Spartanburg School District 7 4.1

District Seven has a tremendous legacy of high performance and a rich history of creating opportunities for academic excellence for all the students we are privileged to serve.

Tradition, Excellence, and Innovation continued to define District Seven during a school year marked with bold, innovative ventures. As part of a digital learning conversion, Seven Ignites, MacBook Air laptops were distributed to all middle and high school students while students in third, fourth and fifth grades received iPads. This technology shift is making instruction relevant and also preparing students to be 21st century learners. The District and Spartanburg Community College opened the Viking Early College, a blend of high school and college, that allows students to earn up to two years’ worth of college credits while working their way toward a high school diploma. The program also gives students an opportunity for community collaboration and involvement, through mentoring, internships, volunteer opportunities, and civic engagement. To cap off the year District 7 became part of a stellar line up of school district innovators from around the state to be selected to TransformSC, a public/ private partnership aimed at transformingpublic education in South Carolina.

We celebrated another year of tremendous accomplishments - our students continued to excel in the classroom, on the field, on the stage, and in our community as a result of the support of our parents, and the dedication and commitment of our board, faculty, staff and administration. In academics, the District received an Excellent Growth Rating on its State Report Card, and the SC Education Oversight Committee spotlighted the District in its statewide release as a result of substantial gains in student achievement. Three schools earned Palmetto Awards for attaining high levels of academic performance and high rates of growth. Spartanburg High School had five students named National Merit Finalists, one National Achievement Finalist, 101 AP Scholars, and seven National AP Scholars. District 7’s on-time graduation rate improved for the fourth consecutive year and surpassed the state and national average. Spartanburg High School as well earned a place on the Washington Post’s list as one the nation’s best high schools in the country; and the Class of 2014 amassed a record high $22.04 million dollars in merit-based scholarships.

In athletics, the Vikings had a strong season winning their first 4A state championship in boys tennis and earning state runner-up finishes in girls golf and boys swimming. Student athletes also won state titles in girls golf, boys tennis, and girls track and field. Spartanburg High School for the second time in three years was honored with the prestigious General Excellence Award in Athletics, sponsored by the Spartanburg Herald Journal, for its team and individual accomplishments including state and region titles. In activities and the arts, students gained local, state, and national recognition for participation and excellence in performance.

The philosophy of this district and everyone in it is “to ensure a maximum educational experience for all students so that they will learn to think and apply the knowledge and skills necessary to become successful, productive citizens.” We understand this requires involvement and support from parents/guardians and the community. On behalf of our entire District community, we THANK our alumni, friends, and community partners for their support.

We have been very impressed with this year’s collective achievements; it is body of work the entire community will celebrate, and it represents the promise of many meaningful contributions yet to come.