Sterling Awards & Honors
2024 S.C. PTA Outstanding Local Unit of the Year
2024 Finalist Dick & Tunky Riley Award for SIC Excellence
2024 Upstate Parent Magazine’s “10 Educators Who Make a Different” – Ashleigh Ledford
2024 U.S. News & World Report Best Elementary (#16) AND Middle School (#1)
2024 WYFF Golden Apple Award – Anreale Pickens
2023 GCS School Administrator of the Year, Dr. Josh Patterson
2023-2021, 2019 SCBDA Outstanding Performance Award
2023-2021 SCMEA (Orchestra) Gold Outstanding Performance Award
2023 First Lego League Robotics -State Champions
2023, 2019 Upstate Parent Magazine’s “10 Educators Who Make A Different”, Ebony Nye
2023-2018 Elementary Jr. Beta Convention State Winners
2023-2018 Middle School Jr. Beta State Convention Winners
2023-2021, 2019 & 2017 GCS Elementary Level Battle of the Books Champion
2023-2021 GCS Middle Level Battle of the Books Champion
2022 PSSCA S.C. School Counselor of the Year, Dr. Mary Tchouros
2022-2021, 2018-2010 Math Counts – Upstate Champions
2021 Upstate Parent Magazine’s “10 Educators Who Make A Different”, Jeremy Murphy
2021, 2019, 2017, 2015, 2014 Math Counts – State Champions
2020 GCS First Year Teacher of the Year, Nicole Benvenuto
2020 SC PTA Elementary Administrator of the Year, Dr. Josh Patterson
2020 United Way of Greenville Community Award
2019 Black History Quiz Bowl Champions
2018 Niche.com #1 Public Elementary School in Greenville County
2018, 2014, 2013 LiveWell Healthy School Award
2018 Virginia Hamilton Essay Honor Award, Sara Newell
2018-2015 Junior Beta Club National Quiz Bowl Team Champions
12 Faculty National Board Certified
27 Faculty Gifted and Talented Endorsed
Presenters at ACTFL, ASCD, NAGC, NCTE, PSSCA, SCASA, SCASL, SCAMLE, & SCFLTA
2024 U.S. News & World Report Best Elementary School AND Best Middle School (#1 in State)
2021 U.S. News & World Report Best Elementary School AND Best Middle School (#1 in State)
In 2021, U.S. News & World Report published their first-ever rankings of public elementary and middle schools. Our school placed among the top 30% of elementary and middle schools in the state of South Carolina, making us BOTH a U.S. News Best Elementary School AND a Best Middle School. Of the 80,000 U.S. public elementary and middle schools that were evaluated by U.S. News, barely 1,000 earned both awards. Our middle school is the highest ranked program in the state and our elementary program is ranked sixteenth.
Look at what was published about our school, including the new rankings.
2021 VALUED Lives Award for School Excellence in Diversity
The K-12 School William “Bill” T. Wylie Valued Lives Award for School Excellence, given by The Riley Institute at Furman University and sponsored by the Greenville Chamber of Commerce in partnership with Upstate Chambers, honors K-12 schools for their tireless efforts in championing for diversity. The award recognizes Sterling School’s ongoing effort to place restorative practice, character, and leadership at the heart of the school’s instructional program. Specifically, the selection committee noted the school’s emphasis in supporting student needs through SEL, mentoring, and trauma-informed practices, culturally responsive instructional practices such as activism and service learning, and community partnerships with local law enforcement and nonprofit organizations.
2021 Sylvia Palmer Sustainable Educator School Award
This recognition is given to a teacher or school leading in environmental education and sustainability. The Awards Selection Committee emphasized our school's sustainability leadership in a variety of ways, including the Sliding Rock improvement project, sustainability focused field trips with Sustaining Way, and the student directed activism project just to name a few. The committee noted our school's #WholeChild mission and the alignment of our values with that of Sustaining Way.
2020-2022 National PTA School of Excellence
Sterling School was chosen as a 2020-2022 National Parent Teacher Association School of Excellence. This honor is given to schools that support and celebrate partnerships between local PTAs and schools to enrich the educational experience and overall well-being for all students. We are proud of students, parents, teachers, families, and the volunteers that made this possible. Together, we do great things for our students!
2019 South Carolina ASCD Whole Child Award School
The South Carolina ASCD Whole Child Award is designed to recognize schools that have gone beyond a vision for educating the whole child to actions that result in learners who are knowledgeable, emotionally and physically healthy, civically active, artistically engaged, prepared for economic self-sufficiency, and ready for the world beyond formal schooling. This award acknowledges those schools that have changed the conversation about education from a focus on narrowly defined academic achievement to one that promotes the development of the whole child: a child who is healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged.