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OUR THEME “Elevate Your Impact” OUR GOALS • Provide world-class safety and a positive school culture. • Provide world-class, high-quality instruction to increase student achievement. • Provide world-class communication and family engagement. March 25, 2024 Dear LCSD 55 Family, Wow, Spring is here and we have made it to Spring Break. I hope our staff and students utilize this time to rest and recharge as we get ready to finish the year. Spring brings a fresh newness with the budding of trees, blooming flowers, and greener grass. As we recharge, I ask that we bring that freshness and newness back to school after the break. Parents and guardians, please talk to your students about behavior, respecting their teachers and their peers, and working hard. As we finish the year, many will participate in state assessments, take field trips, and have end-of-year celebrations. We ask that all do their best and take the time to enjoy the opportunities we have for the remainder of the year. Sincerely, Dr. Jody Penland & Dr. Rhett Harris

REMINDERS & CELEBRATIONS PRESS RELEASES & LINKS • 2023 ENERGY STAR Certified Buildings • Laurens District 55 High School (LDHS) Band: Performing Blue Ridge Reel • LDHS Band: Rough Riders March • LDHS Band: West Highlands Sojourn • LDHS Chorus Clip • Youth Art Month Student Artwork Gallery • IMPACT: 55 Episode 29 Emma Liner • IMPACT: 55 Episode 30 E’Myus Young • IMPACT: 55 Episode 31 Gracelyn Jones • Learn How to Become A Teacher: TeachSC.Org March 28th Free Virtual Information Session

COCKY-DOODLE-DOO! Laurens County School District 55 (LCSD 55) held a Family Literacy Event on Monday, March 11, 2024, at the Laurens District 55 High School (LDHS) Gym. Upon arrival, participants were greeted by the LDHS Drum Line with upbeat music. The guest authors were Langston Moore and Preston Thorne, former football athletes and authors of the book #JustAChicken. The authors were joined by the University of South Carolina mascot, Cocky, who is the main character in #JustAChicken. It is the very first time the authors were able to do their inter-active read-aloud with Cocky acting out the scenes. Throughout the afternoon, participants were encouraged to think and interact with the authors. The event wrapped with raffle prizes being given away. Among the prizes were signed copies of the book #JustAChicken. A big thanks to the LCSD 55 Administration, Laurens District 55 High School, LDHS Drum Line, LCSD 55 Athletics Department, LCSD 55 Transportation Department, LCSD 55 Human Resources Department, LCSD 55 After-School and Tutoring Coordinators, Laurens 55 Coordinator of Communications Faye Colley, volunteer drivers (Principal Josh Dawkins, Coach Armond Flood, Michael Waldrop, Jill Wrobel, Coach Jamie Childress, and Benjamin Coleman), and Bryant White for making this event happen. MAC ARNOLD FULFILLS PROMISE Mac Arnold of Pelzer, South Carolina, donated instruments to the Gray Court-Owings Family on March 12, 2024. Arnold came to fulfill the promise he made to GCO when he came as a guest speaker at GCO’s Black History Month Celebration in February. Fox Carolina News Reporter Myra Ruiz covered this GCO event. Ruiz interviewed Mr. Brown, the GCO Band Teacher, and the GCO 7th-grade Band students. Brown said he is thankful for Mac Arnold’s I Can Do Anything Foundation. “Mac Arnold is very nice. This is huge for him to be donating. This will let the students learn and enjoy music even without the ability to purchase their instruments.” GCO 7th-grader Teena Crum said, “I feel very thankful. I don’t know how to express myself.” 2023 MS. SOUTH CAROLINA DONATES BOOKS TO THIRD-GRADE STUDENTS Thank you, 2023 Ms. South Carolina and Pragma Home Healthcare, for donating books to our third-grade students! We hope our students enjoy reading Jada's book, Joy On A Journey: Finding A Mentor.

MARCH MUSIC IN OUR SCHOOLS MONTH SPOTLIGHT TEACHERS Mr. Patrick Ray Flaniken (photo on the right) is the Laurens County School District 55 (LCSD 55) Interim Director of Bands. He teaches Wind Ensemble, Music Appreciation, Percussion Ensemble, and Marching Band. He has thirty-one years of teaching experience in Texas and joined LCSD 55 this academic year. Flaniken holds a Bachelor’s in Music Education from Texas A & M University-Corpus Christi and a Master’s in Educational Administration with Principal Certification from Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas. His band directors in Texas inspired him to teach. They showed him how to work hard and be successful. “As a young adult, I wanted to share my passion for making music and the lessons about hard work that they taught me. I wanted to lead young men and women to be productive members of society and successful humans via music classes,” shared Flaniken. His greatest joy in teaching is seeing students work hard to succeed. He said, “Learning this work ethic in a band will help them succeed in future endeavors, whether that be college, trade school, or the job market.” Laurens District 55 High School (LDHS) student Braxton Waters is thankful for Mr. Flaniken. Braxton said, “I learned an instrument, and that’s pretty cool. Making friends, leadership skills, and team building are things that I learned by being part of the LDHS Band.” Gregg Hinton (photo on the left) is a Music Teacher at Laurens Elementary School. He has twenty years of experience in Music Education, focused on private instrumental instruction. He has served as a certified classroom teacher in Laurens County School District 55 for eight years. He holds a Bachelor’s in Music Education with an Emphasis on Instrumental Music. He has always aspired to be an educator. Hinton said, “What truly motivated me to pursue music as my main focus was the profound impact music has on a student's overall development. This conviction grew stronger as I was fortunate to have music teachers who imparted musical knowledge and helped shape me into a better individual.” Gregg Hinton added, “Music education not only enhances proficiency in mathematics, history, literature, science, and other arts, but also fosters connections between students and their peers through shared experiences, allowing for the exploration of common values. Music education in schools cultivates a sense of unity while nurturing individuality, fostering self-confidence, enhancing spatial intelligence, instilling dedication, developing responsibility, and promoting organization.” It delights Hinton to observe students' pride and excitement after achieving goals through hard work and determination. Outside of educational performances, Gregg Hinton has been a featured trumpet instrumentalist for a PBS special, a soloist for community and regional performances, and was honored to perform the National Anthem at Turner Field. Currently, he is the guitarist for his church’s worship team.

MARCH MUSIC IN OUR SCHOOLS MONTH SPOTLIGHT STUDENT Ryan Self (photo on the right) is a 12th-grade student at Laurens District 55 High School (LDHS). Ryan is part of the LDHS Band and speaks highly of it. He said, “The Band Program at LDHS offers entertainment for games, parades, and pep rallies. We are part of a great tradition of entertaining the crowd at football games.” “LDHS Band is a place you can feel at home at the high school and not feel alone. Students will definitely find great groups of friends in Band,” Ryan added. Ryan plays the Bass Trombone. He is a naturally talented individual and a diligent student. He is part of the 2024 South Carolina Band Directors Association (SCBDA) Region Six and All-State Honor Band. He reminisced about auditioning and said, “It’s definitely exciting and rewarding learning a solo and scales. It pays off to meet new people. It was a fun time auditioning.” It has been advantageous for Ryan to have been part of the Region Band for multiple years. “I utilized the skills I learned from Region Band to apply for colleges and scholarships.” Ryan has been offered scholarships at Furman University, Newberry College, Limestone University, Coastal Carolina, and the University of South Carolina. He plans to pursue Music at the University of South Carolina under a scholarship. “I thank Dr. Arthur Haecker at Converse University and Mr. Flaniken for working with me with the solo. I thank my parents for supporting me in being part of the bands,” said Ryan. LCSD 55 Interim Band Director Mr. Patrick Flaniken said, “Ryan is an extremely talented young musician with an amazing work ethic. He puts his heart and soul into his playing, and I look forward to hearing great things from him in his musical career.” MARCH YOUTH ART MONTH SPOTLIGHT STUDENT Elizabeth B. Sullivan (photo on the left) is a 12th-grade student at LDHS. She loves art because she enjoys being able to create whatever she desires and she likes to feel accomplished when she produces her ideas into concrete products. She said, “I’m proud of my art, I have been doing it for a LONG time. My art is a big part of me. Even if some students don’t ‘know’ me, they may have heard of me. Many times, I have heard, ‘She’s the girl who can draw.’ That makes me very proud. Being creative makes me feel like me.” Elizabeth encourages others to engage in art. She said, “Let your creativity flow out. Don’t try and copy someone else to be just like them. Be original.” Elizabeth’s past and present teachers are proud of her. “I had the privilege of getting to know Elizabeth Sullivan last year when she took my art class. It doesn't take long to see that Elizabeth is an artistically gifted student and intrinsically motivated to the benefit of everyone around her. Elizabeth expresses a positive freshness that is contagious, and it has been my great privilege to be her high school visual art teacher at LDHS. I do not doubt that Elizabeth will find great success with such enthusiasm, creativity, and openness to the world around her. I am so happy to have experienced serving as her teacher,” said Bettie Lane.

Elizabeth is an accomplished young artist. As a Junior, she entered the LCSD 55 United States and South Carolina Motto poster-making contest. She used Photoshop in her Digital Art Class and successfully incorporated relevant symbols into her designs. Elizabeth won the contest, and her work is framed and displayed at the front office of each of the schools in LCSD 55. Elizabeth is thankful for Mrs. Lane, her Fine Arts Teacher, and Mrs. Iusti, her Digital Arts Teacher. Both educators have helped develop her art skills. She knows she can rely on both of them as she pursues a career as a graphic designer. MARCH YOUTH ART MONTH SPOTLIGHT TEACHER Melissa Yarochowicz (photo on the right) is the Art Teacher at Waterloo Elementary School and Hickory Tavern School. She holds a degree in Art History. She is Certified in Elementary Art. She is in her eighth year of teaching in Laurens County School District 55. Melissa comes from a family of artists who do mosaics, quilting, hand-lettered signage, airbrush, and photography. Melissa also always enjoyed being with kids. Hence, after many years as a Childcare Preschool Director, she decided to go into the classroom, something she has always wanted to do. Melissa said, “I find joy in the process of letting students come up with their ideas to create art about. I give them themes in 4th grade, such as Transportation or Hobbies, and they create in the medium they chose to make a piece that reflects something they get excited about. Seeing them brainstorm, create, make revisions, and share with their classmates truly gets them excited to come to art class. In younger grades, they are given some artist choices in some of the decisions when creating their art while they are learning the standards of the mediums they can use in an elementary art studio.” Melissa believes art is a very important piece of the Education puzzle. She shared, “It is one that not only focuses on creating art, but can be used to learn all the other core subjects. From early art making, students develop fine and gross motor skills through cutting paper as well as more complex subjects like Math and Science. Together, art can help visual and hands-on learning get an in-depth look at the things they need to learn through the standards taught at each grade level.” She added, “Exploration and Process are all great for youth. It gives them a way to comprehend the world around them. Making art allows them to create something from what they have learned or add to that learning. Learning through the various art processes and past famous artists, youth can see how art making has changed throughout time and that there is no one way to make it! Learning how to make and appreciate art gives them a valuable tool in their ‘toolbelt of life’ to help them get through the ups and downs in a way that is not only creative but rewarding.” Laurens County School District #55 is committed to the principle of equal opportunity. It is the policy of the district not to discriminate on the basis of race, religion, sex, color, age, national origin, immigrant status, English-speaking status, familial status, or disability with regard to students, employees, or applicants for admission or employment.