J. L. Mann High, Rudolph Gordon ES School Improvement Councils Named Finalists
The J. L. Mann High Academy and Rudolph Gordon Elementary School Improvement Councils (SICs) have been named finalists for the Dick and Tunky Riley Award for School Improvement Council Excellence. The winner of the 2015 Riley Award will be selected from this year’s finalists and announced at the SC-SIC Annual Meeting, Saturday, March 7 at River Bluff High School in Lexington.
Teen Achievers is a program through the YMCA of Greenville at J. L. Mann High Academy. Staff members work with teenagers, primarily high school freshmen, to help them transition to high school and gain skills necessary to be successful in school and in life. Program goals include exposing teens to diverse career options, providing them with role models who will inspire success, creating channels for community involvement, and promoting achievement and excellence. Volunteers also work with students monthly during the school day.
Rudolph Gordon Elementary’s Book Buddies program allows students to pick out a free book to take home. They can choose from all types of books including fiction, non-fiction, easy readers, and even magazines. Last year, Book Buddies averaged 40 students a day, primarily kindergarten through second graders. The impact has been great, with the percentage of students scoring Met or Exemplary on PASS increasing by seven percentage points.
Other finalists for the award are Blythewood High SIC (Richland School District Two), Myrtle Beach Cluster SIC (Horry County Schools), and North Augusta High SIC (Aiken County Public School District).
The SC-SIC Riley Award is named in honor of former South Carolina Governor and U.S. Education Secretary Richard Riley and his late wife, Tunky, and recognizes the couple’s longstanding commitment to quality public education.