Julie Klemz, Harbison West Elementary School’s 2025–2026 Teacher of the Year and founder of the school’s “Casual for a Cause” fundraiser, was inspired by an idea she encountered during a dental appointment last summer. She noticed someone wearing a T-shirt promoting the idea of dressing casually for a meaningful causeContinue Reading
C-SPAN visited Dutch Fork High School May 14 to celebrate and honor seven students for their prize-winning documentaries in C-SPAN’s annual StudentCam competition. C-SPAN and Spectrum representatives joined classmates, teachers, family members, and community leaders to present awards and recognize the students and their teacher, AJ Chambers, who served asContinue Reading
School District Five has announced its new Teacher of the Year and Support Employee of the Year during a May 11 ceremony. Anna Maria Hinson, an English teacher at Spring Hill High School, was named School District Five’s 2026-2027 Teacher of the Year during the district’s Employee Recognition Program. JeannetteContinue Reading
Leaphart Elementary STEAM Magnet School fourth grade teacher Dr. Paul Duggan has been selected as a Spring 2026 recipient of the Coaching Teacher Award of Excellence from the University of South Carolina College of Education. The award recognizes outstanding educators who demonstrate excellence in mentoring and supporting future teachers throughContinue Reading
District Five student Chloe Coleman (Spring Hill High) has been named the Midlands Work-Based Learning (WBL) Student of the Year. The SC Work-Based Learning Student of the Year award recognizes a student who exemplifies sound work-based practices while applying academia to real-life, real-work, and real-world situations in the business/industry environment.Continue Reading
Two students from the Escolares Academy at Harbison West Elementary School Gifted and Talent Development Magnet have achieved an academic milestone, earning perfect raw scores on the Spring 2025 SC READY Assessment. Perry Dawson, a fifth-grade student, and Jeremiah Simpson, a fourth-grade student, are among a very small group ofContinue Reading
District Five Superintendent Dr. Akil E. Ross, Sr. was surprised April 20 at the School District Five School Board meeting with the South Carolina National School Public Relations Association (SC/NSPRA) Administrator of the Year Award. The announcement was made by Toni Chewning, President of SC/NSPRA. This award recognizes a superintendentContinue Reading
School District Five of Lexington & Richland Counties celebrated 72 first-year educators who participated in the district’s STARS (Supporting Teacher Advancement, Retention, and Success) induction program during a recognition ceremony held April 27, culminating with the announcement of the district’s Induction Teacher of the Year. The district recognized Kelsey Manning,Continue Reading
District Five will host a virtual Lunch & Learn event with Superintendent Dr. Akil E. Ross, Sr. and his administrative team regarding the district’s tool iBoss, a parent monitoring application that gives parents and guardians real-time information about students’ Chromebook usage. The event will be held virtually from noon toContinue Reading
On April 16, the District Five Teacher Forum hosted an event celebrating School District Five seniors planning to pursue careers in education. The event highlighted the district’s future educators and honored their commitment to making a difference in the lives of students.Continue Reading
District Five student Jayden Won has earned a National Merit Scholarship. Jayden Won (Dutch Fork High, Boeing Scholarship) was named a winner of this year’s National Merit Corporate-Sponsored Scholarships. These scholarships were financed by about 115 corporations, company foundations, and other business organizations. Also included in this category are awardsContinue Reading