifies for the Re-gional Math Competition which will be held in Atlanta, GA. The follow-ing individuals assisted with preparing the students for the competition: Dr. Charlene Stokes, Dr. Derrick James, Tammie C. Jenkins, Tamara Stroman, Kavitha Rathinam, Kimberly Smartt, Priscilla Charley, andBeemarthi Sujatha.

R.E. Howard Students Are Math Champions@ Math Fest 2018

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In honor of AVID Fun Day Friday, thirty-four students of NMHS AVID College-Readi-ness Elective courses attended the Columbia Classical Ballet’s rendition of The Nutcracker on a Friday in December. The stu-dents were treated to this event with complimentary tickets sponsored by the OCSD5 Drop-out Prevention Program. After the ballet, the students enjoyed lunch at Zaxby’s and Taco Bell. AVID tutors and facul-ty were chaperones on the trip.

Congratulations to Thomas Hammond, 8th grader at North Middle/High School, for winning 2nd place in the Children’s Sab-bath Day Poster Contest. The contest was sponsored by The Trinity United Methodist Church of Orangeburg. The theme for the con-test was, “Moving Forward with Love, Hope, and Justice for Every Child. How Can I Spread Love Throughout My Community?”

Recently, NMHS students, Summerlyn Thomp-son, Sion Durant, Haley Long, Deshawn Johnson, and Amanda Whitehead visited the SC Governor’s School for Science and Mathematics in Hartsville, SC. Students had the opportunity to meet faculty, staff and students and take part in informational sessions as well as a student-guided campus tour.

nMhs aViD stuDents experience“the nutcracker”

NMHS Student Places in Children’s Sabbath Day

Poster Contest

NeWS from North Middle/High school

S.C. Governor’s School Preview Day Visit

January, 2018 E-Blast

Orangeburg-Wilkinson Student Council and Royal Court took the time to read to students at Brookdale and Marshall Elementary Schools recently. The O-W students are focused on giving back to the community that helped foster their learning skills at a young age. Our students felt the need to show the younger generation the im-portance of education and college/career readiness.

Christian Darby Owens is focused and driven in his efforts to make his community a better place, including donating warm socks to the elderly in area nursing homes. Going above and beyond what is expected of him is something the 17-year-old doesn’t mind doing be-cause of the unwavering support and encouragement he receives from his

loving family and high school principal. A collector of vibrant socks in an array of colors and pat-terns, Owens thought it would be good to gather them not just for himself, but for seniors who may need the warmth and com-fort of a new pair of socks in any hue. He launched his own service project called “Comforts of Caring” to demonstrate the importance of giving back to his community. His collection has grown to over 100 socks, which he distributed to area nursing homes before Christmas. Owens’ willingness to give his time and talents beyond what is necessary or expected led to his designation as the exempli-fication of generosity as part of the Orangeburg County Com-munity of Character initiative. It is an honor which took the teen by surprise. “I was very sur-prised and honored,” Owens said. He learned of the designation on his mother’s birthday, which he said made it “feel very special.” Owens said anybody can be generous, any time of the day. “Just opening the door for someone or getting someone something means a lot,” he said. Being generous to others is important him. Owens said, “I watched how my family was always generous to other people. The trait was kind of brought down to me. My uncle is a pharmacist and I saw the feedback he got back just from being generous to all types of people.

“I saw that from my great-grandmother’s experience working in the hospital, telling us stories about being generous. And then there’s my mom. I think it’s just a family trait and something they taught me. Kindness matters. You never know what someone’s going through.” He said, “My mom challenged me to become better than my circumstances. She emphasized that giving back is what service is all about. I like to collect a lot of crazy socks with all different kinds of patterns and colors. “I thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool and different to have some cozy comfort socks for the elderly to keep warm?’ Most people don’t think of socks. They usually think of blankets and clothing.” Owens is the son of Dr. Vickel Miranda Darby and Clarence Owens Jr.Heattends theHighSchoolofHealthProfessions inOrangeburg Consolidated School District 5. Owens said his par-ents and his principal have all been sources of encouragement and inspiration for him. He added, “My principal, Mrs. Angel Malone, reminds me daily that I have the potential to be anything. I plan to major in chemistry to become a pharmacist and open my very own pharmacy and a health clinic for the homeless.” Owens is already thinking of other service projects he would like to launch before attending college. “Right now I’m thinking of different projects for the spring and summer. I’m thinking about targeting at-risk students, like students who have dropped out of school. I’m mainly targeting those students during the summer because that’s when you usually get out of focus,” he said. Owens said he appreciates all that the Community of Char-acter initiative does to spread good character within the com-munity. “I feel like they’re doing a great job because Orangeburg really needs character right now. A lot is going on not just in Orangeburg, but in the world. It’s a wonderful thing to spread positivity,” he said.

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o-W stuDent council & royal court reaD to stuDents

HSHP Student Recognized For His Generosity

Orangeburg-Wilkinson HighE-Blast in five January, 2018

Written by Dionne Gleaton, The Times and Democrat

16

January, 2018 E-Blast

Nicholas Sherman thinks about his maternal grandfa-ther and all he meant to him when he begins his job each day as a digital coach in Orangeburg Consolidated School District 5. It is what keeps him noticeably happy throughout the day. Sherman, like everyone else, has his bad days, but those around him rarely notice it because he intentionally decides to spread warmth and optimism based on the prin-ciples his grandfather Buck Sherman Jr. taught him begin-ning in childhood. He also credits his mother, Veronica, for always demonstrating a positive attitude and outlook. As a digital resource coach in OCSD5, Sherman in-teracts daily with teachers, students and staff in sharing his knowledgeoftechnology.ButhedoesmorethanfixiPads.He extends a caring hand, gentle smile and pleasant, bright demeanor. It his commitment to demonstrating a sunny, friendly and welcoming disposition that has earned Sher-man the designation as the exemplification of cheerfulness as part of the Orangeburg County Community of Character initiative. The honor caught the 40-year-old by surprise. “I’m just a person that likes to come to work, do my job and make sure everybody’s OK. It definitely caught me off guard, but I am honored,” he said. Sherman graduated from South Carolina State Univer-sity with a bachelor’s degree in English education. Before he stepped into the information technology field, he had served as an English teacher in the district, beginning his career at Brookdale Elementary School. “The basic core of my job now is helping students and teachers integrate technology into their classrooms. I’ve been doing that for a while now. I’m going into my sixth year doing that, but this is my 17th year in the district,” Sherman said. Whatever his duties are, he commits himself to doing them with a cheerful attitude, he said. “Cheerfulness means always trying to find the positive in everything. A lot of times we get so focused on the negative stuff. So, I try to make sure I find the positive in whatever comes up,” Sherman said. “I try to be that person that tries to find that silver lining in the cloud and look at things from a holistic perspective. It doesn’t always work out like that, but I try to do that,” he added. Where did this agreeable spirit originate? “I think that just came a lot from my upbringing. My mom is super posi-tive, and my grandfather always taught me about hard work before he passed. He would say, ‘You keep going until the job is done.’ Those kinds of things stuck with me,” Sherman said. The Conway native said he would not want to tarnish his grandfather’s memory by being anything less than posi-

tive. “He passed away a couple of years ago. That

was pretty hard on me, but I’m a firm believer that he’s still with me. ... I try to make sure I hon-or him in the things that I do. I hope he’s proud of me,” Sherman said, smiling. He said being cheerful is important in his professional life and credits his mother and grandfather for instilling that patience, good work ethic and cool head that helps get him through the day. “I think it’s so important because it’s so easy to get sucked down in negativity. It’s so much of that in the world already. So you have to rise above that,” he said, noting that being able to move forward past obstacles in life is important in achieving success. “The thing with being cheerful is that it’s not every day. If you can do it the majority of the time, that’s OK, but nobody’s perfect. I don’t claim to be perfect. You hit some stumbling blocks from time to time, but you keep moving,” Sherman said. “They may get me down, but they won’t keep me down.” Sherman and his wife, Rhonda, are the parents of a 9-year-old son,Nicholas Jr.He said he tries to instill thesame values that were instilled in him in his son. “He’s a good kid. As a parent, it’s been amazing to watch what you do rub off on your child. I take that very seriously. I watch what I do and say around him because he absorbs every-thing,” Sherman said. “It’s important to do that with kids nowadays. Working in this profession, I see the benefits of working with your child,” he added, noting that he works to have a positive impact on all children through the use of technology and his character. Sherman still keeps up with several of his former stu-dents, some of whom have invited him to their weddings. He said it makes him proud to know that he has been re-membered in a positive way by so many and doesn’t plan on changing his attitude for anything or anyone. “I’m always moving forward. I just try to do the very best I can do. The hardest lesson is you can’t save them all,” Sherman said, noting that he is proud that the Orangeburg County Com-munity of Character is continuing to spread good character throughout the community by spotlighting individuals who represent various character traits. “I think it’s a good thing and that people need to see other people being examples of those traits,” he said. “When I think about younger kids, they need to see those role models. ... I think that’s a powerful thing.”

Ocsd5 digital coach recognized for cheerfulness

Written by Dionne Gleaton, The Times and Democrat

17

Monica King

Dr. James Harvey

E-Blast in five January, 2018

Dr. Teresa Jennings

The Edisto Reading Council (ERC) recently honored three members of the Orange-burg Consolidated School District Five (OCSD5) family for their contributions in promot-ing literacy through the improvement of reading instruction and encouraging reading as a lifetime tool for learning.

EDISTO READING COUNCIL HONORSJENNINGS, KING, AND HARVEy

Monica King, a pre-K teacher at Rivelon Elementary School, was selected as the recipient of the Distinguished Teacher of Literacy Award for the 2017-2018 school year. A fourteen year veteran of the teaching profession, King earned her Bachelor’s Degree at South Carolina State University and completed her Master’s Degree in Early Child-hood Education at Norfolk State University. At her school, King serves as a member of theleadershipteamandisthedepartmentchairforPre-K.Kingwasalsoselectedbyher peers as the 2017-2018 Teacher of the Year at Rivelon Elementary School. Accord-ing to the ERC, King’s commitment to literacy is evident in her work with students in the classroom and with her colleagues. Her instruction engages, teaches, and extends the communication and thinking skills that allow her students to develop positive attitudes so that they can become effective readers, writers, thinkers, and life-long learners.

Dr. James Harvey is a retired school psychologist from the Cleveland Metropoli-tan School District. Dr. Harvey and his wife Ruth moved to Orangeburg in 2010 (her hometown) and began actively volunteering throughout the Orangeburg community. Dr. Harvey is the recipient of the Edisto Reading Council Literary Award. Dr. and Mrs. Harvey have tutored students in reading at both Rivelon and Sheridan Elementary Schools, and each have mentored high school students through the Bootstraps Mentoring Foundation whereDr.HarveyservesontheBoardofDirectors.AsanElderattheFirstPresbyterianChurch in Orangeburg, Dr. Harvey was instrumental in forming a supporting relationship between the congregation and the students at Rivelon Elementary School. Dr. Harvey has received many awards throughout his distinguished career, most recently being named OCSD5 Volunteer of the Year. Dr. Harvey began his career in education as a teacher in thePeaceCorpspriortoMaster’sandDoctorateDegreesatKentStateUniversity.

Dr. Teresa Jennings, principal of Whittaker Elementary School, was selected as the recipient of the Distinguished Literacy Administrator Award for the 2017-2018 school year. A thirteen year veteran in public education, Dr. Jennings earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology from Claflin University, a Master’s of Education Degree in Guidance from South Carolina State University, and ultimately an Education Specialist and Doctorate Degree in Education Administration from South Carolina State University. Among the reasons cited by the ERC were her creation of a school culture that promotes small-group reading and learning that focuses on making reading a personalized practice for children. Dr. Jennings also implemented the practice of “Story of the Day” in which she, or a reading coach, reads a story each day via intercom along with a shared vocabulary word and definition.

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OCSD5 2017-2018 CALENDARJuly 4 ....................... Independence Day HolidayAugust 10-16 ........... Teacher Workdays/Staff DevelopmentAugust 17 ................. First Day for StudentsAugust 21 ................. No School (Solar Eclipse)September 4 ............. Labor Day HolidaySeptember 19 ........... Interim Reports IssuedOctober 20 .............. 1st Nine Weeks Ends (45th Day)October 27 .............. Parent/Teacher Conference (SW1) Report Cards Issued, No School for StudentsNov. 22-24 .............. Thanksgiving HolidaysNov. 27 ................... Interim Reports IssuedDec. 18-Jan. 1 ......... Winter Break (18-19 SW2-SW3)January 2 ................. School Opens/Return from BreakJanuary 12 ............... First Term Ends (90th Day)January 15 ............... Martin Luther King Jr. Day HolidayJanuary 16 ............... Teacher/Staff Development DayJanuary 23 ............... Parent/Teacher Conference, 1-4 PM (Early Dismissal) Report Cards IssuedFebruary 16 .............. Interim Reports IssuedFebruary 19 .............. President’s Day Holiday (SW4)March 21 ................. 3rd Nine Weeks Ends (135th Day)March 23 ................. Teacher Work Day (No School)March 30 ................. Parent/Teacher Conference (SW5) Report Cards Issued, No School for StudentsApril 2-6 ................... Spring BreakApril ......................... ACT/Work Keys Testing - TBAMay 1 ...................... Interim Reports IssuedMay ......................... PASS, PASS Field Tests, Make-ups - TBAJune 1 ...................... 2nd Terms Ends (180th Day)JUNE 1 .................... GRADUATION (HSHP & North)JUNE 2 .................... GRADUATION (O-W & Bowman)June 4 ...................... Teacher/Staff Development Day or (SW6)

School Days First & Last Day of School

No School for PD/Early Dismissal Students/Employees

Teacher Workday End of Quarter No School for Students

Severe Weather Make-up Days (SW1-SW6)

Beginning and ending dates for employee groups

190 August 10, 2017 - June 4, 2018200 August 3, 2017 - June 11, 2018210 July 27, 2017 - June 18, 2018220 July 20, 2017 - June 25, 2018230 July 12, 2017 - June 29, 2018240 July 1, 2017 - June 30, 2018

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