Greenville, SC – In a pep rally-like atmosphere at the Koger Center in Columbia last night, hundreds of parents, teachers, and other staff from Riverside Middle School and Wade Hampton High School cheered wildly when they discovered their schools had earned the prestigious title of  2010 Carolina First Palmetto’s Finest School.

Riverside Middle Principal Ron Harrison was elated with his school’s selection. “We have been through a lot this school year, and I have the best and greatest staff on the face of this earth. I couldn’t work in a better district with the support I get from Dr. Fisher and the school board members,” he said.

Riverside Middle has been named an Exemplary Writing School every year in the 11-year history of the school.  They are past winners of the Palmetto Gold award, United Way Premier Award, Math Counts, SC PTA Newsletter Award, South Carolina Band Outstanding Performance award, State and National Beta Club awards, and various other recognitions.

Wade Hampton High Principal Lance Radford said, “There is no doubt in my mind that by going through this process we have improved Wade Hampton High School each and every year. We concentrate on putting rigor into our curriculum, we concentrate on putting relevance into our lessons, and we concentrate on building professional relationships with our students. I am truly blessed to be the principal of Wade Hampton High School.”

Wade Hampton High has been on Newsweek’s List of Best High Schools in America for the past four years. Their students’ 70 percent increase in AP enrollment and a rise in Freshman GPA from 1.975 to 3.081 all bear witness to the school’s success.  Wade Hampton is heralded as a generous contributor to the community with charitable donations topping over $1,000,000.

With the addition of Riverside Middle and Wade Hampton High, Greenville County Schools now boasts 20 Palmetto’s Finest Schools. The others are: Augusta Circle Elementary, Baker’s Chapel Elementary, Bell’s Crossing Elementary, Blythe Elementary Academy, Brushy Creek Elementary, Buena Vista Elementary, Crestview Elementary, Greenville Middle Academy, League Middle Academy, Mauldin Elementary, Mitchell Road Elementary, Oakview Elementary, Overbrook Child Development Center, Pelham Road Elementary, Plain Elementary, Riverside High, Sara Collins Elementary, and Taylors Elementary.

The coveted awards, sponsored by Carolina First Bank and the SC Association of School Administrators (SCASA), are presented each year to two elementary schools, one middle school, one high school, and possibly one special category school.

SCASA is the professional organization for school leaders in South Carolina, with a membership of more than 2,600.  From professional development opportunities and research, to publications and legislative advocacy, SCASA’s focus is to support school leaders in providing the best possible education for South Carolina’s young people.  As a state affiliate of three national associations for school leaders, SCASA also works on the national level.

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