Volume 28: September, 2016

(continued on page 6)

(continued on page 2)

Housed on the campus of Rivelon Elemen-tary School, the newly established Orangeburg Leadership Academy (OLA) began offering single-gender instruction to twenty-five boys in grades three through five with the start of the new school year. Led by Principal Eric Brown, the OLA is now the county’s largest single gender school. Brown says that while the OLA only admitted twenty-five students this year, he hopes to double the number of students enrolled next year. According to Brown, “This is kind of a dream of mine…the culmination of research, what I’ve learned, of my experiences as a

Orangeburg Leadership academy is meeting the needs Of yOung maLes

E-Blast in five

The Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School gymnasium was filled to capac-ity with students from the district’s four high schools (Orangeburg-Wilkinson, Bethune-Bowman, North, and the High School for Health Professions) for an in-spiring and motivational presentation from celebrity chef “Chef Jeff” Henderson on September 14, 2016. Henderson is the host of the Food Network’s popu-lar television show “Flip My Food” and the founder of the “Chef Jeff Project”, a program targeted at helping “at-risk” youth turn their lives around. He is also a best-selling author whose story is now being turned into a major mo-tion picture.

Henderson captured the attention of the assembly of 1,500 high school students with the details of his life story. He began by telling about his history of growing up on the streets of South Central Los Angeles and dealing drugs. He told the students about how the decisions he made at their age ultimately landed him in prison for nearly a de-

Food Network Star “Chef Jeff” Henderson Delivers Inspirational Message to High School Students

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Chef Jeff. . .(continued from pg. 1)

Orangeburg Consolidated School District Five (OCSD5) and the County of Orangeburg have partnered to create a new website that brings our local cable tele-vision signal and our library of video programming to anyone with an Internet connection. The address for the new Orangeburg County Television (OCTV) website is: www.orangeburgcountytv.com. Until now, access to the OCTV signal was limited to local subscribers of the Time Warner Cable (TWC) system. While the television signal can still be viewed on TWC Channel 12 or Channel 78.10 for viewers with a QAM-en-abled television, the new website makes OCTV available to everyone. Here is a sample of the video programming that you can see on the new OCTV website:• Video replay of the OCSD5 High School Football

Game of the Week.• The 2016 Dancing with the Orangeburg Stars fundrais-

ing event for the OCSD5 Foundation.• Video programming of OCSD5 events and programs

like the recent “Chef Jeff” presentation to district high school students, the Back to School Bash, the Bethune-Bowman Senior Walk, OCSD5 graduation ceremonies, the OCSD5 Olympics, the 2016 Retirees Dinner, the

Filling Station food pantry program, and videos from each of the district’s schools.

• Videos from the National School Boards Association and the South Carolina De-partment of Education with State Superintendent Molly Spearman.

• Videos from the County of Orangeburg highlighting county services, local recre-ational amenities, and com-munity festivals and events.

• Informational videos from the Regional Medical Center on various health and wellness services available in our community.

• SCSU Programs and events including an interview with new President James Clark.

• TED talks on a variety of education and general inter-est topics.

Visitors to the website have the ability to view the live signal that is being broadcast on OCTV or select from any of the items in the video library for “on-demand” viewing. Check the website frequently as new video content is be-ing added every week. For additional information about OCTV, contact Bill Clark, OCSD5 Public Relations Director at 533-7925 or bill.clark@ocsd5.net.

cade. He described the re-alities of what life in prison involves and how he coped with the loss of his free-dom. It was in prison where Henderson discovered his passion for cooking and purpose in life. After his release from prison, Hen-derson struggled to gain employment before land-ing a job as a dishwasher. His determination to suc-ceed eventually led to an op-portunity to step away from the sink and into the kitchen, and eventually becoming an executive chef at several top restaurants in Las Vegas at sites including Caesars Palace and the Bellagio. His message to the students was delivered in plain and direct language. Henderson spoke of the challenges of growing up in poverty, in broken homes, and in environ-ments where education and family values are not regarded. He cautioned the students to not let their circumstances de-

OCTV LauNCHeS New webSITe, VIewINgOpTIONS expaNDeD aND eNHaNCeD

ORANGEBURGCOUNTY TELEVISION

CHANNEL

fine where or how far they can go in life and gave them strategies for reaching their goals and realizing their own versions of the American dream. The common theme of his presentation was the importance of making good choices and the consequences of making bad ones. Henderson’s visit to Orangeburg was part of the “Be a Boss Youth Empowerment Tour” sponsored by the Ed-Venture Children’s Museum.

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September, 2016

Seven years ago at Mellichamp Elementary School, a group of com-munity volunteers led by Heather Bernardo began collecting food to send home with students at the end of the week to ensure they had adequate food and nutrition over the weekend. That pro-gram, known as “Into the Mouths of Babes”, recognized that al-though students eat breakfast and lunch at school, many are not eating anything nutritious (and in some cases anything at all) over the weekend until they return to school on Monday. Since that time, three other schools in the district developed similar pro-grams. In March of 2016, a coor-dinated effort was undertaken to develop a districtwide food pantry program for all of the district’s schools. Joining forces with the volunteers from “Into the Mouths of Babes”, the program became known as the “Filling Station”. During its first week of existence, a food drive was implemented and donations sufficient to feed fifty-three (53) children over the weekend were received. From that humble beginning, donations and volunteer services to the Filling Station have grown every week and the program now collects and distributes food for the weekend to nearly 1,000 children every Friday. According to Cindy Clark, Coordinator of Homeless Services for OCSD5, “Our community has always stepped up and supported children who are in need, and the issue of childhood hunger is one that touches the heart. I am so thankful for the many individuals and organizations that are supporting the Filling Station with their donations and volunteer service. They are truly making a difference in the lives of our children.” According to data provided by Feeding America, a nationwide network of foodbanks and the nation’s lead-ing domestic hunger-relief charity, 24.2% of the children in Orangeburg County struggle to get enough to eat. Using this data, and based upon the current student enrollment in OCSD5, approximately 1,600 children in our schools do not regularly have access to adequate nutrition and meals. Although the Filling Station is meeting the needs of many students, an unmet demand remains. Hayward Jean, the Principal at Mellichamp Elementary School, has seen the impact that hunger can have on student learning and performance. “The Filling Station and Into the Mouths of Babes do more than feed our children’s bodies,

t h e y also feed their souls,” he said. He con-tinued, “This ministry is supernatural, because the food is synonymous with love, and their backpacks are synony-mous to the hearts of our children. Every week this pro-gram is filling our student’s hearts with love, which in turn empowers our students for academic success. When a child knows they are loved and valued consistently, they will live up to the expectations placed upon them.” “Children who are hungry are not prepared to learn, suffer attendance problems, and are prone to illness and health problems,” said Superintendent Dr. Jesse Wash-ington. He added, “I am so appreciative of the efforts of our volunteers and donors, our students are the true ben-eficiaries of their generosity.” Donations of food items are received at a warehouse facility located behind the OCSD5 District Office on Ellis Avenue and are packaged for delivery to schools by volun-teers every Friday morning. The food items are distributed in a discrete way to needy students. Popular food items are those that come in individual serving sizes and include single servings of fruit in light syrup, whole grain cereal/granola bars, individual cereal boxes, and canned food with protein like spaghetti and meatballs or ravioli. The Filling Station is 100% supported by donations and volunteers. Any individuals or organizations desiring to donate food, volunteer their time, or make monetary donations are encouraged to contact Cindy Clark, OCSD5 Coordinator of Homeless Services, at (803) 533-7969 or by email at cindy.clark@ocsd5.net.

The “Filling Station” Is Making A Difference

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E-BlastSeptember, 2016

The 2016 Back to School Bash was a great success with more than 5,000 parents and students participating in the event on Sat., Aug. 6th at Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School. Thanks to the generous support of our sponsors and volunteers, we were able to provide more than 2,500 backpacks stuffed with grade-appropriate school sup-plies to our students. The event also featured free food, entertainment, and amusement rides to create a fun and

festive atmosphere for our families. The auditorium featured speakers, entertainers, and a magic show

throughout the day while an outdoor carnival provided fun with amuse-ment rides and exhibits. Representatives from each of our schools and more than forty (40) vendors were on hand to provide information about their products and services. According to Superintendent Dr. Jesse Washington, “This was our biggest, and best, Back to School Bash ever. I want to thank all of our sponsors and volunteers for coming together to make this event happen for our children.”

2016 baCk TO SCHOOL baSH a bIg SuCCeSS!!

E-Blast in five

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September, 2016

Orangeburg Consolidated School District Five (OCSD5) teachers, staff and administrators gathered at Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School on the morning of August 12, 2016 to kick-off the start of the new school year. Following an Opening Session themed around the Olympic Games with Superintendent Dr. Jesse Washing-ton leading the way, the district introduced its Teachers of the Year from each of the district’s schools along with the 2016-17 District Teacher of the Year. The Teachers of the Year from each school are as follows: Cathy Lawrence, Bethune-Bowman Elementary School; Sherri Dennis, Dover Elementary School; Ve-ronica Hodges, Brookdale Elementary School; keisha McCullough, Marshall Elementary School; Jessica Mc-Cormick, Mellichamp Elementary School; arlequanda gates, Rivelon Elementary School; akua polidore, Sher-idan Elementary School; andrea Shuler, Whittaker El-ementary School; Malissa wright, Clark Middle School; elizabeth Humphrey, Howard Middle School; kather-ine Mack, Bethune-Bowman Middle/High School; Jef-frey Hall, North Middle/High School; paulette Richard-son, Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School; artis Coulter, The Technology Center; and erick kouamegni, High School for Health Professions.

The 2016-17 OCSD5 District Teacher of the Year is Jeffrey Hall representing North Middle/High School. Hall was joined by Jessica McCormick, Keisha McCullough, Andrea Shuler, and Malissa Wright as Finalists for the OCSD5 District Teacher of the Year award. Profiles of all of the Finalists will appear throughout the year in future editions of our monthly newsletter, the E-Blast in Five. OCSD5 would like to extend its gratitude to Jimmy Jones Toyota of Orangeburg for sponsoring our Teacher of the Year program. Since their arrival in the Orange-burg community, Jimmy Jones Toyota has been an out-standing supporter of public education and numerous community projects and events. Please let them know how much we appreciate their support. “We are very proud of the accomplishments of each of our Teachers of the Year and the commitment they bring to their profession,” said Superintendent Dr. Jesse Washington. He added, “This group of teachers is dedi-cated to helping our children grow and reach their full potential.” The Teachers of the Year at each school were select-ed by their peers at the end of the previous school year. From there, an independent committee of community leaders met over the summer to review applications and

conduct interviews to make the final selection to determine the 2016-17 Finalists and District Teach-er of the Year. The Teachers of the Year will meet collectively with the Superintendent throughout the school year to advise him on issues regarding our students, teachers, and schools.

2016-17 OCSD5 Teachers of the YearHonored at District Opening Session

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September, 2016in fiveOCSD5 PartnerS with PitSCO eDuCatiOn tO Create

STem Lab at r.e. hOwarD MiDDLe SChOOL Orangeburg Con-solidated School District Five (OCSD5) is excited to announce the open-ing of a new, state-of-the-art STEM (Science, Technology, Engineer-ing, and Mathematics) Lab at Robert E. How-ard Middle School. The STEM Lab is the result of a partner-ship with Pitsco Educa-tion that is designed to deliver quality, real-world learning experi-ences and, ultimately, student success in the STEM disciplines. This partnership came about through a joint effort with the South Carolina Education Oversight Committee with the goal of promoting pub-lic-private partnerships and innovative ways to transform public education in South Carolina. The Pitsco Education STEM Lab will create opportunities for students of all learning styles, academic abilities, and socio-eco-nomic backgrounds to experience success on their way to becoming college and career ready. According to OCSD5 Superintendent Dr. Jesse Wash-ington, “Our school district is taking a major step forward in providing the curriculum and resources for our students to excel in the STEM disciplines.” He continued, “The cur-riculum in the STEM Lab is focused on career clusters such as manufacturing, aerospace, transportation and logistics, and health sciences among others. These experiences will help our students to gain the skills they will need to be competitive in today’s global economy.” An Open House event was held on the campus of Rob-ert E. Howard Middle School in Orangeburg on Tuesday, September 27th. Following remarks from S.C. Senator John W. Matthews and Dr. Steve Hill, Executive Director of STEM East, guests had the opportunity to tour the STEM Lab facility. For more information, contact Tammie Jen-kins, STEM Project Coordinator for OCSD5, at (803) 534-5470 or

tammie.jenkins@ocsd5.net.

young black male and in dealing with the educational system. Research has shown that boys learn better in a single-gender setting, have a more positive attitude toward academics, better organizational skills, and are more involved in classroom activities than their co-ed counterparts.” Brown’s vision goes beyond academics and includes instruction in life skills and core values. The OLA will also strive to develop mentoring relationships with communi-ty leaders and young men from South Carolina State and Claflin universities. Once a week, the OLA will bring in successful members from community to speak to speak to the class during what Brown calls the “genius hour”. “We believe that the young men in our program are determined to be different, and provided with the right mix of tools this program provides, we believe that they can maximize their potential and become all that they can be,” Brown concluded. For more information, contact Principal Eric Brown at (803) 533-6529 or eric.brown@ocsd5.net.

Orangeburg Leadership Academy. . .(continued from pg. 1)

Student leaders from South Carolina State University join Principal Hayward Jean in wel-coming students on the first day of school.

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SCSu Studentswelcome

MellichampStudents

To a NewSchool Year

E-Blast September, 2016

Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School Drama Club and Yearbook Staff members, un-der the direction of Mrs. An-gela Williams, attended Win-throp University High School Media Workshop recently. There were a variety of in-formative and interactive events. This year’s agenda included: Theatre, Act-ing, and Dance, Television Production, Photography, Publications, Social Media, and more! The event was hosted by the Mass Com-munication Department at Winthrop University. The workshops were led by professors and students

of the university and guest artists from the surrounding area as well. Dr. Nathaniel Frederick and Dr. Aimee

of the university invited Orangeburg-Wilkinson students to the annual event and the students thoroughly enjoyed the entire experience. The trip was sponsored in part by the Race to The Top Grant (CCEL). Special thanks to Mrs. Marcellina Guinyard, Mrs. Shastity Harley, CCEL staff members and Dr. Casandra Jenkins (Principal of O.W.H.S.). Students who attended the workshop at were: Drama Club Members: Bernard Busby, Tye Jones, Sydney Howell, Dezirai Iman, Jeanette Jackson, Tyra Jamison, Camaron Wilson, Kyla Haynes, Jaylyn Wannamker, Latifah Busby, Oniko Felder- McCarter, Melinda Baughman, Nyalia Culler (also member of the Yearbook Staff), Markeria Moore (also member of the Yearbook Staff), Eric Tyler- President of the Drama Club (also member of the Yearbook Staff); Yearbook Staff Members: Ishuana Pampuan- Editor and Chief, Ptah

Robinson, Zarria Johnson, Rachael Aiken, Marcella Garvin, Kanika Garvin, Trcee Dickson, and Nakeiya Johnson.

O-W Students Attend Workshop at Winthrop

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Two of Orangeburg Consolidated School Dis-trict Five’s finest teachers, Tracey Scoville and Au-tumn Coulter, were featured on WLTX television in a special hour-long program titled “Back to School – Making the Grade: Teacher’s Advice”. The premise of the program was to have teachers from Midlands area schools give advice on the topic of “If you could go back in time, what ad-vice would you give to yourself when you were starting school in the grade you now teach”. We congratulate Tracey and Autumn for representing themselves, their schools, and OCSD5 in such a professional and entertain-ing way. You can view the program on the WLTX website by following the link: http://www.wltx.com/news/education/making-the-grade-teachers-advice/295149067.

TwO OCSD5 TeaCHeRS FeaTuReD IN wLTx baCk TO SCHOOL pROgRaM

E-BlastSeptember, 2016

JULY 2016 S M T W T F S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

AUGUST 2016 S M T W T F S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

SEPTEMBER 2016 S M T W T F S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

OCTOBER 2016 S M T W T F S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

NOVEMBER 2016 S M T W T F S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

DECEMBER 2016 S M T W T F S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

JANUARY 2017 S M T W T F S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

FEBRUARY 2017 S M T W T F S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28

MARCH 2017 S M T W T F S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

APRIL 2017 S M T W T F S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

MAY 2017 S M T W T F S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

JUNE 2017 S M T W T F S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

OCSD5 2016-2017 CALENDARJuly 4 .......................Independence Day HolidayAugust 8-12 .............Teacher Workdays/Staff DevelopmentAugust 15 .................First Day for StudentsSeptember 5 .............Labor Day (Holiday)September 14 ...........Interim Reports IssuedOctober 17 ..............1st Nine Weeks Ends (45th Day)October 21 ..............Parent/Teacher Conference Report Cards IssuedNov. 8 .....................Election Day (Holiday)Nov. 16 ...................Interim Reports IssuedNov. 23-25 ..............Thanksgiving HolidaysDec. 19-Jan. 2 .........Winter Break (Holidays)January 3 .................School Opens/Return from BreakJanuary 9-10 ............Teacher Workdays/Staff DevelopmentJanuary 12 ...............First Term Ends (90th Day)January 16 ...............Martin Luther King Jr. Day (Holiday)January 17 ...............Report Cards IssuedFebruary 15 ..............Interim Reports IssuedFebruary 20 ..............President’s Day (Holiday) or SW1March 17 .................Staff Development Day or SW2March 21 .................3rd Nine Weeks Ends (135th Day)March 28 .................Parent/Teacher Conference (Early Dismissal) Report Cards IssuedApril 10-14 ...............Spring BreakApril .........................ACT/Work Keys Testing - TBAApril 26 ....................Interim Reports IssuedMay .........................PASS, PASS Field Tests, Make-ups - TBAMAY 26 ....................GRADUATION (HSHP & North)MAY 27 ....................GRADUATION (O-W & Bowman)May 30 ....................2nd Terms Ends (180th Day) Report Cards IssuedMay 31 ....................Staff Development Day or SW3

School Days First & Last Day of School

No School for Students/Employees

Teacher Workday/No School for Students

Severe Weather Make-up Days End of Quarter(SW1-SW3)

Schools dismiss early on Tuesday afternoons for teacher planning.See www.ocsd5.net for details.

Beginning and ending dates for employee groups

190 August 8, 2016 - May 31, 2017200 August 1, 2016 - June 7, 2017210 July 25, 2016 - June 14, 2017220 July 18, 2016 - June 21, 2017230 July 11, 2016 - June 28, 2017240 July 1, 2016 - June 30, 2017