On Thursday, October 25 the students and staff at Drayton Mills Elementary School welcomed members of the community into their brand new facility for a celebratory dedication of the state-of-the-art building. With a flourish of confetti and a ceremonial ribbon cutting, Superintendent Dr. Russell Booker, Principal Thomas Webster and Chair of the Board of Trustees, Ms Sharon Porter, thanked local residents and District partners for making the project a reality and pointed to a number of key distinctions that make the school unique. " Drayton Mills Elementary is the first Green Globe certified school in District 7," said Dr. Booker, "and that means we’ve taken tremendous care to be good stewards of our resources. To conserve energy, to reduce water consumption and to promote sustainable design wherever possible. There's so much about this school that's exciting. From the abundance of natural light at every turn, to the innovative and flexible learning spaces you’ll see throughout the building, this is an optimal environment for teaching and learning."

Principal Thomas Webster noted that the school's curriculum will be rooted in project-based learning and said students got a jump start on that approach in their research to select a mascot for the school. "We can thank our children," said Webster, "for all their hard work in determining what colors would be best for Drayton Mills Elementary and the type of mascot that would symbolize the spirit of our school." Webster went on to explain that the children chose a Dalmatian to be their mascot for its attributes of love and loyalty. Drayton Mills Elementary was designed by the architecture firm of McMillan Pazdan Smith and built by Harper Construction. The property for the school was donated to the District by Pacolet Milliken Enterprises.

Every year in October, organizations across the country – including District 7 – rally around Red Ribbon Week. This year, in addition to the various educational events organized by each of our schools – the District enlisted the help of community professionals to drive home the dangers of drug abuse and to broaden the conversation to include parents and families. “We’ve got to do more.” said Rich Jones, the CEO of FAVOR Greenville, which stands for Faces and Voices of Recovery. “Last year alone, 72,000 people in the United States died as a result of a drug overdose. There’s such a stigma associated with addiction and until we can move past that, those who are struggling will stay in the shadows.” Jones was joined by six other panelists, including local physicians, recovery counselors and law enforcement officers – all of them in agreement that drugs are becoming easier to obtain through the internet and the formulas of those drugs, more lethal than ever. “We used to say a drug is a drug is a drug,” said Sue O’Brien of The Forrester Center in Spartanburg, “but, today, nothing could be farther from the truth.” “And sadly,” said O’Brien, “most people dealing with substance use disorder have no idea what’s in some of those drugs, until it’s too late.” Held at the Chapman Cultural Center, organizers of the event say they hope to draw a bigger crowd in the coming years as the conversation is too important to ignore. Click here for an article about the event, featured in the Spartanburg Herald Journal

On any given day, Dr. Russell Booker can be found dashing between one of the 14 schools he oversees as the Superintendent of Spartanburg District Seven. His visits from one classroom to the next are the highlight of his work and a chance to stay connected to the more than 7,400 students and 1200 staff members who make up the D7 community. In mid-October, however, on a trip that took him far from home, Dr. Booker spent a week touring schools and classrooms in the Scandinavian country of Finland. As a participant in a unique field study with more than 20 state and local leaders, Dr. Booker and his US counterparts got a closer look at the Finn’s highly acclaimed education system. Traveling from Helsinki to the remote village of Oulu, near the Arctic Circle, Dr. Booker said the trip was fascinating and the takeaways for possibilities here are numerous. “What struck me most,” said Booker, “is the trust that exists between teachers and all stakeholders. The Finns truly believe in a system that lifts everyone up and their commitment to equity (not just in education) is evident in all aspects of their society.”

Coordinated by The Riley Institute at Furman University, Public Education Partners and the Furman Education Department, the trip-goers were given the opportunity to meet with the Former Prime Minister, Mr. Alex Stubb (who happens to be an alumna of Furman) and one other special celebrity who happens to reside north of the Arctic Circle. While visiting the city of Oulu, Booker and his SC colleagues stepped over the Arctic Line for the rare opportunity to visit the home of Santa Claus and his reindeer.

Back on US soil now and eager to share his findings from Finland, Dr. Booker says there are a number of things he and the other SC educators on the trip believe could work well in US schools.

If you’ve been in District 7 for any length of time, you know the name Al Jeter is synonymous with song! The 45 year-veteran educator is a vocal cheerleader and champion of the Spartanburg art scene and a talented contributor, as well!

This month, in recognition of Dr. Jeter’s tenacious commitment to arts in education the Chapman Cultural Center paid tribute to Jeter at a special ceremony saluting cultural champions. Surrounded by family and friends, Jeter was lauded as a leading force for the District’s rich history of instruction in band, orchestra, dance, theatre, fine arts and music. “As a teacher, a Principal and a revered administrator," said Ava Hughes of the Chapman Cultural Center, "Dr. Jeter has worked tirelessly during his career in District 7 to ensure that all of our children not only have access to the arts but also have an appreciation for the magic, beauty and joy that is found in the arts." Dr. Jeter will retire at the end of this academic year and you can bet he'll be busier than ever lifting up the arts and lighting up our lives! Al was joined by family members and his favorite former District 7 Principal and wife, Anne Chapman Jeter! Click here, to see more pictures from the 2018 Cultural Champions luncheon.

Kids in pajamas and teachers in slippers. It’s not in the dress code but thanks to a statewide eLearning pilot it will soon be a reality for District 7 students and their instructors. In August, the S.C. Education Oversight Committee chose District 7 as one of five districts to participate in a statewide eLearning pilot program, that will allow students to work, virtually, from home when the District is closed. With the recent school day missed due to tropical storm Michael, the District has been ramping up preparations and testing its ability to connect teachers and students when extreme weather or other conditions make being at school impossible.

Dr. Eric Levitt said the platform students use on their laptops will allow them to continue their classes from home. “We don’t want our parents to feel like this is just busy work for our students. It has to have meaning to it and that’s we're spending so much time with our Technology Integration Specialists and teachers to help everyone understand how to make this work. You can learn more about the District’s eLearning program on our Website - https://www.spartanburg7.org/elearning.

Dupre Drive was filled with energy as a sea of colorful floats with blue and gold spirit set sail for the final Homecoming Parade from the current Spartanburg High School. But when it came time to see who was the loudest, it may have been the Grand Marshalls. Principal Jeff Stevens said it was only fitting to honor former SHS principals Rodney Graves, Joe Clarke, and Joe Delaney (pictured on the right).

The parade and pep rally led up to the Viking's last region football game at Wofford’s Gibbs Stadium on Friday, Oct 19. During the game, senior athletes were honored and the Homecoming royals were crowned. Malajah Rodgers (center) was anointed the Homecoming Queen, and Carson Hardigree (left) and Liz Yex (right) and were crowned Honor Attendants. Viking pride ruled the week and made way for a big win for the Vikings over Riverside, 52-7. 

Students at the Cleveland Academy of Leadership sat mesmerized as they learned how to harvest water from tree leaves, how to make rope out of honeysuckle, how to make a shelter in the woods, and how to forage for edible plants. No it's not a science class - it's part of 7Reads, the District's flagship literacy event. This year, Greenville-based author Jo Hacklr brought her debut children’s novel to Cleveland called,  "Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe." The book is a story of resilience and ingenuity, and the independence of a little girl named Cricket. Hacklr told students, that as a writer, you can research anything that intrigues you and put it in a story. Thanks to an anonymous donor, each student received a copy of "Smack Dab" as part of 7Reads and the community partners who helped establish the program. Since 7Reads was born twelve years ago, students throughout the District have been introduced to more than 40 visiting authors. Next month Ms. Hacklr will visit middle school children at Carver, EP Todd, and McCracken to share her writing process along with her desire to get readers outside. Ms. Hacklr is also the founder of  outdoorosity.org , a resource celebrating the treasures and curiosities of nature with stories.