E-Blast in fiveStudents Learn WaterSafety Skills atLocal YMCA

Volume 43: Spring 2019

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Through a collaborative program with the Orangeburg YMCA, students at Marshall Elementary School and the Orange- burg Leadership Academy are learning the skills they need to be safe around water and reduce the risk of accidental drown-ings. The “Safety Around Water” program is conducted in five sessions that can be completed over the course of one week. The typical schedule has students arriving at the YMCA by bus at 10:00 and separating into two groups. One group heads to the pool while the other receives classroom instruction. After an hour, the two groups trade places, returning to school by 1:00 that afternoon. The program is based upon an approved water safety cur-riculum that is facilitated by YMCAs across the country. The classroom instruction consists of Pool Rules, Life Jacket Safe-ty, Boating Safety, Call 911/CPR, Backyard Pools, and Pool Drains. Water instruction consists of Water Acclimation, Front

A team of students from the NCCER Construction Program at The Technology Center has won back-to-back state titles at the annual SC Skills USA Competition. The competition requires students to construct and present a project for consideration and evaluation by the Skills USA organization. The students designed and constructed an innovative project that has the appearance of a traditional telephone booth from a bygone era, but with a modern twist. The traditional phone booth was updated with modern technology that includes such

things as a charging station, ring light, and tele-phone stand. The concept for the project was to create a professional well-lit, soundless atmo-sphere where students could go to have private conversations involving job interviews and oth-er school-related ventures. The students won’t have much time to celebrate their state title as they are currently preparing to compete for the national title in Louisville, Kentucky in June. The NCCER (National Center for Construc-tion Education and Research) Certified Construc-tion program at The Technology Center serves Orangeburg and Calhoun counties. Orangeburg-

Technology Center Students WinBack-To-Back State Titles

www.ocsd5.net

and Back Floats (assisted), Front and Back Glides (assisted), Jump into the Water (assist-ed), Roll (assisted), Water Exit, Jump-Push-Turn-Grab, Swim-Float-Swim, and Reach or Throw, Don’t Go. Upon comple-tion, each student receives a certificate. Participation in the

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program is also available to parents who desire to learn about water safety along with their children. The program was initiated with the intent of breaking the cycle of drownings that occur annually in our area as a result of individuals not knowing how to swim. Approximately 150 students will complete the program this year with a goal of

offering the program to even more students in the future. The OCSD5 Education Foundation provided a grant to as-sist children as needed with program costs associated with swimsuits and towels. The YMCA provides the instruction and the use of their facilities at no cost to the district as a commu-nity service.

E-BlastSpring 2019

Wilkinson High School, Calhoun County High School, Bethune-Bowman High School, and North High School are the primary feeder schools for The Technology Cen-ter. Upon completing two-years in the program, students are eligible to receive National Certification through the NCCER organization. The students may then enroll into a four-year college/university, a two-year technical college, start an accredited apprenticeship pro-gram, start work immediately into the construction industry or a re-lated field, or enlist in the military. The students on the win-ning team that won the state ti-tle are: Amsu Dean, Vantrawlyo Montgomery, Hezekiah Green- Howard, Kymani Lucks, DaShon Scott, Aubree Bradley, and Ken-neth Dickson. The advisor and instructor for the program is Trac-ey Scoville. For more informa-tion about the program, contact Mr. Scoville at (803) 533-6392 or

tracey.scoville@ocsd5.net.

Water Safety. . . (continued from pg. 1)

Technology Center. . .(continued from pg. 1)

OCSD5 ReCeiveS $500,000 DOJ GRant FOR SChOOl emeRGenCy aleRt SyStemS

As part of its ongoing effort to provide safe and secure schools within the district, Orangeburg Consolidated School District Five (OCSD5) applied for and received a $500,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice to implement a state-of-the art emergency alert system. The first phase of the project will include Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School, Bethune-Bowman K-12 Campus, North Middle/High School, Robert E. Howard Middle School, William J. Clark Middle School, and Marshall Ele-mentary School. Additional schools can be considered in future grant funding cycles. The emergency alert system will include the installation of a high-tech com-munications device in every room within the school including classrooms, offices, and meeting rooms. The communications devices will feature panic buttons, two-way intercoms that connect the classroom and the front office, and the ability to instantaneously send pre-recorded audio announcements and alerts to other devices. The alert system can also instantly send digital messages and displays to classroom smartboards. The alert system will have the capability of providing quick and precise information for a variety of potential emergency situations such as medical emer-gencies, fires, unauthorized school intruders, or threatening weather events. During an emergency situation, time is of the essence and the ability to rapidly and clearly communicate information is critical. The installation of the emergency alert systems is already underway. The emergency alert system is just the latest safety enhancement to be deployed in the district’s schools. Currently, all of our schools have alarm systems, comput-erized ID check-in systems, PA systems, and security fences. Each school is also equipped with remotely operated door access systems with cameras that allow schools to remain locked at all times to control restricted entry into the buildings. In addition, each school is staffed with trained security personnel including certified School Resource Officers and/or Uniformed Security Officers that are supervised by a full-time Director of School Security.

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E-Blast Spring 2019

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. Oneida Colter, a second grade teacher at Dover Elementary School. Dr. Colter was also a Finalist for consider-ation as the 2018-2019 OCSD5 District Teacher of the Year. Like many of the educators we interview for our news-letter, Dr. Oneida Colter knew from an early age that she wanted to become a teacher. She described her path this way: “Without a doubt, there are factors that influenced me to become a teacher. Some of the factors were minute while others were enormous. At an early age I was blessed to have passionate parents and teachers that instilled in me a thirst for knowledge and a love for books. They made learning fun and brought characters alive in books by encouraging me to use my imagination. I knew that I wanted to share the experi-ence of making learning fun for others. As a result of wanting to become a teacher, I knew that I had to acquire adequate knowledge in all subjects. In addition, I became enthusiastic about preparing myself to make learning fun so I could pass my knowledge along to others.” Dr. Colter’s desire to learn and acquire knowledge in all subjects motivated her in her lifelong pursuit of personal edu-cational goals. Graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree from Claflin University in 1972, she went on to earn a Master of Education degree from South Carolina State University in 1994 and ultimately a Doctor of Education degree from Nova Southeastern University in 2009. Altogether, she has thirty-six years of teaching experience in a variety of positions and grade levels. She presently teaches second grade students at Dover Elementary School. Dr. Colter sees each of her students as unique individu-als with their own learning styles and capabilities. She be-lieves that the process for educating a child is ongoing and never totally finished because as they grow and change, the

OCSD5 TEACHER OF THE YEAR PROFILESDR. ONEIDA COLTER – DOVER ELEmENTARy SChOOL

goals for each student evolve and grow with the child. She describes another aspect of her teaching strategy, “I have moved away from attack-ing incompetencies. I have learned a better way that builds on their strengths, experiences and skills. Moreover, I have become a detective by becoming a re-searcher: collecting data, analyzing information, and testing hypotheses. I have come to realize that it is essential for me as an educator and person to realize that labels conceal more than they reveal. It is important for me to contribute to the student’s strengths and build on their weaknesses.” Over the course of her teaching career, Dr. Colter has had many special moments. One that she recalls fondly involved her work with a homebound student that had been in school for six years but didn’t know any sight words and was un-able to read. The student’s parents told Dr. Colter that he was smart and she agreed that he had the potential to develop the missing skills. “It was apparent to me that I had to be the bridge-builder. I had to lay the first plank,” she recollects. She began by building a relationship with the student, focusing on his real-life experiences and how they related to his in-terests. As their relationship developed, the student became more engaged and motivated in his learning experience. Dr. Colter also involved the parents in the learning process, as-signing interactive homework that required the student and his parents to discuss and work together on the lessons she presented in class. After working together for three years, the student tested on the fourth grade reading level.

The William J. Clark Middle School Band received a $5,000 do-nation from the OCSD5 Education Foundation during the OCSD5 Board of Trustees meeting on April 9, 2019. The donation will be used to support the band with the costs of traveling to a performance at Carnegie Hall in New York on June 17, 2019. Pictured are (left to right): Clark Middle School Principal Donyale Mosely, Band Director Herman Marsh, band students Amari Ryant and Tamara Robinson, Superinten-dent Dr. Jesse Washington, Founda-tion President John Singh, and Foun-dation Board Member Mary Taylor.

E-BlastSpring 2019

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OCSD5 HIgH SCHOOL HOnOR BAnD

nORth miDDle/hiGh hOlDS BanD COnFeRenCe

Please congratulate the following students that participated in the Annual Edisto Band Conference held at North Middle High School on March 1, 2019 and Claflin University on March 2, 2019. Students participated in Beginner, Junior, and Se-nior Bands. From Dover Elementary: Noah Coleman, Shanya Holloway, TJ Oliver, Shantoria Patterson, Dylan Peele, Emily Santos Agudo, Damian Schostag, Leandrea Steverson, Darionah Sutton, Rachel Wang, and Sha’Kira Washington-Hicks; from North Middle/High: Amaveon Calloway, Carlee Chavis, Amirah Geter, Nickolas Infinger, Damon Kearse, Taylor Jamison, Ed-

die Perry, Tamyah Perry, Hanna Reynolds, Carolina Santos-Agudo, Morgan Swett, Johnathan Thompson, Summerlyn Thompson, Grace Wang, Crystal Waymyers, and Jayla Young.

The OCSD5 High School Honor Band participated in the South Carolina Band Directors’ Concert Performance Assess-ment on March 19 at West Ashley High School in Charleston , SC and received an overall rating of Excellent!. The students had all EXCELLENT ratings on stage and in sight-reading. The Band is under the direction of Mr. Michael McClain, Mr. John Moorer, and Ms. Deedra O. Wright.

E-Blast Spring 2019in five

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Congratulations to Ms. Wright’s six stu-dents for being winners of the SCEA (South Carolina Education Association) 2019 An-nual Read Across SC Art Contest! The theme this year was “From the Mountains to the Sea, Read with Me”. William J. Clark Middle School had five winners, there was one stu-dent from the High School for Health Pro-fessions and one student from North Mid-dle/High. Best In Show Winner: Triniti Davis, 8th Grade; Middle School Division: First Place: Malashia Green, 8th Grade; Second Place:

Sean Blackshear, 6th Grade; Third Place: Jonathan Smalls, 7th Grade; Honorable Mention: Bethany Green, 8th Grade: High School Division: First Place: Sharon Rajadhas, 10th Grade, HSHP; Honorable Mention, Patryce Mack, 12th Grade, North Middle/High.Best In Show Prize Package: *$300 and limited-edition t-shirts printed with the “Best in Show” art-work was provided to all members of Triniti’s class;*$150 for the teacher of the “Best in Show”;*Art Books for the school’s art library.

2019Read

AcrossSouth

CarolinaWinners

Congratulations to Ms. Mal-issa Wright, Art teacher at Wil-liam J. Clark Middle School. Her poster received first place in South Carolina for the 2019 National Career Development Association’s Poetry and Art Contest. This year’s theme was “Break Down Barriers, Empow-er Lives, and Achieve Equity”. Ms. Wright’s poster has now been submitted to the national NCDA Poetry and Art Contest.

WJ Clark Art Teacher Wins in Poetry and Art Contest

Winner of Best In Show Art by Triniti Davis

Elementary students who met scores or scored higher on the MAP test or made significant improvements in their scores were treated to a cookout dur-ing lunch time on the Bethune-Bowman Campus. Students were treated with grilled hot-dogs, french fries, and juice. BBMH administrators and staff served the food to the students as a thank you for all of their hard work.

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BBES students, teachers, and administra-tors participated in the annual Black History Program along with BBMH students in the Bethune-Bowman Campus gymnasium. The program was divided into 3 different time pe-riods. Students acted out the major influenc-ers of black history and how they contributed. Performances included dancing, reenacting events, singing, and the performance of the MLK Oratory first place speech by Zanyiah Pelzer.

Student Jamaica Project

E-Blast in five“the Buzz” @ Bethune-BOwman K-12 CampuS

Spring 2019

Ms. Ander-son and her 5th grade students pa r t i c ipa t ed in a digital re-search project with 5th grade students from Jamaica. For the project, students re-searched the

purposes and meanings of their home country’s national holi-days. For the presentation, students filmed themselves sharing the information about the holidays and then shared the video

to the other class. Both classes learned a lot about simi-larities and differences between both cultures.

BlaCK hiStORy mOnth pROGRam enJOyeD By all

Mr. & MissBethune-Bowman

Congratulations to Javier King and Ivyaun Williams who were crowned Mr. and Miss Bethune-Bowman and are also the king and queen of their kindergarten class.

Students Enjoy a Cookout After MAP Testing

Brookdale held it’s Third Annual Interna-tional Day Celebration the end of March with the theme, “A Celebra-tion of Diversity Cul-ture!” Students, faculty and staff members were asked to participate by dressing in a culture of their choice. The audi-ence were entertained by the Brookdale fam-ily with dance, speech-es, music and displays from a variety of cul-tures around the world. The program was put together by The Inter-national Committee members, Miss Dimsoy, who is from Trinidad, and Miss Marapally, who is from India. 7

Brookdale Elementary held “An Evening of Enchantment” Beauty and Bravery Ball on March 7th. The night was filled with beautiful young la-dies and handsome gentlemen dressed to impress. They enjoyed a night of splendor, dancing, dinner and fun. Miss Kalia Joseph was crowned Miss Brookdale and Ty’Mell Johnson was crowned Mr. Brookdale.

“BEAuTY AnD BRAvERY BALL”

“A Celebration of Diversity Culture”Theme for International Day

E-Blast Spring 2019Brookdale Elementary School’s ~ Bulletin

The Annual Career and Health Fair was held on Thursday, March 14th at Brookdale Elementary. The students gained an enormous amount of knowledge, wisdom and insight from professionals in the music business, mortuary science, law enforcement, medical and health care, barbering and beauty, food vendors, banking, and the television news industry. The event was coordinated by Brookdale’s Health and Guid-ance Committee.

CaReeR anD health FaiR GiveS inSiGht tO DiFFeRent pROFeSSiOnS

Dover Elementary participated in its annual Kids Heart Challenge (formally known as Jump Rope for Heart), Friday, March 8th. The students raised over $1,330.00 for the American Heart Association event. For doing this, they were awarded a jump rope party where they jumped rope and listened to

music. A special thanks goes out to Mrs. Raley’s 2nd grade class for raising the most money as a class, and to Dedrique Shivers for raising the most money as an individual. Great job to everyone who participated in this worthwhile event!

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During the month of February, Dover celebrated Black His-tory Month by engaging in activities such as Black History trivia. Students also wrote and read about influential African Americans who contributed to making our country a better place. On Febru-ary 27th, Dover culminated its month long activities by having an annual Black History program. This year’s program was in honor of Aretha Franklin, “The Queen of Soul”. All grade levels partici-pated in the program. Students in Pre-K through 1st grade madetributes to the great Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Students in grades 2nd through 5th per-formed tributes to the “Queen, Aretha Franklin. This year’s program also featured “Dover’s Groove n’ Glam dance team, which consisted of some of Dover’s faculty and staff. This program was thoroughly enjoyed by students, parents, fac-ulty, staff and our community.

Friday, March 15th, Dover Elementary held a fam-ily dance. Many came out for food and fun, but most importantly to show off those amazing dance moves! The young ladies wore beautiful, brightly, spring col-ored dresses. We saw mothers and sons as well as fa-thers and daughters experience a special moment as they danced together. The expressions on their faces were simply priceless! Even our principal got out there on the dance floor to show off her skills! The event was an occasion enjoyed by all in attendance.

DovEr’S Spring FAMiLY DAnCE

BlaCK hiStORy mOnth aCtivitieS at DOveR

E-BlastSpring 2019THE DovEr ~ “DISPATCH”

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Sheridan held its annual Family Math Night with the theme being “Bed-time Math”. Students attended in their pajamas. Parents were challenged to complete a math problem from the Bedtime Math app each night. Ev-eryone enjoyed the Math Escape Rooms working with fractions, time, and measurement. Dr. Vickel Darby presented parents with a snapshot of some of the apps and programs their children encounter during a typical day at school. Parents were intrigued by how much work students could actually complete on the iPads. In preparation for the state assessments, parents had the opportunity to complete SCREADY and SCPASS practice problems using the online portal. They experienced just what their child would when they take the state assessment. Grade level teams assisted parents

with math activities that could be done at home using dice, playing cards, and dominoes. The Math Fluency Competition was also held. Students competed using Kahoot to answer addition, subtraction, and multiplication problems. Our winners were Jordan Robins, Jaleel Smith, and Mason Williams.

The Sheridan Cul-tural Awareness Com-mittee seeks to promote an appreciation of cul-tural diversity among students at Sheridan regardless of racial, re-ligious and ethnic back-grounds. They envision a school whereby all students value, appre-ciate and embrace stu-dents from various backgrounds and cultures without discrimination, bullying, or malice. One way to achieve our mission is through cele-brations like Black History Month. The school-wide activities included Black Entrepreneur Day, reading books related to black history, wear-ing African attire, and a presentation by Mayor Butler.

The Sheridan Superstars celebrated Read Across America the first week in March. As one of their ac-tivities during the week, they did a community caring project based around the Dr. Seuss book, Fox in Sox. Students, faculty and staff brought in 417 pair of socks to be donated to the Alzheimer’s Unit at Longwood Plantation. Participating in this project, students learned about compassion for others and the importance of supporting the community.

“Fox in Socks” Drive

Recently, our fifth grade math teacher, Arle-quanda Gates, was surprised by WLTX-TV news anchor Brandon Taylor for be-ing chosen the “News 19 Teach-er of the Week”. Her student, Pey-ton McDonald, nominated her “because of how awesome she is”.

Peyton adores her because she is kind, patient, and always brightens her day!

newS 19 SuRpRiSeS 5th GRaDe teaCheR

Family math Night

Black history awareNess

“THE SCOOP” @ SHEriDAn ELEMEnTArY

E-Blast Spring 2019

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Congratulations to Asya Harley for signing with Morris College to play volleyball. Asya was new to the Lady Mohawks this year as a senior and played a major part in helping Bethune-Bowman reach the third round of the playoffs. She was fantastic at covering a lot of floor space and setting up her teammates for scoring opportunities. We all wish you the best of luck at Mor-ris College, Asya!

Spring 2019

Signing Day Is a Big Deal For a Lady Mohawk

BBMH celebrated its annual Coronation in the Bethune-Bowman Campus gymnasium. The ceremony was opened with Lejuan Clark singing “So Amazing” by Luther Vandross. Next, all of the coronation par-ticipants participated in a group dance. After an intermission, kings and queens of each grade were honored before the crown-ing of Mr. and Miss BBHS. The program ended with a student parent dance.

Coronation Ceremony Crowns Mr. & Miss BBHS

Bethune-Bowman Middle/High celebrated its annual Military Ball for the JROTC members in the Bethune-Bowman cafeteria. This end of the year formal program recognizes the participa-tion and achievements of the JROTC students and program. JROTC members and guest were treated to a delicious dinner. The JROTC also crowned Breonna Bell as the JROTC Queen for the 2019-2020 school year. The program con-cluded with a formal dance. Congratulations to all of the award winners!

Jrotc military Ballis aN aNNual eveNt

E-Blast in five“the Buzz” @ Bethune-BOwman K-12 CampuS

Spring 2019

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Last month, students at North Middle/High were introduced to the CY-PRESS program developed to increase awareness of job opportunities in the field of agriculture and environmental studies for underrepresented students. The program offers summer camps where students learn about food produc-tion, food safety concerns, and healthy eating. The program strives to boost knowledge about colleges and available scholarships. Cypress is a partnership between South Carolina State University and selected middle and high schools from Orangeburg Consolidated School District Five, The Technology Center and Felton Laboratory School

SCSu Introduces Students to The CYPRESS Program

Recently, North Middle/High celebrated “AVID Fun-day Friday”. Thirty-two AVID scholars, grades 6 - 9, spent the day in the life of an Air National Guardsman. Hosted by Airman Cockfield, the students and chaperones learned the history of McEntire Joint National Guard Base, toured the hangar, met and engaged with a full-time fighter pilot (“VADAR”), were able to experience a flight simulation, were given an up close and personal look inside the cockpit of active F-16

E-BlastSpring 2019NEWS from north Middle/High

AVID Scholars Tour Air National Guard Base

fighter jets, learned about rescue and survival, as well as practice fighting fires with a Fire and Rescue team. All were invited to put on night goggles and participate in a mission, using infra-red lighting. Students also tried on flight gear of actual pilots. Overall, this was a learning experi-ence unlike any other. It was a four hour tour filled with demonstrations and an abundance of

information, and that was only one-half of McEntire’s National Guard base. Stu-dents and chaperones are looking for-ward to returning to McEntire to tour the Army side. Thank you to all of the wonderful Airmen and Airwomen and the roles that you play in keeping our country and our state safe. You will for-ever be respected and honored. Thank you for your service!

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The French classes at Orangeburg-Wilkinson High enjoy a relaxing day in historic Charleston, SC each semester. As a part of their tour through the French Quarter, students are treated to a history lesson in the French Hu-guenot Church across the way from the famous Dock Street Theater. During a two-mile walk over uneven, cobble-stone streets, students have glimpses of beauti-ful gardens behind grand homes and protected by iron gates fashioned by famous blacksmith, Philip Simmons. Brief-ly strolling down King Street and with a quick left onto Market Street,

within less than a minute, students are cordially greeted in French and welcomed to enter into the quaint little eatery, Café Framboise. Here, they are encouraged to partake of the

mouth-watering fresh pastries and dishes prepared by French chef, Dominique Chantepie and his wife. Our students come away from the magical city with a deeper appreciation for the culture and history of our state.

Congratulations to the Disciples of Dissonance Jazz Combo (photo on right) and the Orangeburg-Wilkinson’s Maroon 7 Big Band (photo above) for receiving “start ones” by all judges at the Jazz Performance Assessment. They brought home two (2) Superior awards recently from Newberry College.

FRenCh ClaSSeS expeRienCe hiStORiC ChaRleStOn

RECEnT BAnDACCOMPLISHMEnTS

“The Highlights” fromOrangeburg-Wilkinson High School

E-Blast

Jaeda Busby poses in front of the historic French Huguenot Church on Queen Street.

A group of graduating seniors enjoy the Café Fram-boise’ outside dining area in the spirit of the timeless French café similar to Paris.

Spring 2019

E-BlastSpring 2019

The Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School Varsity Boys and Girls Bas-ketball seasons were filled with excitement and disappointment as both teams lost in the 2nd Round of the State playoffs to North Augusta squads. The O-W Bruins finished the season with a record of 21-7 and 8-2 in Region IV play with a second place finish behind AC Flora. Coach Thomas and his staff did a remark-able job in spite of losing Seniors Christian Joseph, Alpha Cave, and Freshman Jordan Simpson to injuries before and during the season. Senior Frank Lee led the Bruins in scoring, assists, and rebounding, which gave

him the nod in post season awards such as All-Region, All-State, and HSSR All-State. Coach Thomas’ style of coach-ing inspired the Bruins to play at a high-level basketball for the entire season, winning the Christmas Tournament in Greenwood and falling in the Championship game of the Sweet 16 Tournament that was held at O-W to 4A State Champion runner up Berkeley High School. The Bruins lost 6 seniors, but Coach Thomas returns a good group of players led by Jordan Simpson who also received a postseason award, HSSR All-Rookie, after only playing in 13 games before he fractured his right leg in the Sweet 16 Tournament. The Bruin community and our school are very excited about next year chances to make a run for the State Championship. Congratulations to Coach Willie Thomas and his coaching staff for another great Season.

The Bruinettes season came to an end in the 2nd round of the State playoffs after suffering a loss to now three-time Class 4A state champions North Augusta. Our Bruinettes finished the season with a record 17-10 and 7-3 record in the Region with a second place finish behind Lower Richland. Coach Simpson and his staff did a wonderful job with a team loaded with underclassmen and one senior Brandi Rivers. Even with a considerably young squad, the expectations are always high for the Bruinettes, as each year they compete for a State Championship. This season’s lone senior Brandi Rivers twisted her ankle in a game against Keenan and was benched for seven weeks. With Rivers out, D’Mya Tucker stepped up her play and led the young Bruinettes in 3 different categories: scoring, rebounding, and blocking. Freshman starting point guard Shar’dasia Ziegler led the team in assist and steals. Both Tucker and Zeigler received post season awards. Tucker was an All-Region, All-State and Statewide All-State for HSSR. Zeigler received a few awards from Region IV and HSSR All-Rookie. With a star-studded team and the return of 14 play-ers, the Bruinettes inch ever clos-er to winning a State Champion next season. Our community and school are very excited for both team’s season and congratula-tions to Coach Cedrick Simpson and his staff for an outstanding season. 13

2018-19 Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School Basketball Season Review

Orangeburg-Wilkinson High is a very diverse community that facilitates the in-termingling of several different cultures from around the world. In recognition of such diversity the administration hosted the International Week from March 5-9, where each international teacher shared interesting cultural facts about their

c o u n t r y of origin. During this week, a cultural showcase was held for the international teachers from seven different countries: India: Mr. Karibasappa, Mrs. Devadas, Mrs. Ganti, and Mr. Bisht; Jamaica: Ms. Smith, Ms. Taylor, Mrs. Grimes; Kenya: Ms. Ochieng; Nigeria: Mrs. Isa; Philippines: Mrs. Mitchell; Costa Rico: Mr. Quintanilla; Colombia: Ms. Coronado; and Bangladesh: Mrs. Hassan. They displayed artifacts, cultural items and shared the cuisine from the different coun-tries with the school community. The showcase ended with a fashion show where rep-resentatives from the countries modeled their cultural dresses. The main purpose of this activity was to bring exposure to the various international teachers on staff and to provide cultural awareness for the student population. The school administration plans to make International Week an annual activity at the school.

During the Month of March, Orangeburg Consolidated School District Five students, faculty and community members partici-pated in a Bottled Water Donation Drive to support the students and faculty at Denmark Technical College and Voorhees College in Denmark, South Carolina. This drive was coordinated by Dr. Tasha Louis-Nance and the Office of Student and Staff Supportive Services. As a part of this initiative, the colleges received over 500 cases of bottled water. Special thank you to our school counselors, environmental services department and transportation department for assisting us with this district wide event.

more “The highlights” From O-W HighE-Blast Spring 2019

inteRnatiOnal weeK helD at O-w

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Pictured left to right is: Dr. Tasha Louis-Nance – Executive Director of Student and Staff Services; Dr. Christopher J. Hall – President, Denmark Tech-nical College; Faith Arthur – College Access and Parenting Coordinator; and Charles Gregory – Di-

rector of Athletics.

OCSD5 Collects Bottled WaterFor neighboring Town

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Spring 2019

High School for Health Professions

hShp hOSa have SeveRal winneRS at COnFeRenCe!

Mariah Felder, 2019 Miss HSHP, participated in the Queen of Roses Pageant in March. Mariah was named 2nd Runner Up and Talent Winner at the Pageant. Congratulations, Mariah!

mS. hShp iS talent winneR in QueenOF ROSeS paGeant

The Region II State Science Fair Winners from HSHP were: 1st Place Senior Division: Anavami Isa, Topic: Electro conductivity of Ionic Salt; 1st Place Vision: Sharon Rajahdas, Topic: Measuring the Speed of Light; 3rd Place Vision: Kurt Abraham, Topic: Infinity Mirror; Amber Carr, Jordon Twitty and Lyric Simon, Topic: Now That’s Some Good Water; Taryn Davis Scott, Clifton Yates, Vincent Moorer, Topic: Is Drinking Water Safe at HSHP?

ReGiOn ii State SCienCeFaiR winneRS

The HSHP H O S A C h a p t e r c o m p e t e d on March 6–8, 2019 in Charles-ton at the S.C. HOSA (Health Oc-c u p a t i o n s Students of A m e r i c a ) State Leadership Conference. Special recognition goes to Ashay Sanders, Corbin Davis, Angeline Singleton, Marquisha Garrick, Lilly Pedapolu, and Dhruvi Pa-tel for winning 1st place in the Public Health competition. Morgan Blanchard, Aishwareya Singh, and Lilly Pedapolu were recognized and awarded Bronze Me-dallions for their public service in their community. These students have ad-vanced to the HOSA International Conference in Orlando, FL, June 19 - 22, 2019. Congratulations to the HSHP HOSA members for these great accom-plishments!

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Spring 2019

more from... High School for Health Professions

National honor Society Induction at hShP

On March 21st, the HSHP National Honor Society (NHS) inducted 25 new members into the organization at its 4th Annual Induction Ceremony. NHS is the nation’s premier organization established to recognize outstanding high school students. More than just an honor roll, NHS serves to recognize those students who have demonstrated excellence in the areas of scholarship, service, leadership, and character. Mrs. Rowena Loadholt is the NHS adviser.

Congratulations to our newest inductees: Hritik Advani, Jada Berry, Makayla Berry, Hannah Dantlzer, Hunter Free, Setene Green, Yasmine Howell, Christian Ihekweazu, Joceline Irick, Anavami Isa, Marion Jamison, Endia John-son, JaNya Johnson, Ethan Leaf, Imani Mack, Sharon Ra-jadhas, Daisha Scott, Jada Simmons, Aman Singh, Imani Smith, Brianna Stafford, Shamaria Stroman, Aaron Tinker, India Williams, and Clifton Yates.

COnGRatulatiOnS tO the hShp FBla ChapteR The HSHP Future Busi-ness Leaders of America (FBLA) Chapter competed in Charles-ton at the S. C. State Leadership Conference from March 22 - 23, 2019. Congratulations to the members who competed at the state level and are now qualified to compete at the national level: 1st Place: Christian Ihekweazu, Website Design; Anavami Isa, 3D Animation; Ja’Quon Wil-liams, Emerging Business; 2nd Place: Anaiya Whaley, Client Service; Aron Middleton and Turner Owen, Introduction to Business Presentation; 4th Place: Jonathan Davis, Public Speaking, Jay’lin Johnson, Introduction to Business Communication; JaNya Johnson, Healthcare Administration. In addition to the FBLA member achievements, HSHP would like to congratu-late the HSHP Adviser, Mrs. Andrea Jamison, as she was named 2019 Outstanding Adviser of the Year at the State Leadership Conference. The chapter looks forward to attending the National Leadership Conference in

San Antonio, Texas from June 28 - July 3, 2019.

E-Blast

17

Spring 2019

Recently published in the Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College Magazine, Spring Guide 2019

antiano “Daisy” goodwin willwalk across two stages this spring– once when she graduates fromthe high school for healthprofessions and again when sheearns an early ChildhoodDevelopment diploma fromoCtech.

The dual diplomas weren’tplanned, Daisy said.

“i took all of my generaleducation classes and then juststarted taking early Childhoodclasses,” she said. “my momworked with kids a lot, so i wasinterested in it because of that, andthen i just fell in love with it andkept going.”

Felicia Reid-goodwin said herdaughter’s interest in childrenreally piqued when her cousin wasborn.

“once Daisy started interactingwith him, she thought he was thefunniest little thing and reallyenjoyed being around him,” shesaid. “one of her goals is to open abilingual art school so that kidscan pursue fashion, sewing,painting, wood carving – whateverart form they want.”

while Daisy is planning tocontinue her education at a four-year college, she hasn’t settled on aschool or major just yet.

“oCtech is great,” she said.“The instructors don’t beat aroundthe bush. They give you theinformation you need, and thenyou get to have all of theseexperiences. you don’t just readabout kids in a book – you get tointeract with them. i really enjoyedthe observation hours andworking with kids one-on-one.”

Felicia said when Daisy sets hermind to a task, she strives to doher very best. her hard work paidoff – the teen has earned 48college credit hours and a 4.0gpa.

“most people just take notes,but Daisy rewrites all of her noteson index cards, every single thing,”Felicia said. “i buy a ton of indexcards for her to study with. at theend of each semester, we havefreezer bags full of index cards. butthat’s what worked for Daisy andmade her successful at oCtech.”

That same work ethic carriedover into her semester observing

HSHP Senior Plans High School, College Graduations

DualDiplomas

Pictured with Daisy Goodwin are OrangeburgPreparatory Schools Child Development Centerstudents Colin Haig, Bentley Given, Ibrahim Musa,Delilah Howe, Abigail Sturkie and Hanna Bair.

at orangeburg preparatory schoolsChild Development Center andultimately led to a job for Daisy. Thecenter hired her to work with first-and second-graders in January.

every day after school, Daisyhelps the students with homework,feeds them snacks and takes care ofthem until they go home.

“Daisy did such a good job withthe kids during her observations inthe fall,” said June kemp, the center’sdirector. “every time i went in theclassroom, she was helping theteachers or interacting with the kids.she was always busy and engaged.we are just thrilled to have her. she’sfabulous – so pleasant and on top ofher game.”

Finishing high school and earninga college diploma at the same timewas challenging, but well worth theeffort, Daisy said.

“early College is a goodexperience,” she said. “it’s easy to getsidetracked and confused whenyou’re trying to balance the two, butif you stay focused and listen to yourinstructors, you can do it.”

“oCtech has given me a reallygood foundation for whatever i do,”Daisy said.

students aren’t the only ones whobenefit from early College, Feliciasaid.

“working in higher education, iknow first-hand how expensivecollege can be,” she said. “if studentscan take classes at a discounted rateor for free in high school and justhave to purchase books, it is such ahelp.”

early College also gives studentsa chance to adjust to college-levelcoursework while they still have day-to-day guidance, she said.

“it gives them a glimpse of what’sto come so they can learn how tostructure their lives and theirstudies,” Felicia said. “The great thingabout starting out while you’re athome is that you can ask for helpfrom people who know you. Daisyand i brainstorm little ways she canallot her time because i still want herto be young and enjoy it, but i don’twant her to waste time when she hasthe ability to do so much more.”

CONTACT Babs HughesEarly Childhood Education Program Coordinator803.535-1423 | hughesba@octech.edu

savannah hitzler was a first-generation college student who didn’tknow what she wanted to do when shestarted oCtech in 2014.

“my advisor, Debra Johnsen, wasfantastic,” she said. “she helped me somuch. i was so lost when i stepped oncampus to register, and she showed mehow to do everything, from filling outmy FaFsa to balancing my classes. ihonestly don’t think i would have beenas successful as i was if it wasn’t for herhelp.”

savannah said she was determined tofinish oCtech in two years, and she did,graduating in may 2016 with anassociate in arts degree.

“i was on a mission,” she said. “i wentstraight to Columbia College for the fallterm.”

she also had her son that year, inoctober, during hurricane matthew.

“Class was canceled the same day igot induced,” she said. “i had my baby,was released and was back in school thenext week. i never missed a class.”

savannah said transferring fromoCtech to Columbia College was easy.

“The college really worked with youto make sure all of your classestransferred,” she said. “it was a smoothprocess.”

in august, savannah graduated fromColumbia College with a bachelor’sdegree in communication andleadership. she began working atRandstad, a staffing firm in Charleston,in october.

“i started working in humanresources while i was going to schooland loved it,” she said. “when i was atoCtech, i worked full-time as an hRassistant and then was promoted to themanager of a company in orangeburg.”

oCtech was also a great place forsavannah to explore her interests, shesaid.

“i recommend taking classes thatmaybe you’re not normally interested in,”she said. “i took biology and i’m notinterested in science, but taking that classdefinitely helped me rule out going intothe medical field.”

“oCtech really is a good place tostart,” savannah said. “universities andbigger college campuses can be veryintimidating, especially for first-generation students. i think if i wouldhave gone some place like the universityof south Carolina, i would have been sointimidated. i probably wouldn’t havemade it.”

CONTACT Melissa PlummerDean of Math & Science/University Transfer803.535.1282 | plummermb@octech.edu

A GOODPLACE TO START

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OCSD5 2018-2019 CALENDARJuly 4 ...................... Independence Day HolidayAugust 14-17 .......... Teacher Workdays/Staff DevelopmentAugust 20 ................ First Day for StudentsSeptember 3 ............ Labor Day HolidaySeptember 19 .......... Interim Reports IssuedOctober 17 ............. End of 1st QuarterOctober 23 ............. Parent/Teacher Conference Report Cards IssuedOctober 26 ............. Teacher Workday/ (SW1) Staff DevelopmentNovember 6 ............ Election Day HolidayNovember 20 .......... Interim Reports IssuedNov. 21-23 ............. Thanksgiving HolidaysDecember 21 .......... End of 2nd Quarter/Half DayDec. 24-Jan. 4 ........ Winter BreakJanuary 7 ................ Teacher Workday/Staff DevelopmentJanuary 8 ................ Students ReturnJanuary 11 .............. Report Cards IssuedJanuary 21 .............. Martin Luther King Jr. Day HolidayFebruary 13 ............. Interim Reports IssuedFebruary 15 ............. Teacher Workday/ (SW2) Staff DevelopmentFebruary 18 ............. President’s Day HolidayMarch 19 ................ End of 3rd QuarterMarch 22 ................ Teacher Workday/Staff DevelopmentMarch 26 ................ Report Cards IssuedApril 12-19 .............. Spring BreakApril 22 ................... Teacher Workday/Staff DevelopmentApril ........................ ACT/Work Keys Testing - TBAMay 1 ..................... Interim Reports IssuedMay ........................ PASS, PASS Field Tests, Make-ups - TBAMay 27 ................... Memorial Day HolidayJune 6 ..................... Last day for students/End of 4th QuarterJune 7 ..................... Teacher/Staff Development Day or (SW3)JUNE 7 ................... GRADUATION (HSHP & North)JUNE 8 ................... GRADUATION (O-W & Bowman)

No School for First & Last Day of School Students/Employees

Teacher Workday PD/Early Dismissal No School for Students 11:30 - Elementary 12:00 - Middle/HighSevere Weather Make-upDays (SW1-SW3) End of Quarter

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Beginning and ending dates for employee groups

190 August 14, 2018 - June 7, 2019200 August 6, 2018 - June 13, 2019210 July 30, 2018 - June 20, 2019220 July 23, 2018 - June 27, 2019230 July 9, 2018 - June 27, 2019240 July 1, 2018 - June 30, 2019

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