American Education Week - School Support Staff Appreciation Day
- American Education Week celebrates the contributions of our nearly 10,000 employees. This week, we highlight the important roles they play and their exceptional service to the students of Greenville County Schools.
- GCS school support staffs include food service operators, custodians, aides, secretaries, clerks, bookkeepers, nurses, paraprofessionals, special education personnel, plant engineers, and school resource officers.
Denise Chung, Food Service Operator, Alexander Elementary
Denise Chung has worked in food service for years, starting at United Airlines and moving to the Hot Dog King before joining GCS. “My coworkers and I take great pride in preparing food for the children every day. We work to make sure the food tastes good and looks attractive when it's served,” she explained. Denise gives credit to Chef Ron Jones, who has trained all GCS food service employees at the Culinary Arts Institute. “We learned the science behind why foods are served at certain temperatures. We all work together, serving and prepping and keeping the kitchen very clean,” she said.
Gacari Hall, Custodian, Hillcrest Middle
A recent Mauldin High graduate, Gacari Hall works as a custodian at Hillcrest Middle School and says he loves his job so much he plans to retire from Greenville County Schools someday. During the summers while he was growing up, he would come to school with his grandmother, who was a custodian at Woodmont Middle School and help her out. “I enjoy working with my colleagues,” he said. “We take pride in making the school a place where students want to come each day.”
Greenville County Schools Celebrates American Education Week
November 17-21 Recognizes Public School Employees
Greenville County Schools will celebrate American Education Week with other schools and districts across the nation during the week of November 17-21. The theme, Raise Your Hand for Student Success! reinforces the fact that all employees, from teachers to food service to custodians, are actively involved in provide a quality education for our students.
Greenville County Schools, the nation’s 45th largest school district, understands and encourages the active involvement of parents, volunteers, and the community as our more than 5,000 teachers inspire young people to reach for the stars and build plans for their futures.
Schools will host special events during the week to spotlight teachers and other staff. Parents and other community members are invited to visit a local school to observe the outstanding students, staff and programs of Greenville County Schools.
About Greenville County Schools
Nationally Accredited School District
- Greenville County Schools received National Accreditation from the AdvancED Accreditation Commission, recognizing the school system as a high quality school district and granting full accreditation to the school district and all of its schools.
- Largest District in SC; 45th Largest in Nation
- More than 72,000 Students in Grades K-12
Student Facts
- The GCS Class of 2014 received $113.9 million in college scholarships.
- About 10,000 students (15%) attend school on choice, making GCS the state leader.
- GCS students consistently outperform the state and nation on the ACT college entrance test.
Employee Facts
- About 9,500 Employees; About 5,000 Teachers
- 99% of teachers are highly qualified content experts.
- GCS boasts more National Board Certified Teachers (659) than 24 states, and we rank 14th of 14,000 school districts in the nation for total number of NBCTs.
Schools - 100
- Elementary - 51
- Middle - 20
- High - 14
- Centers - 17 (Career, Child Development, Special)