Prater and Bruce Sign Letters of Intent

Congratulations to Christopher Prater and Dylan Bruce for signing letters of intent to play football at the next level.

POINTED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION

1/27/2013 12:51:00 AM POINTED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION Duckett finds coaching success

Acting Ninety Six High School girls basketball coach Anarie Duckett calls out orders to her team during a Jan. 18 game against Abbeville. Duckett is acting as the Wildcats’ coach while normal coach John Coster awaits deployment to Afghanistan. (Matt Walsh | Index-Journal) By JORDAN ANDERS NINETY SIX -- Anarie Duckett isn't one to talk about herself. The former Emerald High School girls basketball coach and current acting coach at Ninety Six High School has won more than 250 games as a varsity girls basketball coach, but she isn't interested in the attention. When you combine that with her years coaching at the junior high level, the number of victories rises to 448, but she has no desire to have that recognized or have her own achievements heralded. Just ask Gary Gillion. "When we were still at Emerald and she was closing in on her 200th win, we were going to try and get the girls to sign a basketball and give it to her and that kind of thing," said Gillion, who was Duckett's assistant coach at Emerald for more than a decade and is now the football coach at Greenwood Christian. "Man, did she get mad. She would have none of it, saying, 'That's not important.' That's just the kind of person she is." But the problem with that is, whether she likes it or not, Duckett has had a career in the Lakelands worth talking about. Duckett's roots in athletics can be traced all the way back to her childhood, growing up in Greenwood in the late 1950s. SEE MORE IN TODAY'S INDEX-JOURNAL.

INDIVIDUAL CROWNS

1/27/2013 12:50:00 AM INDIVIDUAL CROWNS Abbeville, Ninety Six wrestlers outmatch competition

By JORDAN ANDERS NINETY SIX - After being named the Region 2-AA individual champion in the 170-pound weight class Saturday without facing a single opponent, Brandon Pruitt was a little disappointed he didn't get to get on the mat and taste a little competition. Of course, that doesn't mean he's giving that accomplishment back. "I mean, it's cool to win it like this, but I would have liked to have wrestled at least one match because I was ready to wrestle today," the Ninety Six High School sophomore said. "It kind of feels a little bit cheap, but I'm glad I won." Pruitt was one of six Wildcat wrestlers who earned region championships in Saturday's tournament, which featured a slew of scratches for wrestlers who didn't make weight. That was the reason Pruitt faced no competition, nor did Abbeville's Ben Glace, who took the 195-pound region title uncontested. Pruitt was joined by Ninety Six teammates Brycen Fleming (120 pounds), Brandon Cheatham (152), Eddie Emery (160), Bradley Weaghington (182), and Kederick Williams (185) in capturing region crowns. "I feel pretty good because both of my matches were less than 30 seconds," Weaghington said. SEE MORE IN TODAY'S INDEX-JOURNAL.

District/School App for your phone/tablet

News Release

Contacts:        

Greenwood School District 52

Dr. Mark Petersen, Superintendent

mark@greenwood52.org

For School Connect:

Rich Stoebe 952 830-3250

richard.stoebe@jostens.com

(FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE)

Greenwood 52  Goes Mobile with School Connect™ Communications App

Free app makes Greenwood 52 information accessible through mobile devices

Ninety Six, January 14, 2013 – Greenwood 52 has  announced the release of a new, districtwide mobile communications application from School Connect, a leading developer of mobile applications for K-12 school systems and institutions.  Brought to the district by Jostens, the free mobile app is available for Apple and Android mobile devices and keeps the entire school community connected to the district’s information they need in one convenient location on users’ mobile devices.

Understanding the busy schedules of parents, students, and patrons, the district’s official mobile app from School Connect enables smartphone and tablet users to keep track of important district information and receive notices from the district, faculty, and staff, all in real-time via push and email messaging. The mobile app enhances student/community engagement by providing users with access to information like school activities, grade books, notes from teachers, athletic schedules and scores, lunch menus, and school calendars when and where they choose to view.

“Greenwood 52 district’s official mobile app empowers anyone in the community to stay connected with the information they want and need right on their mobile devices,” said Dr. Petersen. “The release of this app for the district is an example of our commitment to provide our community members all of the district’s information conveniently and easily, while making it more accessible than ever. We are excited about how our school’s app will lead to a stronger, more connected school community.” 

The School Connect mobile app is a secure and flexible communication platform that allows the district to easily manage, control and deliver content that enhances the school-to-community communications process. Features for district’s official mobile app include:

·         Push and email messaging from both the district and school site levels

●       GPS mapping and navigation

●       School calendars

●       Online grade book access

●       Tap screens for email and phone for district staff and board of trustee members

●       Multiple language options, including Spanish

●       Lunch menus, athletic information, and much more

The communication service was brought to the district at no cost through a partnership between School Connect and Jostens, a leading provider of products, programs and services that help people tell their stories, celebrate important traditions and recognize achievement. School Connect and Jostens understand the importance of keeping the school community connected and are providing app development and hosting services to the school district for free with no download charges for mobile users. The district app is financially supported by school-friendly and approved sponsors.

“School Connect is excited to be working with thedistrict to help reach the district’s goals for effective and accessible communications throughout the entire school community,” said Dr. Nick Migliorino, founder and president, School Connect, and former educator. “People are busier than ever and rely on their mobile devices to be connected to what matters most. School Connect allows schools and community members to stay connected through a free and robust mobile platform that will continue to evolve based on their needs.”

The Greenwood 52  School Connect app is now available to download and use for free for Apple and Android users.

About School Connect

School Connect provides communication services to school districts through Apple and Android apps distributed by Jostens at no cost to districts or users. School Connect is a part of Jostens, a leading provider of products, programs and services that help people tell their stories, celebrate important traditions and recognize achievement. 

Three-Minute Video Explaining the Common Core State Standards

This three-minute video explains how the Common Core State Standards will help students achieve at high levels and help them learn what they need to know to get to graduation and beyond.




http://vimeo.com/51933492

Sargent's K5 Class Sings Wonderful Carols

On Tuesday, December 18, Mrs. Sargent's class sang carols for the Petersens

Superintendent Reads to Mrs. Brown's class

On Tuesday, December 18, Dr. Mark Petersen was invited to share a book and read to the children of Kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Brown. A grand time was had by all.

Edgewood Middle Holds Christmas Concert

Edgewood Middle held their annual  Christmas Concert on the evening on Monday, December 10, 2012 in the school's gymnasium. Good job, students and to Mr. Bagwell, as well!

Clemson Teams With Upstate Schools To Promote Leadership Development

By Tierney Gallagher

Leadership 2.0 is a two-year professional development program for mid-career principals focused on leadership capacity development at the school level. It seeks to advance administrators’ effectiveness by providing them with the skills needed to seek out and solve problems. It is geared toward those seeking to reach the next level of their leadership capacity in their careers and in their schools.

Launched in May, the Leadership 2.0 and 3.0 programs are part of a leadership development initiative emerging from the collaboration of Clemson University’s Eugene T. Moore School of Education and school districts of the Western Piedmont Education Consortium (WPEC).

The program takes a new approach to school improvement by providing coursework and collaborative pairings of school leaders. Its purpose is to increase leadership capacity for next generation schools and cultivate improved teaching and meaningful learning.

What is Leadership 2.0/3.0?
Leadership 2.0 is a two-year professional development program for mid-career principals focused on leadership capacity development at the school level. It seeks to advance administrators’ effectiveness by providing them with the skills needed to seek out and solve problems. It is geared toward those seeking to reach the next level of their leadership capacity in their careers and in their schools.

Leadership 3.0 is a one-year program for senior leaders and more experienced administrators that provides leadership capacity development focused on coaching and serving as mentors to future leaders. It provides them with the skill set for developing leadership capacity of mid-career educators and school stakeholders as coaches at the building level.

Participants serve the 10 districts involved and are individuals who have demonstrated strong leadership potential, as identified by district superintendents. Each program is a combination of in-person, on-campus, in-district and online work. Learning venues include on-site mentoring meetings and planning sessions, traditional face-to-face seminars, and virtual learning communities, social networks, simulations and case studies.

Leadership 2.0 and 3.0 help to provide learning opportunities in regards to school performance and community audits, and capacity development in coaching and distributed school leadership. In addition to these goals, the programs incorporate a variety of benefits that affect a broad range of people. These include increased learning for students, certification and graduate credits for participants, school-based capacity building for school leadership teams, and better relationships, higher engagement and more student success for school community stakeholders. Both programs offer participants Clemson certification and can be used for credit toward an educational specialist degree.

One of the distinct qualities of the program is the high level of collaboration. Leadership 2.0/3.0 brings together Clemson and 10 school districts in South Carolina, including Abbeville, Edgefield, Greenwood 50, Greenwood 51, Greenwood 52, Laurens 55, Laurens 56, McCormick, Newberry and Saluda school districts.

Who is part of it?
One of the distinct qualities of the program is the high level of collaboration. Leadership 2.0/3.0 brings together Clemson and 10 school districts in South Carolina, including Abbeville, Edgefield, Greenwood 50, Greenwood 51, Greenwood 52, Laurens 55, Laurens 56, McCormick, Newberry and Saluda school districts. These districts are all part of the WPEC, a long-time partner with Clemson’s aspiring school leaders programs.

Leading the program are Dr. Janie Lindle, professor of educational leadership, and Dr. Robert Knoeppel, professor of educational leadership and chair of the faculty of Leadership, Counselor Education, Human and Organizational Development at Clemson. Also highly involved are Dr. Hans Klar, professor of educational leadership, Kenyae Reese and Matthew Della Sala, doctoral students in educational leadership.

A new approach
According to Lindle, the program is unique because it brings a new focus to educational leadership development. While other programs focus on preparing new, pre-service principals, generally teachers seeking to become principals, Leadership 2.0/3.0 helps principals who are mid career to pass the plateau they often encounter. “We’re trying to keep these folks from being good at only one thing; to try something else, something different and all to keep improving,” Lindle said.

Instead of helping to prepare leaders, the program focuses on making advancements, preventing dips or declines, promoting steady upward progress and improving leadership strategies.

One of the major benefits resulting from this approach is participants’ ability to interact and learn from other experienced professionals through networking. “The program offers us a chance to network with other school administrators in a small setting,” said Brenda Romines, principal at Bell Street Middle School in Laurens County School District 56. “We are given the opportunity to focus on real things that are vital and happening in our schools currently. It offers an opportunity to reflect on our practice in many ways.”

Learning for leaders, and children
While the program is for educational leaders, its impact ultimately reaches children through improving student learning. Knoeppel points out that this is the most important part. “This is the paramount goal of educational preparation and service to the state; we’re creating different conditions for kids and great opportunities for them,” he said.

By improving the leadership capacity of school administrators, the program in turn affects actual learning. “People care about kids but not about the people taking care of kids,” Lindle said. “People should also care about the people taking care of kids. There is a big difference between keeping school and actually teaching. There’s got to be more than that.”

By connecting with 10 different districts and hopefully expanding to more in the future, the program is designed to reach out to those not only around Clemson, but also throughout South Carolina.

Reaching out through relationships
Leadership 2.0/3.0 offers unique opportunities by encouraging cooperation across district lines and throughout the state. By connecting with 10 different districts and hopefully expanding to more in the future, the program is designed to reach out to those not only around Clemson, but also throughout South Carolina. “In terms of the land grant model, there are many programs that go border to border in this state,” Lindle said. “However, education is not thought of this way. This is Clemson dealing with the entire state and school districts across the state.”

Despite its focus on extending these efforts statewide, Leadership 2.0/3.0 still makes a distinct impact on people and their communities. “Education is a relationship business where people learn, grow and change. We make a difference at Clemson because we have these relationships with schools, districts, and educators across the state; we’ve invested a lot of time in the field,” said Knoeppel. “Through capacity building, sustaining and improving, Clemson is investing in the schools by taking its resources and investing back into the public.”

Coming back to campus
While the program helps those in the outside community grow, it contributes something special to the University as well. Leadership 2.0/3.0 also provides Clemson the opportunity to learn and give back to its own students.

“The program creates an avenue for us to communicate with districts and learn about the field, and at the same time rethink our own preparation program for training leaders for the field so we can revise what we are doing,” said Knoeppel. “If we didn’t have that relationship, this dialogue wouldn’t happen and we wouldn’t get the indirect result of improved principal preparation.”

Also, because the program is one of a kind, it helps Clemson to differentiate itself from other schools with training and specialization programs in education.

Future goals
According to Lindle, the overarching goal of Leadership 2.0/3.0 is that schools in the districts involved will have leaders for continuous improvement now and in the future. Knoeppel explains that by preparing participants to be mentors for later, the program is consistently building resources for improving leadership capacity and can have a greater impact as time goes on. As the program progresses, they hope it is able to expand and provide these opportunities to districts in other parts of the state as well. 

Rest in Peace, Tank

Tank: My Little Man

Born: July 6, 2005

Died : November 14, 2012

PUSHING FORWARD

11/9/2012 12:12:00 AM PUSHING FORWARD Wildcats find success on defense despite coping with several injuries

Ninety Six High School’s Rod Johnson (21) helps close in on a tackle. Despite the Wildcats’ abundance of injured defensive players, coach Chris Liner’s team has played improved defense as of late. (Index-Journal | File) By SCOTT CHANCEY NINETY SIX -- Six Ninety Six High School defensive starters have been lost at one point or another because of injuries this season. First, it was Marquise Williams in the opening game. From there, the casualties never seemed to stop. The latest was Jo-Jo Chaney in last week's first-round playoff victory against Liberty. Yet, here the Wildcats are, preparing for tonight's second round of the Class AA, Division II playoffs at Blacksburg. But instead of thinking about all those injuries, the Wildcats' defense has actually played better during the past few weeks. After giving up 38 points against Batesburg-Leesville and 42 against Newberry, the Wildcats responded to those losses by allowing 14 against Saluda and then 20 against Abbeville and Liberty, each, in victories. "That's the definition of team," Wildcats coach Chris Liner said. "Now, a lot of guys playing predominantly on offense are now also having to play on defense. We've done some extra running this week, though. We know we have a lot of talented kids at a lot of different positions. They're just going to have to play a lot more football. But at this time of year, it's cool outside and a lot easier to do. It's always exciting to see someone step up and feel a role and go with it." SEE MORE IN FRIDAY'S INDEX-JOURNAL.

Wildcat Marching Band Finishes Second in the State

Congratulations to our students, parents, and David Vickery and his staff. Job well done!

RESILIENCE IS KEY

10/30/2012 RESILIENCE IS KEY Ninety Six's Watson finds success with what he's given

Ninety Six’s Hunter Watson was named Index-Journal Player of the Week after the team’s victory against Abbevlle last Friday night. (Index-Journal } file) By SCOTT CHANCEY NINETY SIX - Hunter Watson was handed the reins to the Ninety Six High School starting quarterback job as a freshman. Now a junior, he engineered the winning drive Friday against Abbeville, which was then ranked No. 1 in Class AA (the latest media poll has the Panthers sixth). After throwing two interceptions Friday, Watson - the Index-Journal's Player of the Week - responded with a 53-yard drive in 2:13 while completing four passes in a row. He finished off that drive by scrambling into the end zone for a 12-yard touchdown with fewer than 10 seconds remaining in the game. Trailing Abbeville 20-19, Ninety Six then tried a two-point conversion designed to be a pass from receiver Jo-Jo Chaney to none other than Watson. "The (Abbeville defensive back) sunk back on (Watson), and Jo-Jo was able to run it in," Ninety Six coach Chris Liner said Monday, recalling the play. And that was the game. Ninety Six 21, Abbeville 20. Watson, despite the two interceptions, finished the contest with 202 yards on 12-of-24 passing and completed a career-long 92-yard touchdown pass earlier in that game to Ryan Booker. "It was just an awesome game to play in; the atmosphere was great," Watson said. "We just fought until the end and came out on top." Sometimes, when a quarterback is declared the on-field leader, he tries to do too much. If there is maybe a defender - or two, or three - with a crucial play needed to be made, Watson has, at times, tried to complete that pass, anyway. MORE IN TODAY'S INDEX-JOURNAL

Wildcats dominate at region meet

10/18/2012 12:58:00 AM Wildcats dominate at region meet Humphrey, Scott take top individual honors as Ninety Six claims 2-AA cross-country crown

By SCOTT CHANCEY NINETY SIX - Ninety Six High School freshman Kaley Humphrey put an extra kick into her motion during the final few meters of Wednesday's Region 2-AA championship meet. As one who also often commutes to Spartanburg this fall for soccer practice, developing a kick is nothing new. Because of that, she helped contribute to the Wildcats' first girls region cross-country title in years. Humphrey, timed at 22 minutes, 24 seconds in five kilometers, paced a team effort to first place with 33 points at the Ninety Six National Historic Site.

Leading down the stretch

10/24/2012 12:41:00 AM Leading down the stretch Senior Jaquon Louden provides spark and experience for young Ninety Six team

Jaquon Louden By JORDAN ANDERS janders@indexjournal.com NINETY SIX - Ninety Six High School running back Jaquon Louden entered 2012 as one of only 10 seniors on the Wildcats' roster. As injuries riddled the squad and coach Chris Liner saw six of his seniors suffer season-ending injuries, he looked upon those remaining four to lead his team down the stretch. Perhaps no player has answered the bell better than Louden. "(His leadership) is huge right now," Liner said of his do-it-all workhorse. "With that limited amount of experience (in our younger players), Jaquon has been at the forefront of trying to lead this team, having been there and done that." Louden agreed, saying as one of those seniors, it falls on him to provide a spark for his teammates. "Sometimes when you lose seniors," he said, "(the younger players) feel like they can slack off. But when you lose seniors, the other senior leaders have to step up and be big." While Liner lauded the leader Louden has blossomed into, almost as impressive is the job he has done this season in filling positional holes on the depth chart created by injury. SEE MORE IN WEDNESDAY'S INDEX-JOURNAL.

Wildcats take on Newberry

10/12/2012 12:09:00 AM Wildcats take on Newberry

Chris Liner By SCOTT CHANCEY Tonight is pivotal for the football teams at Ninety Six and Newberry high schools. They are both 1-1 in Region 2-AA after losses last week, and need a win tonight to be considered a contender during the Class AA playoffs. Pressure? What pressure? Wildcats coach Chris Liner, whose team lost 38-20 against Batesburg-Leesville, insisted his team feels none. "We're focusing on things one week at a time," Liner siad. "We put last week's loss behind us and are concentrating on Newberry, and that's kind of where we're at." Newberry coach Phil Strickland, whose Bulldogs lost 38-27 against top-ranked Abbeville last week, said he can identify with what Ninety Six is going through. "I know they're unhappy with their loss; they've been up and down," Strickland said. "We just hope (tonight) they'll be down and we'll be up." SEE MORE IN FRIDAY'S INDEX-JOURNAL. www.indexjournal.com

WILDCAT PRIDE

10/12/2012 12:29:00 AM WILDCAT PRIDE Ninety Six upsets Region 2-AA volleyball champion Abbeville

Ninety Six High School volleyball players celebrate Thursday after winning a point against Abbeville. The Wildcats upset the Region 2-AA champs in four sets. (Matt Walsh | Index-Journal) By CHENG SIO ABBEVILLE - When the volleyball bounced off the hardwood floor for the final time Thursday night, Ninety Six High School coach Kristen Hopkins and the six players who sat near her leaped off the bench in joy and mobbed the six Wildcats on the court. Ninety Six's junior varsity team, many of them sitting behind the referee stand, jumped out from the crowd and stampeded toward their teammates. The Wildcats acted as if they won a region title. One problem, though. They didn't. Two nights after Abbeville beat Mid-Carolina to win the Region 2-AA championship and snap Ninety Six's run of 11 consecutive region titles, Ninety Six showed what kind of pride its program has by handing the Panthers their only blemish on the region schedule with a four-set victory (23-25, 25-20, 26-24, 25-22) on its archrival's home floor. "We just decided to come out here and played our butts off because they already stole the region title from us," said Quasha Williams, who had a team-high 23 kills. "They was undefeated, so we just went out there and did our thing." Meanwhile, some Abbeville (11-2 overall, 9-1 region) players walked toward the locker room with tears strolling down their cheeks. Others were consoled outside the gym after the postgame meeting. SEE MORE IN FRIDAY'S INDEX-JOURNAL.

Wildcat Marching Band Competitions

Wildcat Marching Band Competitions

9/22 Irmo 2A 4th w/ excellent rating

9/22 Newberry 3A 1st w/ superior rating

9/29 White Knoll 1A 2nd w/ excellent rating, Best Drum Major

10/6 Laurens 3A

 1st w/ superior rating, best horn line, and 1A-3A grand champs

Wildcats' Liner is Lakelands FCA coach of the year

10/10/2012 12:43:00 AM MAN OF FAITH Wildcats' Liner is Lakelands FCA coach of the year Ninety Six High School football coach Chris Liner watches a game from the sidelines. (Index-Journal | File) By SCOTT CHANCEY NINETY SIX -- Coaches draw inspiration from others, and Ninety Six High School's Chris Liner is no different. The moments that shaped the Wildcats' football coach, though, did not necessarily involve X's and O's. Take, for instance, his days as a Greenwood assistant coach under then-coach Shell Dula, who guided the Eagles to three state championships. Dula's words mattered to Liner. But Dula's actions mattered more. "You walk into his office at any time during the day, he's going to be reading his Bible about three-fourths of the time," said Liner, who was recently honored as the Lakelands Fellowship of Christian Athletes coach of the year. "I like to watch other people, especially people who are successful and try to emulate them. That was an advantage of growing up in a family environment where being a Christian was first. And working for coach Dula was a blessing for me. And a lot of the guys on his staff were Christians, too. That was a time in my life when I needed that kind of direction, and it's something I can never repay. But I certainly try to pass on what I have learned. And that's what we're doing." Hence Liner's lesson after seeing this quote from legendary basketball coach John Wooden: "You can't live a perfect day until you do something for someone who will never be able to repay you." Whether it's helping organize an FCA meeting at Edgewood Middle School, where he works as an assistant principal, or taking his football team to an FCA camp, Liner said an underlying goal of his job is to prepare players for more than just Friday nights. He wants to prepare them for life - a successful one at that. SEE MORE IN WEDNESDAY'S INDEX-JOURNAL. www.indexjournal.com

ESEA Flexibility Community Stakeholder Meetings

TO:                 District Superintendents

FROM:          Mick Zais, State Superintendent of Education

DATE:            September 27, 2012

SUBJECT:     ESEA Flexibility Community Stakeholder Meetings

On October 10, 2011, I emailed to you a copy of a letter to U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan informing him of the State’s intent to seek a waiver from certain requirements of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).  The U.S. Department of Education (USDE) established a process for States to request such flexibility and deadlines when requests could be submitted.  The South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) submitted an ESEA Flexibility Request on February 28, 2012.  It was approved on July 19, 2012.

As part of the SCDE’s continued engagement of stakeholders, the Department will hold a statewide virtual meeting on Wednesday, October 3 from 6:00pm – 7:30pm.  The purpose of this meeting is to provide an update on the implementation of the ESEA Flexibility Request.  The public will have the opportunity to submit questions during the meeting and the Department will answer them, time permitting.

In addition to the statewide virtual meeting, the SCDE will host five regional community stakeholder meetings across the state.  The SCDE will contact school districts when locations for these meetings are finalized.  A final schedule of community stakeholder meetings will be sent to all school districts.

Please share this information with your teachers, principals, administrators, and school board members.  Most importantly, please share it with your students, parents, and the public you serve by posting the following links on your website.

Link to watch the October 3, 2012 statewide virtual meeting and submit questions: http://ed.sc.gov/events/esea/

Link to review all documents and presentations regarding the ESEA Flexibility Request: http://ed.sc.gov/agency/lpa/ESEAFlexibility.cfm