Board of Education recognizes excellence during May meeting
At the May 14 Darlington County Board of Education meeting, it was awards night. Listed below are students, teachers and schools who were recognized for outstanding performance.
Seven DCSD students have earned all As for the entirety of their elementary and middle school years. The following students have earned all As for 8 straight years:
Darlington Middle School
• Landon Cooke
• Lauren Lucas
Hartsville Middle School
• Matthew Black
• Courtney Hastey
• Andrew Martin
• Stella Tew
• Grayson Wint
One DCSD student has earned all As for the entire 12 years of her education. Ms. Caroline Surrett of Hartsville High School has not earned a single B on her report cards since she began first grade 12 years ago.
Students who accomplish perfect attendance for five, eight or twelve years must be very dedicated and make many sacrifices over the years. The school district has four students who have achieved perfect attendance demonstrating their commitment to high education goals worthy of recognition.
Five Years Perfect Attendance:
• Latasha Azalya McDaniel – Brunson Dargan Elementary School
• Landon Thomas Pletcher – Carolina Elementary School
Eight Years Perfect Attendance:
• Tre’Faison McLeod – Darlington Middle School
Twelve Years Perfect Attendance:
• Joshua William Poole – Mayo High School, MST
Four students have earned spots on the South Carolina Basketball Coaches’ Association’s (SCBCA) All-State Teams. LaQuan “Nari” Coe and Simo’ne Durant, both students at Lamar High School, have earned spots on the 1A Girls SCBCA All-State Basketball Team. La’Trae Hannibal of Hartsville High School earned a spot on the 4A Boys SCBCA All-State Team. Saquita Joyner of Hartsville High earned a spot on the 4A Girls SCBCA All-State Team.
Rashard Coleman, a senior at Lamar High School, was chosen to play in the South Carolina Athletic Coaches Association (SCACA) North-South All-Star Baseball Game.
Quantavia “Kat” Coe, a senior from Lamar High School, was selected as a member of the SC Coaches Association of Women’s Sports (SCCAWS) All-State Softball Team.
Three Darlington County School District softball players have been selected to play on the South Carolina Coaches Association of Women’s Sports (SCCAWS) North-South All-Star Softball Game.
• Lillie Baumbach, Darlington High
• Taylor Watford, Hartsville High
• Myra McDonald, Hartsville High
Hartsville High School’s Pride of Hartsville Winter Guard won the South Carolina Band Directors Association’s Scholastic AAA Winter Guard Performance State Championship.
Members:
• Minya Benjamin
• Connor Brunson
• Da’Shawna Brunson
• Journey Byrd
• Rashad Gee
• Emily Haubner
• Diaz Jones
• Teagan Lillian
• Kalaiagh McCullough
• DaKayla Priest
• Kenneth Wingate
Director and Instructor:
• Christopher Grant
Bands of Hartsville Directors:
• Cameron Watkins, Hartsville High School
• Marlin Ketter, Hartsville Middle School
The SC Band Directors Association’s Outstanding Performance Award is the highest possible award given to a band program in the state of South Carolina. Points are accumulated through participation and ratings earned at marching competitions, All-State and Region bands, concert performance assessments, and Solo and Ensemble Festival.
This year the band programs at Hartsville High School and Hartsville Middle School both earned this prestigious recognition. The Hartsville High School band program is led by Mr. Cameron Watkins and the Hartsville Middle School band program is led by Mr. Marlin Ketter.
Three students from Mayo High School for Math, Science and Technology earned first place honors at the state convention of the Future Business Leaders Association (FBLA).
• Christopher Colclough, Gary Altman, and Eric Douglas won first place in the Digital Video Production competition.
Three students from the Darlington County Institute of Technology took top honors at the 2018 SkillsUSA state competition.
• Matthew Privette, a senior at Hartsville High, won first place in the Electrical Construction Wiring competition.
• Joseph Rhodes, a senior at Darlington High School, won first place in the Information Technology Service competition.
• Landon Steen, a senior at Hartsville High School, won first place in the Job Skill Demonstration A competition.
Thirty-four DCSD high school students earned first place honors at the South Carolina convention of the National Beta Club held in February. The National Beta Club is the largest independent, non-profit educational organization in the nation dedicated to promoting the ideals of academic achievement, character, service and leadership among elementary and secondary school students. The first place student winners are:
South Carolina Beta Club President: Kalyn Phillips, Mayo High School for Math, Science & Technology
Painting: Taylor Moore, Hartsville High School
Creative Writing: Natalie Hinson, Mayo High School for Math, Science & Technology
Character Skit: Mayo High School for Math, Science & Technology
• Taylor Boggs
• Erial Cooper
• A’Mari Joseph
• Bradly Kempson
• Briaja Mitchell
• Patrick Williamson
Campaign Skit: Mayo High School for Math, Science & Technology
• Kaylee Amerson
• MyKenna Blankenship
• A’Yahnna Byrd
• Tyler Coleman
• Erial Cooper
• Erica Douglas
• Tahjae’ Edwards
• Tessa Fonteneau
• Taylor Ford
• Riley Gibson
• Hashani Goff
• Rebecca Hawkins
• Natalie Hinson
• Jamsey James
• A’Mari Joseph
• Hunter Langston
• True-Allah Liles
• Morgan Malloy
• Mariscia Mark
• Taylor McClam
• Tayler McDaniel
• Dominique Mills
• Arkell Mingo
• Briaja Mitchell
• Alexanderia Moore
• Madison Moore
• Savoris Scipio
• Jy’Keem Taylor
• Patrick Williamson
• Tamia Willoughby
Grainger Howle, a member of the Darlington High School golf team, has been selected by the South Carolina Athletic Coaches Association (SCACA) to play in the 2018 North-South All-Star Golf Match. This event will be played May 18-20, 2018 at Litchfield Country Club on Pawleys Island, SC.
The prestigious Palmetto’s Finest awards are presented annually by the South Carolina Association of School Administrators (SCASA). The schools selected for the awards go through an intensive application process requiring self-evaluation, peer review, and two on-site examinations. The application and visits verify evidence of exceptional student achievement, instructional programs, professional learning communities and school culture. This year Mayo High School for Math, Science & Technology was one of only five schools in the state designated as a Palmetto’s Finest school. The school is led by principal Arlene Wallace.