2015 State of the School Luncheon
State Superintendent of Education Spearman
Joins Interim Superintendent Washington
For OCSD5 State of The Schools Address
Orangeburg Consolidated School District Five (OCSD5) Interim Superintendent Dr. Jesse Washington delivered the 2015 State of the Schools address to approximately 350 community leaders, educators, and stakeholders on October 20, 2015. The special guest speaker for the event was State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman.
Many district students participated in the State of the Schools program and they kept the event lively and entertaining. Brittany Bloome, a senior at North Middle/High School, and Jake Bookard, a senior at Bethune-Bowman K-12 Campus, served as the Mistress and Master of Ceremonies for the program. They were joined by Cornelius Walker, a senior at Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School, who provided the introductions for State Superintendent Spearman and Dr. Washington. Together, the trio entertained the audience with a combination of humor and engaging conversation. Musical entertainment was provided by the outstanding members of the Robert E. Howard Middle School Chorus directed by Shanjaleta Gardner and the Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School Jazz Ensemble directed by Michael McClain. Student ushers Kenneth Gilmore, Emoni Chaplin, Robert Gordon, Austin Gleaton, Dareeka Neals, and Reginald Seaberry greeted and assisted guests as they arrived.
The first speaker on the program was Mary Ulmer, Chair of the OCSD5 Board of Trustees, who greeted the audience with welcoming remarks on behalf of the Board. She was followed by Autumn Coulter, the 2015-2016 District Teacher of the Year, who gave recognition to the Principals and the individual Teachers of the Year from each of the district’s schools. Reverend Michael C. Butler, Mayor of the City of Orangeburg and School-to-Work Coordinator for OCSD5, gave the blessing prior to lunch being served.
Following the meal, Dr. Stephen Peters, Principal at Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School, made a special announcement. He revealed that Swan Films, a British filmmaking company, has been at the campus shooting a three-part documentary series for the BBC that will highlight a year in the life of the school and its students. Filming is underway and will continue through the end of the school year culminating in graduation.
The guest speaker for the program was State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman. Spearman spoke to the audience about one of her priorities, the “Profile of the 21st Century Graduate”. In her remarks, Spearman indicated that her vision of college and career readiness is not just limited to knowledge of language arts and math, but also includes critical thinking and problem solving skills along with life and career skills such as integrity and work ethic. Spearman stated that South Carolina is now writing a new education accountability system that will measure student success from multiple measures. “For too long we’ve been so worried about how you score on one high-stakes test and that’s how we judge schools and communities. We’re going to change that,” said Spearman to enthusiastic applause from the audience.
Dr. Jesse Washington, Interim Superintendent for OCSD5, highlighted many of the district’s successes from the previous year along with a look ahead to the future. Dr. Washington began his remarks by noting the success of the “Mohawk Mania” extended-year program at the Bethune-Bowman K-12 School; the implementation of the “Early College” program at North Middle/High School where the incoming ninth grade class will be the first to have an opportunity to graduate with both a high school diploma and a two-year college Associate’s Degree; and the status of the Digital Learning Initiative whereby students are receiving Wi-Fi compatible iPad devices that will facilitate new opportunities for student learning.
Dr. Washington also gave a report titled “OCSD5 by the Numbers” where he gave the audience a number, and then followed it up with a district highlight. Among the items presented were:
0 – The district approved an operating budget for 2015-2016 with a ZERO increase in taxes.
1 – In collaboration with the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office, the “Junior Advocates” program was created that trains and certifies high school students to assist the professional members of the Victim’s Services Office in providing support to young victims of crime. The program is the first ONE of its kind in the nation.
2 – TWO students from Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School, Martin Aduma and David Quick Jr., were named Gates Millennium Scholars. Last year, only eleven students from South Carolina were selected as Gates Scholars and Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School was the only school in the State with more than one.
6 – The OCSD5 Athletic Hall of Fame inducted SIX members into its inaugural class including former NFL player Alex Barron, former NFL player Dwayne Harper, current NFL player Tim Jennings, retired basketball coach Artie Knight, the late basketball coach Edward Pellman, and retired coach and Principal Dr. Geb Runager.
8 – OCSD5 became one of just EIGHT school districts in South Carolina to partner with the South Carolina Governor’s School for Science and Mathematics in a new virtual engineering program called ACCELERATE where high school students can earn up to 32 college credits toward an engineering degree.
58 – FIFTY-EIGHT students attained perfect scores on State examinations last year including the Palmetto Assessment of State Standards (PASS), the High School Assessment Program (HSAP), or the End of Course Examination Program (EOCEP).
72 – The graduation rate for students in OCSD5 increased from sixty-five percent to SEVENTY-TWO percent over the past five years.
14,000,000 – The dollar value of scholarship awards offered to OCSD5 graduates in 2015 exceeded FOURTEEN MILLION dollars, the highest single year total ever for our district.
1.6 – The dropout rate for students in OCSD5 decreased from 7.4 percent to 1.6 PERCENT over the past five years, a full percentage point better than the State average. The annual “Reach Out for Dropouts Walk” was recognized as one of the successful strategies for the turnaround in this statistic.
The audience was shown a news video of the 2015 “Reach Out for Dropouts Walk” that was produced by WIS TV reporter Billie Jean Shaw. This year, following the efforts of more than 100 volunteers on a Saturday morning in August, eight students returned to school to re-enroll and make a commitment to obtain their diplomas. During his remarks, Dr. Washington asked a number of students who made a decision to return to school and earn their diplomas to stand and be recognized for their courage. These students received the loudest ovation of the day.
Finally, twenty-three teachers were recognized as recipients of Irene Myers Grants of up to $500 through the OCSD5 Education Foundation. These grants will fund unique educational experiences for students. (The Irene Myers Grant program will be the subject of a future E-Blast story.)
Dr. Washington concluded with this thought, “This year is one of great promise and I am fully committed to working with our parents, School Board members, teachers, and staff to keep all of us focused on what is truly most important – our students and their achievement.”
OCSD5 wants to recognize the following sponsors who made the State of the Schools event possible: Childs & Halligan Law Firm, Cox Industries, Orangeburg County Council, the Regional Medical Center, and TeachTown Incorporated. Thank you for your support of public education and OCSD5.
