LEMS Principal’s Weblog

Last week, I had the opportunity along with 3 other Kershaw county principals, to attend the National Association of Secondary School Principals conference in San Antonio, Tx. It was an outstanding conference. I was able to bring back to our school many new ideas to share with our faculty and have already shared some of them with the other principals in our district. One of the more interesting experiences I had was the chance to sit and talk to the principal of Kotzebue Middle School which is located north of the Arctic Circle in Alaska. To say there were differences in what she deals with on a daily basis and what we deal with in SC would be an understatement. Her school is connected to the high school and has a combined student enrollment of 450. LEMS has 631 students 6-8 grade. To get to athletic events for their school, they must fly great distances. We ride a bus no further than 1 -1.5 hours. They cancel recess when its 35 degrees below zero. We cancel recess when there is a heat advisory. Among their athletic events is Native Eskimo  Olympics. Our intramural programs have basketball and softball. Yet for our differences, we have commonalities as well. We are both concerned with maximizing time on task, and maximizing student achievement. We both want our students to be safe and explore their world in a way that leads them to success and fulfillment. I hope that Mrs. Lucas and I can expand on our short conversation into a long lasting cultural exchange between the Mighty Leopard Family at Lugoff-Elgin Middle School and our new friends the Kotzebue Middle School Huskies.

On Wednesday February 13th, I was named the Principal of the Year in Kershaw County by my fellow administrators. I am honored to be chosen to represent them. The administrators in our Kershaw County are a collection of some of the most outstanding school leaders in our state. Many of them holding state offices in education organizations. May of them coordinating outstanding, award-winning schools. I am very proud to be included in this group of education professionals. My second point of this blog would  be why we seek recognition in the first place. While human nature craves that “pat on the back”, there should be more than just self-satisfaction. Our school has chosen to enter the Schools to Watch and Palmetto’s Finest competitions because we believe that the programs and strategies that we use on a daily basis makes a difference in the lives of our children. We believe that contrary to some of the media perception of education in South Carolina, there is academic excellence in our state even when using a national model for excellence. There are great things happening in education in our state and it is right in here in Kershaw County.

Last night our math department held Family Math Night. This was an opportunity for families to come to school with their students, play games, and hopefully see the connections between games and mathematics. Some of the games were created by our students. It was a rousing success. Attendance was better than expected. Our PTO sold pizza and drinks. It was a great event to help build positive home-school relations. I appreciate the time and energy our math department gave to host Family Math Night. I would especially like to thank Heather Hoffman who headed the project up.

 With Leopard Pride

Dan Matthews

February 6th is on Palmetto’s Finest Finalist Visit. I couldn’t be prouder than the teamwork, the school pride, and the hard work from the LEMS Family. Included in the family are our students, custodial staff, faculty members, secretarial staff, volunteers. I am humbled by the ability of our family to come together to get the job done. The school looks great; the students have the right attitude; the teachers are prepared. The great thing is this happens everyday at LEMS. Our kids have the right attitude. Our teachers give it 110% everyday. This dedication to our mission makes this school and great place for students to learn, and a staff to prosper.