Volume 33: May, 2017

(continued on page 3)

E-Blast in five

Orangeburg Consolidated School District Five (OCSD5) Superintendent Dr. Jesse Washington was the Master of Ceremonies at a special Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon on April 27, 2017. At the event, the members of the OCSD5 Board of Trustees recognized the contributions of more than two hundred individuals and businesses who donated their service in support of the district’s students and schools. The program began with each school giving recogni-tion to a Volunteer of the Year as follows: Bethune-Bowman Elementary School - Diane Erwin; Bethune-Bowman Mid-

OCSD5 Honors Volunteers atAppreciation Event,

Dr. James Harvey Named District Volunteer of the Year

Dr. James HarveyOCSD5 2017 Volunteer of the Year

Before marching across the stage to receive their high school diplomas, the graduating classes at North High School and Bethune-Bowman High School gathered to take “Senior Walks” through the halls of their former elementary schools where they were once students. Dressed in their caps and gowns, the seniors revisited the familiar hallways where their

journeys to graduation began. The hallways were filled with many of their former teach-ers and mentors who helped the graduat-ing seniors reach this milestone event. As they made their way down the hallways of their former schools, the seniors were greeted by hundreds of enthusiastic ele-mentary school students who lined the halls cheering and celebrating the occasion. The “Senior Walk” was more than just a walk down memory lane for the seniors; it was also an opportunity for the seniors to be viewed as role models by the younger

students who will one day follow in their footsteps. For many of the seniors, the experience was an emotional one as they spoke with former teachers and shared words of wisdom with the younger students. “It was a great ex-perience for our seniors, our teachers, and our students in the lower grades,” said Lakekia Lewis, Principal at Bethune-Bowman K-12. The “Senior Walk” has become a new tradition that the schools plan to continue.

North aNd BethuNe-BowmaN Grads take “seNior walks” throuGh Former elemeNtary schools

2

It was only a few months ago when Dave Hill started looking for a way to get involved with the young people in his community. He decided to contact the Bootstraps Mentoring Foundation to see if there was a role for him there. From that initial contact, Hill was introduced to Mykeem Lewis, a student at William J. Clark Middle School. As the two were get-ting to know each other, they discovered that they shared a mutual inter-est in golf. Since then, the two of them have formed a bond of friendship that extends beyond the game of golf. To help Mykeem get off to a good start, Hill made arrangements for some golf lessons with Jeff Ruth, the golf professional at Hillcrest Golf Course. Upon meeting Mykeem, Ruth discovered that his golf clubs were not properly sized so he encouraged Hill to contact Chris Miller at the South Carolina Junior Golf Association to see if he could help out. Within a few days, Miller pulled together a set of custom-fitted golf clubs and a brand new Nike golf bag fully stocked with balls, tees, and other items. The new golf clubs were presented to Mykeem on May 10th at the Hill-crest Golf Course. After seeing Mykeem’s new golf clubs, Hill admitted to being a little envious. “Mykeem’s new clubs are the top of line, much nicer than the ones I play with”, said Hill. Since that time, the two have played their first round

of nine holes together and Mykeem is having a great time learning the game. Hill recently secured a scholarship for Mykeem to attend a one week golf camp this summer at the James Clyburn Golf Center in Co-lumbia through the First Tee program. Could Mykeem be on his way to a golf scholarship in college? Maybe, but for now Mykeem is simply en-joying time on the golf course with his new mentor and friend, Dave Hill. Since its inception in 2010, the Bootstraps Mentoring Foundation has forged strong partnerships with the local businesses, churches, and other youth-serving organizations in the community to provide assistance to students in Orangeburg Consolidated School District Five with academic potential who would not normally attend college. Mentors in the Bootstraps Mentoring Foundations provide support designed to assist their student mentees in the development of ac-ademic and social skills to help prepare them for successful futures. To learn how you can get involved, contact Camille Proveaux at

camille.proveaux@ocsd5.net.

Bootstraps Mentoring Foundation and Love of Golf Bring Student and Mentor Together

O-W HigH ScHOOl SeniOr graduateS WitH tWelve YearS Of Perfect attendance Penelope Williams, a graduating senior at Orange-burg-Wilkinson High School, completed her final day of school with a remarkable achievement. She was the only student in Orangeburg County and one of only forty-nine in South Carolina to conclude her twelve years of school with perfect attendance. “To graduate without missing a single day of class in your 12-year academic career is a unique accomplishment that is the culmination of hard work and determination,” said State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman. “I know these students are well prepared for the next

step after high school and I congratulate them, their parents, and their teachers on this achievement.” Wil-liams will be recognized with a letter and a special certificate signed by Spear-man. The entire OCSD5 family congratulates Penelope and her family on this special accomplishment. We’re very proud of you.

E-BlastMay, 2017

3

dle/High School - Fatima Jeffries-El; Brookdale Elementary School - Shannon Williams; My Broth-er’s Keeper - Tremaine Smalls; W.J. Clark Middle School - Pamela Sweeper; Dover Elementary School - Ronald Bennett; High School for Health Professions - Rebecca Wright; R.E. Howard Mid-dle School - Karen Tourville; Marshall Elementary School - Mary Scarborough; Mellichamp Elemen-tary School - Arnie Lucas; North Middle/High School - April Phillips; Orangeburg Leadership Academy - Rev. Jimmy Dantzler; Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School - Rev. Gary Robinson; Rivelon Elementary School - Angela Thomas; Sheridan Elementary School - Allison Clarke; The Technology Center - Coretta Evans; and Whit-taker Elementary School - Kendra Govan. Each school also recognized an employee whose efforts extended above and beyond their regular duties in service to their students: Bethune-Bowman Elementary School - Wanda Rhodes; Bet-hune-Bowman Middle/High School - Sherrie Palm-er; Brookdale Elementary School - Frank Simpson; My Brother’s Keeper - Peddapalli Pradham-Rao; W.J. Clark Middle School - Jackie Williams; Dover Elementary School - Benita Hughes; High School for Health Professions - Kimberly Broughton; R.E. Howard Middle School - Michelle Craven; Mar-shall Elementary School - Avery Davis; Mellichamp Elementary School - Sherrell Blankenship-Brown; North Middle/High School - Victoria Linder; Or-angeburg Leadership Academy - Sharon Stokes; Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School - Georgette Hart; Rivelon Elementary School - Berlinda Ad-ams; Sheridan Elementary School - Vanessa Jones; The Technology Center - Beverly Joye; and Whittaker Elementary School - Johnny Byrd. Volunteer Coordinator Beverly Stroman also presented four special district-wide awards in-cluding:• 2017DistrictVolunteeroftheYearAward

- Dr. James Harvey• 2017DistrictVolunteerGroupoftheYear- The Filling Station• 2017DistrictVolunteerPartneroftheYear

- Jimmy Jones Toyota• 2017BoardMemberoftheYear- Henry N. Jenkins, Sr. Special recognition was also given to more than 200 parents who volunteered a minimum of twenty hours or more within the district’s schools. To learn more about volunteer opportunities in OCSD5, contact the Public Relations Office at 533-7925.

Volunteers. . . (continued from pg. 1)

Henry N. Jenkins, Sr.OCSD5 2017 Board Member of the Year

Jimmy Jones ToyotaOCSD5 2017 Volunteer Partner of the Year

The Filling StationOCSD5 2017 Volunteer Group of the Year

Taliyah Tianna Wise Valedictorian

North High School

Merilyn Palmer Salutatorian

High School forHealth Professions

Brook Maranda BakerSalutatorian

North High School

2017 OCSD5Valedictorians & Salutatorians

Tiasia Jhonai VogtValedictorian

Orangeburg-WilkinsonHigh School

Danielle Avianna WalkerSalutatorian

Orangeburg-WilkinsonHigh School

Zaria Alexis DashValedictorian

Bethune-BowmanHigh School

Madison IrickValedictorianHigh School for

Health Professions

Shamari Simone HarleySalutatorian

Bethune-BowmanHigh School

5

E-Blast May, 2017in five The members of the William J. Clark Greyhound Symphonic Band recently returned from Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida where they engaged in a special performance on May 20, 2017. Following a rigorous application and audition process, the band was se-lected to perform as part of the Disney Performing Arts program. “Our audition was based on play-ing musically and in tune with good tone quality and a balanced sound,” said Herman Marsh, the Band Director at William J. Clark Middle School. “The students in our band program are taking their music education quite seriously and have been working very hard on not only becoming the best musicians but also the best students academically in our school dis-trict. This trip gave our students an opportunity to perform in front of an international audience and also showed them how professional musicians work in recording studios for major organizations such as Disney. We were the only band from South Carolina to perform on this past Saturday.” In addition to the unique experience of performing at a high-profile performance venue at Walt Disney World, the students were exposed to lifelong lessons in teamwork, disci-pline, and artistic growth. The performance opportunity had

the added benefit of fulfilling many of the standards set forth in the National Core Arts Standards in which students create, perform, respond, and connect. Following their performance, the students were able to relax and enjoy all of the fun and amenities at the Disney parks and attractions. While the performance at Disney World may have been the highlight that capped the band’s experiences this year, there were other notable accom-plishments as well including their performance at the 2017 Concert Festival in Charleston where the band received a rating of “Superior with Distinction”. The Clark Middle School band has now earned the highest honor in the state for two years in a row.

The sights and sounds of 140 enthusiastic students from Mellichamp and Marshall elementary schools echoed within the walls of SMS Sportsworld on the mornings of April 17th and 24th. The occasion was the result of a part-nership between the Orangeburg Rotary Club and SMS Sportsworld to sponsor a program called “Happy Feet” that provides new athletic shoes to children in the Or-angeburg community. Mellichamp Principal Hayward Jean, also a member of the Orangeburg Rotary Club, spoke about the many smiles on the faces of his students as they tried on their new shoes, “We’re doing more than just putting shoes on the kid’s feet today, we’re also putting something in their

hearts. The Rotary Club is always doing something for our kids that shows their love is not just within the school building, but within the community as well.” Members of the Rotary Club were assisted by OCSD5 Board of Trustees members Vernon Stephens, Idella Carson, and Julius Page in greeting the students and helping them get fitted for their new Nike athletic shoes. In addition to their new shoes, each student received a drink and a snack courtesy of Coca-Cola of Orangeburg. According to Rotary Club member and OCSD5 Public Relations Director Bill Clark, this was the fifth year that the Orangeburg Rotary Club has sponsored the “Happy Feet” program with over 700 pairs of shoes being donated to the district’s children over that time.

ClarkMiddleSchoolSymphonicBandPerformsatDisneyWorld

Orangeburg rOtarY club and SMS SPOrtSWOrld PrOvide neW atHletic SHOeS

As another year comes to a close, we are reminded of some of the inspirational sto-ries of our students. Follow-ing below is the text of the Valedictorian Speech of Zaria Dash, a graduating senior from Bethune-Bowman High School. Her motivational message and story of over-coming personal adversity were featured on the editorial page of our local newspaper.

Good Afternoon, To Orangeburg Consolidated School District Five Board of Trustees, Dr. Jesse Washington, our superintendent, Mrs. Lakekia Lewis our principal, faculty and staff, family, friends, and class of 2017. Today is a marvelous day for us because we are finally graduating. Graduating really didn’t click in my head until Senior Night. Being able to graduate is a blessing. It’s a blessing be-cause I was born a preemie. I stayed in the hospital for two months because I had many complications. When I finally came home I had a life support device attached to me. When I was 6 years old, my mom died, so I was without a mother and without a live-in father. Thank God, I still had my grand-parents, aunts, uncles, and older cousins to take the spots of my parents. All of them really molded me into the young lady I am today. If it wasn’t for them, who knows where I would be today. I probably could have been in jail, homeless, or even dead. So, for the rest of my life I will always make them proud because all of them helped influenced me. To graduate you have to go through at least 12 years of trials and tribulations. Graduating is a process where you have successfully completed a course of study. As graduates, we should look forward to a new chapter in our lives. A new chapter in our lives brings upon new challenges, new people, new environments, and a new mindset filled with determina-tion. We should also look at how we will survive in the real world. The real world will try to distract us from our goal, but we are smarter than that and will fight the fight. Being a stu-dent at Bethune-Bowman High School has really shaped and prepared my classmates and me for the future. Yes, people say that we’re the little ole school in the country, but don’t let this little school fool you. The teachers may have annoyed us by assigning work that may have given us nightmares, but they did that be-cause they wanted us to excel in everything that we did. The administrators are always on our backs because they know that college is not going to put up with our negative

behavior and attitudes. Bethune-Bowman is where we grew to become strong, independent, and smart

young adults. Now, here are some words of inspirations to everyone in the audience and the underclassmen. As in the words of Taraji P. Henson, “Humans have a light side and a dark side, and it’s up to us to choose which way we’re going to live our lives. Even if you start out on the dark side, it doesn’t mean you have to continue your journey that way. You always have time to turn it around. Always be interested in challenging yourself and pushing and seeing how far you can go.” To the class of 2017, face your insecurities, don’t get distracted, and don’t be afraid to create your own opportunities. I want to leave you with this final poem by Marianne Williamson, “Our Deepest Fear.”

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness That most frightens us.

We ask ourselves Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God.

Your playing small Does not serve the world.

There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking So that other people won’t feel insecure around you.

We are all meant to shine, As children do.

We were born to make manifest The glory of God that is within us.

It’s not just in some of us; It’s in everyone.

And as we let our own light shine, We unconsciously give other people permission to do the

same. As we’re liberated from our own fear,

Our presence automatically liberates others.” To the class of 2017, I say to never give up and believe in yourself. Our new chapter begins today, but remember what we have been taught. If you haven’t already begun mak-ing plans for the future, please do so now. Planning ahead makes it easier for reaching goals. Yes, there will be obsta-cles but we will overcome them. It’s our time to change the future and the next generation. Congratulations and good luck Class of 2017! Note: In addition to being class valedictorian, Zaria Dash is President of the Student Government Associa-tion, member of the marching band, and a participant in the Claflin University Upward Bound Program, the Orange-burg County Chamber of Commerce Junior Leadership Program, and Columbia College Rotary Youth Leadership Conference. She also received scholarship offers in excess of $1 million.

VAlEDiCtOriAN SpEECH Of ZAriA DASH, BEtHuNE-BOwmAN HigH SCHOOl

6

E-Blast May, 2017in five

E-Blast The OCSD5 Teacher Cabinet, comprised of the Teachers of the Year at each of the district’s schools, met with Superintendent Dr. Jesse Washington for the final time on May 18, 2017 to enjoy a meal together and reflect on their accomplishments from the previ-ous year. In addition to their monthly meetings throughout the year with the Superintendent to address issues affect-ing our schools, the Teacher Cabinet also coordinated

a service project. “Our service learning project for this year was “I am College and Career Ready” drawstring bags,” said Jessica McCormick, the District Teacher of the Year. “This statement is an affirmation to all stu-dents that when they graduate from OCSD5 they will be college and career ready. Each Teacher of the Year was responsible for distributing the bags to the individual classes in each school. Inside the bag was a letter to the students written by the Teacher Cabinet members.” From the entire OCSD5 family, we want to thank the members of the Teacher Cabinet for their tireless service to our teachers, students, and schools.

teacher Cabinet Distributes Drawstring Bags to Students

7

May, 2017

Katelynn Vest was born with a serious congenital heart condi-tion. Throughout her life she has battled to overcome many chal-lenges. In spite of her challenges, she persevered and on Saturday, May 27th, she graduated from Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School as a member of the Class of 2017. Her inspiring story was recently told in the Times and Democrat by reporter Dionne Gleaton. You can read Katelynn’s story at the following link: http://thetandd.com/lifestyles/magazine/no-limits-o-w-graduate-overcomes-daunting-health-challenges-to/article_9e56526a-c3c9-55e9-8455-7a2d0a611dd1.html. Throughout her years as a student in Orangeburg Consolidat-ed School District Five, Katelynn was assisted by many individu-als including Dr. Tawana Nash (Executive Director of Special Edu-cation Programs), Cynthia Pfeffer (SPED Teacher), Lindsay Reed (Speech-Language Pathologist), Kristin Summers (Occupational Therapist), and Marie Walling (Physical Therapist). Each of these dedicated team members were beaming with pride to see Katelynn graduate with her classmates.

OWHS Student OvercOMeS adverSitY,graduateS WitH Her claSSMateS

Bethune-Bowman Elementary Save the Children Early Steps to School Success conducted its monthly Parent Group meeting on Wednesday, April 27, 2017. The theme for the meeting was “On the Move with Lit-eracy”. Children are developing early literacy/reading skills even before they can read. Parent participation is criti-cal to helping children develop early literacy skills. We know children develop a love of books and reading when parents read stories to them, cuddle with them during reading time, and talk with their children about the books they read together. Young children explore

books and reading in many ways: by listening, touching, looking and playing. During the meeting, parents and their children worked together on homemade books made from cereal and other food boxes. They also made T-shirt Tote Bags from old t-shirts to carry their books. Our guest speaker was Mrs. Darrow Riley, Save the Children Afterschool Coordinator. We ended the evening with door prizes, book of the month-“Pete’s A Pizza” and refreshments. Ms. Tuisha Glover, Early Childhood Coordinator is currently enrolling families in the Bowman area ages pre-birth to 3 years of age. For more information, you can email tuisha.glover@ocsd5.net or call (803) 533-6371 ext. 7518.

SAVE tHE CHilDrEN prOgrAmHOlDS pArENt grOup mEEtiNg

E-Blast in five

8

May, 2017

“the Buzz” @ BethuNe-BowmaN k-12 campus

During the week of May 15, 2017, BBES celebrated the culmi-nations of students successfully completing Pre-K, Kindergarten, and 5th Grade. Parents, friends, family, students, teachers, and staff gathered together in the BBES Multi-purpose room for the Pre-K Culmination, and in the BBMH Gymnasium for the Kinder-garten and 5th Grade Culminations. During the culminations, students performed music and dance routines related to what they learned throughout the year as well as receiving their cer-tificates of completion.

Bethune-Bowman ElementaryCelebrates their Studentswith Support from Staff, teachers, and plenty of family & friends!

9

Brookdale Elementary School students enjoyed celebrat-ing Read Across America during the first week of March. Readers came to visit the school and PreK-1st grade stu-dents attended a field trip. Readers from Orangeburg-Calhoun Education Associa-tion-Retired organization came in and read to the students and donated books to the media center. They visited stu-dents in Pre-K and kindergarten classes where students got to enjoy listening to them read from the donated books.

Also, Henry Jenkins, OCSD5 Board Secretary took time out of his day to read to some of the first grade students. The week ended with students dressing in wacky clothes and wearing their Dr. Seuss hats. It is an event that they look forward to every year.

O-C Education Assoc. reads & Donates Books

E-Blast May, 2017in fiveBrookdale Elementary School’s ~ Bulletin

Congratulations to the Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School Wind Ensemble students for receiving an Ex-cellent rating at South Carolina Band Directors’ Asso-ciation Concert Performance Assessment Festival in Charleston, SC (West Ashley High School) on Thursday, March 23, 2017. The students received Excellent rat-ings on stage and Excellent ratings in sight-reading. The

group was only 3 points away from an overall rating of Superior. The students are from Orangeburg-Wilkinson High, The High School for Health Professions and their director is Michael McClain. A special thanks goes to Deedra Wright, Director of Bands at North Middle/High for all of her support and assistance.

oraNGeBurG-wilkiNsoN hiGh wiNd eNsemBlecollect excelleNt ratiNGs at Festival

10

On May 25, 2017, the Pre-Kindergarten classes said, “Good-bye Pre-K !!!” and “Hello Kindergarten ….” at their end of the year celebration. The students had an amazing time showcas-ing their singing and dancing talents as they enthusiastically per-formed for their parents, friends and the community. Their final performance was “Cowboy Dance”, where everyone was asked to join in and they had a “Yee Haw!” awesome time!

Who can resist a fresh yummy, Krispy Kreme Donut with a loved one? Our Donuts for Dads was an exciting time for stu-dents and their fathers. Boys and girls had an opportunity

to create special memories with their dads, while eating donuts and enjoying each other’s company. We had more than 80 dads come out to participate during this event. The smiles on everyone’s’ faces were priceless and of course the donuts were delicious!

Dover’s Kindergarten classes held their End of the Year Cel-ebration on May 24, 2017 in the Dover gymnasium. Students marched in with huge smiles on their faces. The kindergar-ten students entertained parents by reciting the ABC’s of Kindergarten poem, singing “You’re a Grand Old Flag”, and finished with singing the song “The Kindergarten Class” to the tune of the Addams Family. Students then received their Kindergarten Diplomas and awards for the fourth nine weeks. We are extremely proud of all of our kindergarten students and the accomplishments they have achieved this year. We hope that everyone has a safe and fun-filled summer. We

look forward to a new group of kindergarteners in the fall.

May, 2017

Pre-Kindergarten Classes PerformCowboy Dance During Their

Year-End Celebration

“Donuts for Dads” ~ A Yummy Event!

Kindergarten Blast!!

E-BlasttHE DOVEr ~ “DISPATCH”

May, 2017

11

Earlier in the year, Marshall Elementary GT Fourth Grade hosted the third annual live wax museum. Tops Chefs from Mrs. Irick’s ELA classes (com-prised of Mrs. Irick’s and Ms. Argrow’s homeroom) chose one famous Ameri-can to research and presented facts about them. As guests passed frozen figures, they were encouraged to press a sticker on their hand and watch these statues come to life. This year Mrs. Irick was a recipient of the Irene Myers’ Grant, so the students were treated to Chick-fil-A for a job well done! One parent, Keela R. Glover (Preston Middleton’s mom), shared on Facebook, “Irick’s Top Chefs Third Annual Live Wax Museum was amazing! While I loved Jackie Robinson, my favorite wax figure was Dorothy Vaughn. She was sharp with her green dress and pink pearls! Kudos to all the chil-dren. And special thanks to Allison Sabb Glenn who helped my little Dodg-

er shine with his jersey! He’s fighting cold and allergies but he did his best! And how can I forget the flawless Michelle Obama.” Some other interesting facts pre-sented by the living wax figures: “One of my most interesting facts is that I’m married to Ciara.” - Russell Wil-son; “I died of throat cancer because I smoked a lot.” - Sammy Davis, Jr.; “I told my teacher that my name was J.C. but she thought I said “Jesse”, but my real name is James Cleveland Owens.” - James “Jesse” Owens”. Students also reflected on their experience of the Wax Museum. Some are as follows: “To me I think the wax museum went great and I loved it because people got a lot of compliments on their speech and clothes. It was great to be able to be in a live wax museum. This is something that I think everybody will enjoy. I think you should try to do this next year”, states Jada Milhouse. De’Vaughn Lawes shared, “I think it was fun in the wax museum. Especially when people came up and pressed my sticker. I would like to be invited if you do it again.”

ThirdAnnual“LiveWaxMuseum“

first Annual “Books and Breakfast” Marshall Elementary hosted its first annual Books and Break-fast recently, for parents of PreK – 2nd grade. Parents were able to enjoy a delicious breakfast while listening to Mrs. Tay-lor, school principal, read More Than Anything Else by Marie Bradby. During the “read aloud”, Mrs. Taylor modeled how parents could use various strategies when reading books to their children. Each parent was given a book, Honey I Love, by Eloise Greenfield. Hidden within each copy were personal-ized notes. Mrs. Shuler- Chinners, media specialist, shared the importance of children receiving little notes that help inspire them. Ms. D. Smith, reading coach, shared the importance

of displaying print words throughout their homes. Mrs. Owen, assistant principal, shared the significance of making poetry come alive through motion. Reading and writing prizes were given to parents then Mr. Abraham, assistant principal, gave closing remarks.

E-Blast May, 2017mArSHAll’S mESSAgES. . .

12

“Let me win, but if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt,” shouted Mellichamp Elementary’s participants in the school’s Special Olympics celebration held on Fri-day, May 26th. Student athletes wore specially designed shirts some of which sported student created original art. Students participated in tricycle races, egg and spoon rac-

SpecialOlympicsEventHeldatSchool

E-BlastMay, 2017Moments at Mellichamp...

es, sack races and other fun events while being cheered on by their parents, teachers and peers. In addition to the sporting events participants and spectators also enjoyed dancing to music provided by a DJ. The morning’s festivities concluded with a pizza lunch for the participants and their families.

The OCSD5 Middle School Honor Band participated in the SC Band Directors As-sociation Concert Performance Assessment on March 29, 2017 in Charleston, SC at the Charleston School of the Arts. The band scored a Superior Rating with Distinction! The students were well dressed, well behaved and performed like professionals. Special thanks to Herman Marsh for his expertise in conducting and John Moorer for his phenomenal direction in sight-reading. Again, please congratu-late these students for receiving the highest possible score for the 2017 SCBDA Con-cert performance assessment.

ocsd5 middle school hoNor BaNd scores well

Under the supervision of Dr. Burns, the biology students from Claflin University came to Sheridan to talk to the 5th grade students about Earth Day. The students watched a presenta-tion, played games, and even signed a pledge to take care of the Earth. The students now know how important it is to re-cycle, reduce, and reuse!

Employees from the SI Group, Inc. came to Sheridan and invited the third graders to celebrate Earth Day 2017 by competing in an Earth Day Drawing Contest. Jeremiah Council, a student in Ms. Polidore’s home-room class, took home the first place prize of a $10 gift certificate to McDonald’s and an Art Set.

Earth Day PostErContEst

Family Math Night was a huge success. Over 100 people participated in the event. Parents and students in grades 3-5 had opportunities to view practice questions for the PASS and SC Ready assessments using the SC Online Training Tool. Other sessions included math activities using domi-noes, play dough, playing cards, and dice. Students and par-ents compared fractions using dominoes. They constructed 2D and 3D figures using play dough. Playing cards were used to have place value wars. At the end of the event, a Math Fluency Competition was held using Kahoot and iPads. Stu-dents from each homeroom in grades K–5 participated. We crowned Mrs. Davis’ student Sidney Fulton in Kindergarten for fluency in addition to 5. For the first and second grade challenge, Taniyah Eadie, a student in Mrs. Evans’ class, came out on top adding and subtracting to 10. The multiplication fluency winner from the 3rd-5th grade was Krystal Randolph from Mrs. Coulter’s class. The event ended with dinner and door prizes. All families left with a wealth of math activities and took home all materials from the sessions they attended.

13

E-Blast May, 2017“tHE SCOOp” @ SHEriDAN ElEmENtArY

SheridanHoldsFamilyMathNightWithLotsofEnthusiasm

EarthDayEventsatSheridan

14

E-BlastTheW.J.Clark “Chronicle”

May, 2017

This year W.J. Clark Art Department has two winners in the SC Economics’ 2017-2018 Economic Concepts Calendar, in which their art will be published. They are Malashia Green and Sharon Rajadhas. These students will receive their award at the Annual Awards Luncheon in Columbia, S.C.

Clark Students to HaveTheirArtPublished

Art by Malashia Green

Art by Sharon Rajadhas

Congratulations to the two winners of the Links Poster Contest from W.J. Clark Middle School. Javien Elmore was the overall winner for the 4th-6th grade and Sharon Rajaddas was the overall winner for the 7th-9th grade.

linkS POSter cOnteSt WinnerS @ clark

Art by Javien Elmore

Art by Sharon Rajadhas

w.J. Clark Student is winnerin the 2017 Fireflies

Drawing ContestCongratulations to Chloé Bryan on being named as the winner of the

2017 Columbia Fireflies Drawing Contest. Her winning artworkis shown on the right.

15

The BBMH’s ACE Club which stands for Academics + Character = Excellence takes students who achieve honor roll without any refer-rals for each marking period on a special field trip full of entertain-ment and good food. For the 3rd marking period, ACE Club students were taken to Velocity, Bowling, and Golden Corral in Charleston, SC. Great job students! Keep up the good work and terrific behavior!

BETHuNE-BOWMANM/HSTuDENTNAMED

TOTHEALL-STArTEAM

OCSD5HonorBandPerformsWellinConcert

tHE ACE CluB StuDENtSKEEp gOiNg StrONg

E-Blast in five May, 2017“the Buzz” @ BethuNe-BowmaN k-12 campus

Congratulations to Destan Harrison for being named to the SCBCA North vs South Baseball All-Star Game! Destan played shortstop for the Mohawks and was named the team MVP.

Congratulations to the Orangeburg Consolidated School District Five High School Honor Band students that re-ceived an Excellent rating at South Car-olina Band Directors’ Association Con-cert Performance Assessment Festival in Charleston, SC (West Ashley High School) in March. The students received good and excellent ratings on stage and Superior ratings in sight-reading. The group was only 3 points away from an overall rating of Superior. The Honor Band consists of students from Bethune-Bowman Middle/High, High School for Health Professionals, North Middle/High and Orangeburg-Wilkinson High. The Honor Band Directors are Michael McClain, Deedra Wright, and John Moorer.

May, 2017

16

Congratulations to Taliyah Wise, recipient of the SAFE Federal Credit Union Tuition Scholarship Award of $1,000.00. Taliyah Wise was one of three Times and Democrat regional student recipients. Taliyah plans to attend USC Aiken in the fall to pursue a major in nursing.

Earlier this spring, lit-eracy coach, library media specialist and seventh grade teachers collaborated and implemented a 7th grade Holocaust Literacy Trunk. Students participated in a range of activities across disciplines including reading a novel, researching poison-ous gases, writing letters of memorial, making butter-flies in art class, and com-pleting a perimeter activity in order to build a memorial wall. Scrapbooks, artwork and the memorial wall were showcased during Literacy/Social Studies Night. As a culminating activity stu-dents toured McKissick Museum’s Holocaust Remembered at the University of South Carolina.

Nmhs studeNt awarded scholarship

E-Blast

During the month of March, North Middle/High School juniors and seniors participated in the 2nd Annual HBCU College Fair hosted by Benedict College and the National Association of College Deans, Registrars and Admissions Officers (NAC-DRAO). Select NMHS seniors received onsite admissions acceptance and awards from Con-cordia College in Selma, Alabama and from Allen University in Columbia, SC. Later in the month, the representatives from Allen University visited North Middle/High School for recruitment. Se-niors received onsite admissions and awards.

NMHSStudentsAttendCollegeFair

Holocaust Interdisciplinary Unit

NEWS from North middle/High School

E-Blast“tHE tAlK” @ the technology Center

May, 2017

Eleven students from The Technology Center Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) attended the South Carolina FCCLA State Conference and Star Events Competition on March 10-12 at the North Charleston Convention Center in North Charleston, S.C. While at the conference, stu-dents had opportunities to network with other stu-dents from across the state, attend workshops, and compete in the STAR Events categories. FCCLA offers thirty-three STAR (Students Taking Action for Recog-nition) Events and the Technology Center competed in six of the categories. Ten of the eleven Technology Center students were first time competitors in the STAR Events Com-petition. Tamyshia Owens, Lillian James, and Alexis Col-ter competed in the Chapter Showcase Project Dis-play category and received 1st Place Gold. The title of their project was “Social, Academic Mentoring (S.A.M.) Program”. The students selected two child care centers in the community to work with to com-plete their project. They planned lessons and worked with the students at the centers to improve their so-cial and academic skills. D’Zhane Bailey and ZanQuandria Reed compet-ed in the National Programs in Action category and received 1st Place Gold. The title of their project was “Bullying Stops Here!”. This team prepared a pup-pet show for young children and a presentation for elementary students to teach them about the effects of bullying. All of the participants took a “Bullying Pledge” to not bully, be a victim of bullying and to report bullying. Desia Ryant competed in the Focus on Children

category and received 1st Place Gold. The title of her project was “On Your Mark, Get Set, READ!”. The fo-cus of this project was to get young children moti-vated to read at an early

age. This student solicited book donations, and went to various daycare centers and schools in the commu-nity to read to the students. After she read to them she gave each child three books. She collected a total of 234 books. She also donated some books to a lo-cal children’s home. Chamara Williams competed in the Job Interview category and received 1st Place Gold. The title of her project was “Becoming a Pastry Chef”. She sub-mitted an Electronic Portfolio which included career interest surveys, job application, letter of application, resume, job shadowing/internships, letters of recom-mendation, samples of coursework, job outlook, ref-erences, and thank you letters. She was interviewed for the position of a Pastry Chef. Breannah Black and Mary Jennings competed in the Illustrated Talk category and received 1st Place Gold. The title of their project was “Stop, Click, and Go!”. This team presented a skit on the use of seat belts on school busses. They provided research on the pros and cons of using seat belts on school bus-ses. Brianna Grimes and Johnnedria Duley competed in the Entrepreneurship category and received 1st Place Silver. The title of their project was “Kids Hav-ing Fun While Learning!”. These students submitted an Electronic Portfolio with a complete business plan to include a business description, facility description, supplies and equipment needed, organizational chart and job descriptions, personnel management, fund-ing for business, budget, laws, regulations and codes, and marketing plan for opening a child care center. The students who received 1st Place Gold will be representing the State of South Carolina in their respective STAR Events categories this summer in Nashville, TN. These students are under the tutelage of Mrs. Teresa Brown and Mrs. Mercedes Walker (Ear-ly Childhood Education teachers and FCCLA Advisers at The Technology Center).

17

tHe tecHnOlOgY center’S faMilY, career, and cOMMunitY leaderS Of aMerica (fccla) cHaPter

tO cOMPete at tHe natiOnal leaderSHiP cOnference in naSHville, tn in JulY

E-BlastMay, 2017

An esteemed group of elected officials and local dig-nitaries were on hand at South Carolina State University on May 10 to dedicate a new pe-destrian bridge connecting the university to two large student housing facilities. Included in that gathering were a group of students from the Building Construction program at the Technology Center.

According to Tracey Scoville, NCEER Certi-fied Instructor at the Technology Center, his stu-dents were able to develop a partnership with the construction contractor for the bridge proj-ect, Crowder Heavy Civil Construction Company

of Charlotte, NC. “The company recently agreed to work with my building construction students to create a concrete platform on the grounds of the Technology Center which can be used for building residential housing projects,” said Scoville. “This gave them a chance to expose students to different types of jobs within their company. It was attended by over ten of their staff members, ranging from craftsmen to engineers. Crowder showed a strong interest in employing some of the students. They helped outline a career path for the students by letting them know that they can go directly to work after graduating from high school or pursuing a college career. They have also agreed to return annually to recruit and train students for employment.” The students attended the dedication ceremony for the bridge project as guests of Crowder Heavy Civil Construction Company. The experience was great exposure for our students and the Technology Center.

TTCStudentsAttendBridgeDedication,PartnerwithConstructionCompany

OcSd5 Student naMed 2017 lOWer SavannaH regiOn tecHnOlOgY cHaMPiOn

18

Kearra Sheppard-Williams, a rising senior at Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School, has been named the 2017 Lower Savannah Region Technology Champion. She is a student in the Building Construction Class at the Technology Center. She will be recognized at the 2017 SC Education & Business Summit in Greenville on June 25, 2017. “This is an extremely high honor for Kearra,” said Tracey Scoville, her instruc-tor at the Technology Center. “She is an outstanding student and will represent herself and the district in an exemplary way.”

E-BlastMay, 2017

19

NSBEROBOTICSTEAMADVANCESTOWORLDCOMPETITION

Twelve students and their mentors from the Orangeburg Consolidated School District Five (OCSD5)

TechnologyCenter’sNationalSocietyofBlackEngineers (NSBE) Jr.Chapter recently traveled toKansasCity,Missouriforthe43rdAnnualNSBENationalConvention.ThestudentscompetedintheVEXroboticsandTen80racingactivitiesagainstteamsfromallovertheUnitedStates.TheOCSD5teamwascomprisedofHighSchoolfor Health Professions students Kirubha Rajadhas, Reth Abraham, Zachary Sampson, Jaden Evans and KurtAbraham;and,Orangeburg-WilkinsonHighSchoolstudentsJeramieSimpson,ThomasWilliams,MaiaPelzer,AshleyMitchell,DestinyHaynes,RogerManigoandDarrionMitchell.

TheVEXRoboticsTeam,theOrengineers,wonthecovetedJUDGESEXCELLENCEAWARD,earningthemaspotattheprestigiousVEXWorldCompetitioninLouisville,KYfromApril19-23,2017.Studentswere5-1inthequalificationroundsandadvancedtothequarterfinals.Theyalsowereranked2ndintheRobotSkillsChallenge.TheVexRoboticsTeamincludedPelzer,A.Mitchell,Rajadhas,Williams,andR.Abraham.

TheTen80RacingTeam,OrangeCrush,hadatoughdayattheraces.AsSeniorDestinyHaynesexplains,“DuringtheTen80competitiontheteamexperiencemanysetbacks…batteriesfallingout,pinscomingloose,deadbatteries,etc.,butthankstoourpitcrew,EvansandManigo,wewereabletogetbackontrackforourdriver,RethAbraham.” TheTen80Team includedHaynes,D.Mitchell,K.Abraham,Sampson,Manigo,andEvans.

Thestudentshadagreatexperiencethroughoutthe4dayeventwhichincludedanoutingtotheCollegeBasketballExperience,afan-interactivefacilitylocateddowntowninKansasCity,Missouri,whichincludestheNationalCollegiateBasketballHallofFame.FreshmanJadenEvanssummeditupbysaying,“ThetripwasfunandintroducedmetoworkshopswhereIwasabletonetworkwithcollegeengineeringstudents.IreallylikedtheCareerFair,gettingtomeetengineersfromcompanieslikeGeorgiaPacificandNorthrupGrummanaboutpreparingforjobsintheengineeringfield.”SeniorZacharySampsonadded,“Thetripwasgreat!Ilearnedalotabout the racing competition and how the rules are applied similar to the actualNascar races. The socialactivitiesandthehotelweremostenjoyableaswell.”

Theadultsalsogotinonthewinningaction.DuringtheConvention,NSBEAdvisorMs.PhyllisPelzer,waselected2017-2018RegionIIProfessionalsChairElectandProjectLeadtheWayBoardMember,Dr.AnthonyStewart,waselectedtotheNationalProfessionalExecutiveBoardasthe2017-2018Pre-CollegeInitiative(PCI)Chair. Both areNSBEProfessionalMembers. Studentswerealso supportedby chaperonesAngelMalone,PrincipalandDerekHarrisonfromHSHP,andGeorgiaKeittfromtheTechnologyCenter.

District retirees Honored at Celebration Dinner

20

A distinguished group of thirty-five new retirees and their family members were honored by the Orangeburg Con-solidated School District Five Board of Trustees at the annual Retirement Celebration Dinner on May 25, 2017. As a group, the retirees had a combined 791 years of experience. Vernon Stephens, Vice Chair of the OCSD5 Board of Trustees, served as the Master of Ceremonies for the event. He was joined on the program by Superintendent Dr. Jesse Washington and Board of Trustees members Mary Ulmer, Henry Jenkins, Idella Carson, Sam Farlow, Susan Jenkins, and Julius Page. A special tribute was given by Ms. Ivory Gail Hubbard-Mack, a 2016 retiree. The vocal group, the Smith Sisters, entertained the retirees with a popular selection of inspirational music. The 2017 retirees and their years of service are:Margaret Ann Wolfe Austin ... Technology Cntr./Transportation ... 26 yrs.Caroline M. Barden ................ North M/H ........................................ 15 yrs.Alex Barron ............................. O-W................................................... 29 yrs.Melvin Brown .......................... Mellichamp & Rivelon ..................... 22 yrs.Phillippine Butler .................... Sheridan ........................................... 22 yrs.Brenda Culler .......................... Dover ................................................ 35 yrs.Gloria Daniels ......................... Marshall ............................................ 28 yrs.Julaunder Valgienia Davis ...... Whittaker ............................................ 7 yrs.Joyce Jamison Funchess ....... O-W................................................... 23 yrs.Wanda E. Govan ..................... Clark Middle ..................................... 10 yrs.Linda Mack Graham ............... Sheridan ........................................... 25 yrs.Brenda Marie Hanton ............. O-W..................................................... 9 yrs.Laverne P. Harris ..................... O-W................................................... 34 yrs.Sharon B. Howell .................... District Office ................................... 38 yrs.Mildred Hughes ...................... North M/H ........................................ 19 yrs.Jannie. F. James ...................... Sheridan ........................................... 27 yrs.Bessie C. Johnson .................. Howard ............................................. 23 yrs.Shirley R. Jones ....................... O-W................................................... 13 yrs.Beverly F. Joye ........................ Technology Cntr. .............................. 34 yrs.Georgia A. Keitt ...................... Technology Cntr./Transportation ... 29 yrs.Cheryl B. Lee ........................... Marshall ............................................ 25 yrs.Gwendolyn F. Lloyd ................ Mellichamp ....................................... 11 yrs.Mary Lois Maier ...................... Marshall ............................................ 35 yrs.Willa L. Maynard ..................... Whittaker .......................................... 17 yrs.Inabinette Richardson ............ Sheridan ........................................... 13 yrs.Leonard Rivers ........................ Technology Cntr .............................. 14 yrs.Dorothy Ann Ryant ................. Sheridan ............................................. 5 yrs.Brinder Salley Stevenson ....... Clark Middle ..................................... 33 yrs.Sammie Mae Thompson ....... Clark Middle ..................................... 17 yrs.Nancy Walker Traywick........... Sheridan/Head Start ........................ 33 yrs.Susan A. Weber ...................... District Office ................................... 12 yrs.Amanda Whetstone ............... Sheridan ........................................... 17 yrs.Alice Elaine Wright ................. O-W and Transportation ................. 24 yrs.Margaret A. Young ................. District Office ................................... 41 yrs.Rodney Zimmerman ............... Clark Middle ..................................... 26 yrs.

E-Blast in five May, 2017