Coosa Elementary School
Creating A Culture Worth Celebrating
story by JENNIFER BROWN-CARPENTER photos courtsey of COOSA ELEMENTARY
Every year since 1982, the U.S. Department of Education has worked with state departments of education to identify and nominate outstanding schools for the National Blue Ribbon Schools award. According to their website, National Blue Ribbon Schools is the United States Department of Education award program honoring high-performing schools and schools that are making great strides in closing any achievement gaps between students. The NBRS is one of the DOE’s longest-running recognition programs and functions, in part, to shine a spotlight on best practices being executed in these schools. Only five schools in the state of South Carolina can be nominated for the award each year.
After a school is nominated for the award, there is a rigorous and lengthy application process. This application looks at the school’s academic growth over five years, noting instructional practices, curriculum, academic supports, school climate and culture, school leadership, and more. The application goes through a first and then a second reading, before reaching a decision over the schools that have been nominated.
Coosa Elementary, in our very own coastal county of Beaufort, was nominated by Molly Spearman, former Superintendent of Education in South Carolina. After completion of the application process, they were informed they had been recognized as a 2023 National Blue Ribbon School. Ellen Weaver, the new state Superintendent of Education, sent them a personalized video message that was shared with all students and their families.
After an announcement was made at 1:00 p.m. during the school day, Principal Melissa Pender, along with Assistant Principal Renee Roberts, rode through the school on scooters, congratulating the faculty, staff, and students with the use of a bullhorn. Principal Pender also told teachers to check their emails to see the congratulatory video from Ellen Weaver. The following Monday, they decorated the building, car rider line, and bus area with blue balloons. They also had a cupcake bar to continue the celebration and to recognize all their hard work.
Coming out of the pandemic, Coosa Elementary forged forward. To put things into perspective, in 2019, Coosa Elementary had an average rating of 46. They kept that rating throughout COVID-19 since South Carolina schools did not receive ratings for two years. Last year, in 2022, they raised that rating to an excellent rating of 61. This year, they have increased it 10 points to 71 and moved to the 32nd school out of 667 schools in the state of South Carolina. They are ranked in the top 5% of schools in our state.
“We continue to move the needle on student achievement,” replies Principal Melissa Pender. There is a great culture at Coosa Elementary School. Melissa Pender has personally worked at the school since 1999. She started as a teacher, teaching multiple grades, and served as Assistant Principal. This has created mutual respect with the faculty and staff. “If I ask them to dig deep, they are willing to. We have a high retention rate of teachers, which has helped us continue to forge forward.” Coosa Elementary even has retired teachers coming back as tutors to continue helping the school.
“We do things together. In the summertime, we’ll go tubing or go to the beach together, consistently doing things as staff outside of the building … that is why we call ourselves ‘The Bobcat Family.’ We truly do believe that. Faculty and staff know that they can count on me.”
As far as engaging their students, Coosa Elementary’s NBRS application states: “We believe that student engagement is an integral part of a student’s success in school. Increasing student engagement is an area in which we continuously strive to improve. The master schedule is designed to allow all classrooms to begin their day with a morning meeting. These meetings focus on building community, strengthening relationships, giving students a sense of belonging, and incorporating Stephen Covey’s 8 Habits of Happy Children. All students are taught how to set academic and personal goals. When students achieve their goals, they are celebrated, and new goals are set.” This type of culture not only provides the teachers and administrators the opportunity to guide and direct the children, but it also helps the children feel like they are part of their education. It also helps parents to know that their children are being pushed toward success and creating community with their peers and authority figures.
Since receiving this recognition, Principal Pender has been amazed at the response. Parents of students email and mention how proud they are, and this has been absolutely heartwarming. Emails and handwritten cards from all over the state have poured in. Senators, members of Congress, and many others have all reached out.
Principal Pender says that they are very appreciative of the way their families and community partners support them. They continue to make gains because of this support. “Our business partners have made our 17-bed vegetable garden a reality. Partners like Clemson Extension have been integral in the success of our students planting and harvesting vegetables. For the past two years, students have eaten what they have harvested. This year, they are donating all their vegetables to a local food bank. Our families attend evening events, such as STEM Night or Wellness Night, to extend learning beyond the classrooms. Each year, our families and community members support our students through our annual Boosterthon fundraiser through monetary donations. They also attend the event to help pass out water and cheer students on as they run laps to raise funds.”
“Large amounts of community relationships are what helps keep our kids actively engaged. They learn so much through these projects and processes, even more than with pencil and paper.”
“I am amazed every single day by the people I work with, by the students, and by their families. I always say, ‘Proud Bobcat’ and I truly mean that,” replies Principal Pender. “Our assistant principal received Elementary District Assistant Principal of the Year and one of our teachers received District Teacher of the Year. This is our year of accolades.”
Kudos to Coosa Elementary School for the way they continue to excel and push their students toward success … and GO BOBCATS!
