Mrs. Brewer's Class Participate in Special Olympics!

The Area 13 Special Olympics took place Friday, April 25th at Clemson University. This marked the 40th anniversary for the Special Olympics! Seneca High School's TTI athletes were victorious! Danny Hall, Joshua Loser, Paul Hammond, and Shane Quick won 1st place in the 4x100 relay. Danny Hall and Shane Quick along with Carson Lecroy and Jake Edgar won gold in the 4x100 unified relay. Zach McElroy-Burside won first place in the 50m slalom. Jody McAlister won 1st place in the shot put. Heather Connally won first place in the standing long jump and the 50m run. Bruce Steenburg won first place in the softball throw.Mitchel Blackwell won first place in the shot put. Justin Lingerfelt won first place in the softball throw. Gina Davis placed second in the 50m run. Each athlete competed well to bring home a total of 4 gold metals, 11 first place ribbons, 7 second place ribbons, 5 third place ribbons, and 4 4th place ribbons. With the help of the SHS students and staff who volunteered as buddies for the TTI students, the SHS football and softball program for providing uniforms, and the SHS band for providing flags and banners, this year's Special Olympics was unlike no other!

I am so proud of our students!!

Mrs. Brewer's Class Goes Bowling!

Recently, Mrs. Brewer and her TTI class took a trip to the bowling alley! Students and teachers had a great time!

School Board Recognizes Coach Amanda Holder

The Board of Trustees recognized Mrs. Amanda Holder this past Tuesday during its regularly scheduled board meeting. Coach Holder won her 600th basketball game during this year's basketball season. This is quite an accomplishment. Coach Holder received a certificate of accomplishment from Board Chairman, Mr. Harry Mays, and School District of Oconee County Superintendent Dr. Mike Lucas. Congratulations Coach Holder- we appreciate your dedication to Seneca High School and our student athletes.

Principal's Blog featured on PrincipalsPage.com

Seneca High School's Principal's Blog has been featured on PrincipalsPage.com this week. Principals Page is a resource for administrators across the nation. PrincipalsPage was recently featured in the America Association of School Administrator's April issue. I have attached the link if you would like to view http://principalspage.com/pagetwo.htm

HSAP Begins This Week

Students in their 2nd year of high school will be taking the High School Assessment Program test this Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Passing the math, reading, and writing portions of the HSAP test are required for students to earn a South Carolina High School Diploma. We encourage students to get plenty of rest and eat breakfast so they can do their very best.
Go Bobcats!

Drama Production A Success

Students in Mrs. Martin and Mrs. Halliwell's drama classes performed "A Night of Mystery" in the Hamilton Auditorium April 17 and 18. Within this drama, students performed two separate acts entitled "Til Death Do Us Part," and "Trouble at the Talent Show." The following students performed in the production: Sam Turner, Rachael Kierecki, Taylor Edens, Ryan Haguewood, Jesse Worley, Jake Wilson, Brianna Hyslop, Mallory Warlick, Will Smith; Jennifer Haferkamp; Nicole Regeness; Katie Simpson, Lauren Moore, Faith Holley, Alanda Parker, Cooper Littlejohn, Stephanie Maxey, Travis Marchbanks, Alexis Gagne, Adaunnis Dodson, Lauren Yuda, Avery Oglesby, Forrest Cox, Darren Fontenot, Tabitha Krabbe, Ashleigh Moman, Andrew Willard, Jacob Bornmann, Lauren Lipscomb, Megan Carter, Victoria Jordan, Charles McMillan, Sam Turner, and Katie Simpson. Congratulations to all of our students for an excellent performance.

Students Complete Service Project

Students in Mrs. Dalton's class have created flower beds around the school. Mrs. Dalton and her students wanted a project to give back to the school. Students and teachers will enjoy the flower beds during the spring months. I would like to thank our students for their contribution to our school.

Board Meeting at Seneca High School

The Board of Trustees held its April Work Session at Seneca High School on Tuesday, April 16th. Emily Holleman, senior at Seneca High School, led the Pledge of Allegiance. Mrs. Edgar-Crain's father, Reverend Edgar, delivered the prayer. We appreciate our school board and their support of the School District of Oconee County.

April Student of the Month: Lauren Marie Kirk

We are proud to announce that Lauren Marie Kirk is Seneca High School's Rotary Student of the Month. Lauren will be acknowledged at the Rotary luncheon Thursday, April 17th. Lauren is a senior this year and is planning to attend Clemson this fall. She was born in California and moved here in 1997. She lives with her Dad, Grandmother and 3 siblings and a dog named Sadie.

While at Seneca, Lauren has been involved with Future Educators Association and Tri-M Honors Music Society. Lauren has also participated in the Choral and Orchestra programs at SHS.


Congratulations Lauren!

Ethiopia Reads

Ms. Kelly Crowe, in collaboration with Mrs. Chrissy Robinson, hosted Seneca High School's first Ethiopia Reads event. On Friday, March 28th, students participated in a read-a-thon in the school's Media Center from 6:00 p.m. until 2:00 a.m. to raise money for books for Ethiopia students. Students (and teachers) enjoyed reading together for this worthy cause. A huge thank you to Ms. Crowe, Mrs. Robinson, Ms. Kelsey Crowe, Mrs. Holleman, Coach Wright and Mrs. Ford for their support.

Bobcat Battalion Drill Team Wins Honors

Congratulations to the Bobcat Battalion drill team! Seneca took 1st place in 4 of 5 events and 1st and 3rd places in the Knockout competition to out-distance Walhalla and West-Oak in the "shootout." Coupled with earlier outstanding performances in this series of round-robin meets, the Bobcat Battalion has claimed the 2007-2008 Oconee County JROTC Drill Championship. The drill team was presented the South Carolina National Guard championship trophy in ceremonies following the competition. It is on display on the counter in the front office. Again, congratulations to our championship drill team and Colonel Huckabee and Sgt. Major Aviles.

Congratulations to SHS Choral Students

The Seneca High School Honors Chorale captured 1st place in the AAA division at the South Carolina Music Educator's Choral Festival in Columbia. They received a superior rating for their outstanding performance and a superior rating on the sight singing portion of the festival.

The Honors Women's Chorus placed 4th and also received superiors on their performance and sight singing. This is the Honors Chorale's eighth state championship in twelve years. I am proud of our students, Mrs. McFarlane, and Mrs. McClain!

Transition To Life Class Opens for Business

Mrs. Brewer's class began selling Fruitful Bars the week before Spring Break. This is a great opportunity for students to order, sell, inventory, and determine the profit they have made. In addition, all of our students have enjoyed the cool treats.

Pep Rally to Honor Spring Sports

On Friday, March 20, 2008, SGA held a pep rally to honor spring athletics. Members of the baseball, softball, boys' golf, boys' tennis, girls and boys' soccer, and track were recognized. Students at Seneca High School spent the week raising money for MS. A check for $1500 was presented to Ms. Sue Lord and Mrs. Kelly Holleman on behalf of the MS Foundation. I am proud of our students!

March Rotary Student of the Month

Congratulations to Vicki Roberts for being named Seneca High School's March Rotary student of the month. Vicki is a sophomore at Seneca High School. She has accelerated in art and plans to continue focusing on Graphic Communications at the Hamilton Career Center. In addition to art, Vicki is a writer and plays the guitar.

Congratulations to Vicki!

Zach Bailey Sings the National Anthem at the Clemson Baseball Game Friday Night

Freshman Zach Bailey had the opportunity to sing the National Anthem at Clemson on Friday night. Zach is a member of the choral program at Seneca High School. He has an amazing voice and did a great job! Congratulations to Zach!

Shea Martin Receives Anatomy in Clay Grant

Mrs. Shea Martin was suprised last week by receiving a $3500 Anatomy in Clay Grant. This grant will be used to support our new Biomedical class at Seneca High School. Mrs. Nancy Allen and Mrs. Laura Hewitt visited Seneca High to announce the winning of the grant to us. Mrs. Martin was one of 7 recipients state-wide to receive this award. Mrs. Allen brought refreshments for Mrs. Martin's class. We are proud of Mrs. Martin! (Mrs. Martin also received a grant through the Education Foundation).

CAT Parent/Student Advisory Day- A Huge Success

On Friday, Seneca High School hosted its 2nd CAT Parent/Student Advisory Day. We had many parents and students meet with their CAT Advisor to discuss course selection for next year and Indvidual Graduation Plans. We thank the Hamilton Career Center and Tri County Technical College for being available to answer questions. We hope that parents found this to be a valuable opportunity. We appreciate your involvement on Friday!

Mock Trial Returns From State Competition

Seneca High students traveled to Columbia this past Friday and Saturday for the state competition. While we have not received our scores, we know our students did well. Congratulations to:

Jenna Lay (doctor)- for winning most effective witness

Hunter Jarrett- for winning best attorney

I will post our results once we receive them.

Seneca High Teachers Visit Ron Clark's Academy

On Wednesday, March 5, 2008, 11 teachers, Mrs. Phillips, and I traveled to Atlanta to see award winning teacher Ron Clark. I first saw Ron speak after he had won the Disney Teacher of the Year award. He was one of the most inspiring, enthusiastic teachers I had ever met. This past summer, I had the opportunity to hear him again at a conference. He shared with the audience that he had opened a school in Atlanta, Georgia. At that time I thought how wonderful it would be for new teachers to observe Ron Clark- see his excitement and learn about his different approach to teaching. In August, I made a reservation for our teachers to attend. We began by reading his book, The Essential 55. This book explains 55 expectations teachers and students should demonstrate in the classroom and in life. We watched several clips of Ron as he appeared on Oprah and on nightly news shows. We all anxiously awaited our March 5th trip. I met the teachers at 5 a.m. yesterday morning at SHS to begin our travels. We arrived at the Ron Clark Academy at 8:00 a.m. for one of the best experiences of our lives. There, in one of the toughest parts of town, is the most amazing school I have ever seen. We spent the day observing teachers and students. We ended our day sliding down the slide in the front lobby- we became "slide certified." People magazine was visiting the school today to do a story....

North Carolina Artist Visits Seneca High School

Jeremiah Miller has spent the last two weeks with Mr. Fred Edgerton and his art students as they complete a mural on the 2nd floor. Mr. Miller has worked at Seneca High School in the past to create murals in the front office, main hallway, cafeteria, and in classrooms. It is amazing how much talent he and Mr. Edgerton are able to highlight from our students. Included are clips of the mural students have worked on this week. We thank Mr. Miller for being at Seneca High!

Mary Douglas Sings at Bassmaster Classic

I am so proud of Mary Douglas, Seneca High School senior, who had the opportunity to perform the National Anthem for the 2008 Bassmaster Classic. This event is often described as the SuperBowl of bass fishing since the Bassmaster Classic is the most visible tournament in the world. The 50-angler field competed for a total prize of nearly 1.2 million, and the event was covered by hundreds of journalists from around the world. Mary performed the National Anthem on Saturday, February 23, 2008, and it was broadcasted on ESPN in front of more than 15,000 spectators. Mary has an amazing voice. I am proud she had the opportunity to participate in this event. Congratulations Mary!

Mock Trial Goes to State Competition

This past Saturday, Mock Trial students competed in Greenville. On Wednesday, we learned that our students had qualified to participate in the state competition on March 7th and 8th. The state competition will be at the Matthew J. Perry Federal Courthouse in Columbia. Fourteen teams out of 46 teams were selected to participate at the state level. Congratulations and good luck to our students!!
Mock Trial is sponsored by Nan Jones, Cynthia Carlisle, and Amy Livingston. Attorney coaches are Kim Welchel and Delane Rosemond.

Region Band

Congratulations to Matthew Dunlap, Warren Evans, Kate Faires, and Allison Pursley for auditioning for and making Region Band. Region Band will be held at Furman University in Greenville on February 29 and March 1.
Congratulations students!

Seneca High Donates 107 Pints of Blood

On Tuesday, February 26, 2008, students and teachers participated in our annual blood drive. Eleven teachers and over 120 students donated blood. A huge thank you to Mrs. Cynthia Carlisle for organizing the blood drive. We would also like to thank our parents: Thwanda Davidson, Wendy Evans, Anita Fredman, Sandi Garland, Sandy Perry, Terri Smith, Kari Walker, and Kay Wilson for their help. A big thank you to Mrs. Barnes, Mr. Turner, Connor Hawkins and the Senior Class SGA members for their help.

Hardees dontated bisucits and Trehel donated pizza.

We appreciate all of the support Seneca High received for this wonderful cause.

Mock Trial

This past Saturday I had the privilege of watching Seneca High School students compete in Mock Trial at the Greenville County Courthouse. The SC Bar prepares a case each year- either civil or criminal- for students to use for the mock trial. This year's case was a civil case that was modeled after the McDonald's hot coffee case. There were 13 teams competing in the Piedmont Region. Chase Huston and Cooper Littlejohn were recognized as outstanding attorneys in their respective rounds.

The following students participated:

Defense Attorneys- Cooper Littlejohn, Lauren Moore, and Zach Al Nasser

Witnesses for the Defense- Brittany Buchanan, Laura Klukkert, and Devan Williams

Plaintiff Attorneys- Alondara Guerra, Hunter Jarrett, and Chase Huston

Witnesses for the Plaintiff- Kelly Vicario, Jenna Lay, and Morgan Roper

Baliff- Claire Yuda

Timekeeper- Paige Blackmon

I was so impressed with our students!

A huge thank you to Mock Trial Advisors- Mrs. Nan Jones, Mrs. Amy Livingston, and Mrs. Cynthia Carlisle.

I would also like to thank our attorney coaches Delane Rosemond and Kim Welchel.

February Rotary Student of the Month

Congratultions to Ms. Keyona Woods for being named Seneca High School's Rotary Student of the Month for February. Keyona was honored last Thursday during a luncheon at the Seneca Rotary Club. Keyona is currently a junior at Seneca High School. She is also a student at the Hamilton Career Center. I am proud of Keyona's accomplishments.

Seneca High Announces Teacher of the Year, Support Person of the Year, and Volunteer of the Year

The faculty and staff recently nominated and voted for this year's Teacher of the Year, Support Person of the Year, and Volunteer of the Year. I would like to congratulate the following people:

TEACHER OF THE YEAR- MRS. NANELLE COOK

This is Mrs. Cook's fourth year teaching at Seneca High School. She also substituted for a year and did three long term subs before she became full time. This is her second time to teach at SHS. She is actively involved in the Freshmen Academy and has enjoyed working with all of the faculty members who are diligently working to make the academy a tremendous success. She is co- advisor to the Student Government Association at Seneca High School, along with Kelly Crowe. Mrs. Cook stated, "It is an honor to be a faculty member of this high school. After having been away from the area for thirteen years, it was my desire to return to the halls of Seneca High School and once again be a part of this faculty."

SUPPORT PERSON OF THE YEAR- MRS. SANDY BARNES

Mrs. Barnes is our receptionist and attendance secretary. In addition, she is proud to support Seneca High School athletics as she transports our student athletes to games. I am proud of Mrs. Barnes and appreciate her dedication to Seneca High School.

VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR- MR. DANA MOORE

Seneca High School Chorus Awards

Seneca High School's chorus students participated in a Chorus Solo and Ensemble competition at Converse College on Saturday, February 23rd. Congratulations to the following students:

Superior Plus Rating- Solo Category
Tess Krabbe
Adrienne Pitre

Superior Rating- Solo Category
Emmy Williams

Superior Plus Rating- Advanced Solo Category
Jeremy Peirce
Rashad Roberson

South Carolina Music Educator's Scholarship
First Place- Jeremy Peirce
Second Place- Rashad Roberson

Women's Ensemble- Excellent Plus
Gracie Campbell
Hali Cannon
Erin Cartmell
Angela Collins
Shirlandria Dixon
Fredeica Henderson
Morgan Jones
Natasha Lyle
Lavika McKey
Nicole Regeness
Jaleesa Skelton
Brittni Stevens
Aliecia Washington
Christy Watters

Men's Chorus- Superior Rating
Levandrick Bacote
Cody Crooks
Shakeyon Evett
Paul Fort
Lance Glenn
Randy Marchbanks
Stephen Nicholson
William Rathbone
Spencer Rogers
Wynton Stephens
Lucas White
Andrew Willard

Madrigal Ensemble- Superior Plus Rating
Michele Burton
Christina Cleveland
Mary Douglas
James Jernigan
Tess Krabbe
Kendall Leslie
Michael Mendes
Michael Peckham
Jere,y Peirce
Adrienne Pitre
Jordan Ross
Joel Smith

Congratulations to students and to Mrs. Diane McFarlane and Ms. Melissa McClain!

January Rotary Student of the Month

Congratulations to Jalessa Skelton for being named Seneca High School's Rotary Student of the Month. She was honored today during a luncheon at the Seneca Rotary Club. Jalessa is a senior at Seneca High School and will be attending Converse College in August. She plans to pursue a degree in education and will minor in music. I am very proud of Jalessa. She is an excellent student and is a positive role model for all of our students. Congratulations to Jalessa.

Governor's Citizenship Award

Congratulations to Emily Holleman for receiving the Governor's Citizenship Award. The Governor's Citizenship Award honors one student from each participating school for outstanding service, leadership, responsibility, character, and discipline. Each winner receives a Governor's Citizenship Award certificate and a Governor's Medal of Citizenship. Emily will be recognized at the State House this spring.

2007-2008 The Investment Center Character Awards

Congratulations to the following students for receiving The Investment Center Character Award:

Seniors (1st Quarter)
Emily Holleman and Cody Burkett

Juniors (2nd Quarter)
Anna Williams and Kevin Egan

Sophomores (3rd Quarter)
Kalyn Guill and Hunter Jarrett

Freshman students will be selected for 4th Quarter.

Congratulations Students!

Students Watch Clemson vs. Duke

This past Wednesday night, Mrs. Brewer took her students to Littlejohn Coliseum to watch the Lady Tigers play Duke. Students enjoyed watching the game, cheering with the cheerleaders, taking pictures with the Tiger, and spending time with their classmates. While we did not get to see the Lady Tigers win (Duke 83 Clemson 54), we certainly enjoyed the game. Having the opportunity to spend time with our students is one of my favorite activities as Principal at Seneca High. I truly enjoyed my evening at the game with the TTI class.

Seneca High School's First Book Club

I was very excited to participate in our Media Center's first book club. Mrs. Chrissy Robinson and Mrs. Cheryl Cook have done an outstanding job creating an environment that both students and teachers can enjoy. Please read below to find out more about the first book club.

On Friday, February 8th, and Monday, February 11th, the Seneca High School Media Center came alive with 78 students and staff members discussing the characters and plots of books they had voluntarily read for the school’s first book club meetings. Using recommendations for young adult literature from the American Library Association and VOYA magazine, Seneca High School’s media center staff (media specialists Chrissy Robinson and Cheryl Cook, and media center clerk Betty Gamble) selected the following books for student reading: the light-hearted young adult mystery Bad Kitty by Michele Jaffe , Copper Sun from the genre of historical fiction by award winning young adult fiction author Sharon Draper, and the science fiction/fantasy selection of Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment by best selling young adult and adult fiction author, James Patterson.

In January with the announcement of the SHS book club, the media center staff was met with an enthusiastic response by students and staff members with all 60 book copies being circulated within the first week. To the surprise of the media center staff, many students quickly read their first selection, returned their books, and then began reading a second selection for the book club meeting to be held in February. Seneca High School media specialist Chrissy Robinson stated, “We were thrilled to find that so many students and staff members responded with such enthusiasm to the book clubs. Due to the limited number of copies of books that we had, students started sharing books with one another in order to give others the chance to participate in the book club.” Media specialist Cheryl Cook added, “As librarians, it was very encouraging to see young adults so excited about recreational reading; but it was equally exciting to see the students’ demonstration of the Seneca High community spirit.”

The Seneca High School media center provided a total of 60 copies of the books for students and staff members wishing to participate in the book clubs. Over a three week period, participating students and staff members read the books at their own pace, then in February met in the media center to enjoy a lunch and to participate in discussion groups. Student feedback and participation indicate that the book clubs were a success and that students hope for more meetings and books in the future. SHS media specialists are currently exploring funding options for more book clubs in the future, including state and federal grants.

Working Opportunity

Mrs. Brewer's Transition to Independence class spent today working at Goodwill of Seneca. Students sized, tagged, received, and stocked donations. One student sorted donated items and placed the items in designated containers. Another student stocked the shelves and racks with priced merchandise, and another tagged and sized the merchandise. All students were able to stay alert for the entire work shift, meet production standards, perform repetitive tasks, stay focused on the task, and practice and maintain good health standards. I am proud of our students!

Students Sign Athletic Scholarships

I am proud that we had two students sign athletic scholarships today. Chantelle Davidson signed a track scholarship with Winthrop University, and Conner Hawkins signed a football scholarship with Furman University. These two student athletes have done an excellent job in the classroom and in their sport. I congratulate them both and wish them much success!

Jesse A. Pearce- National Merit Finalist

Seneca High School congratulates senior Jesse A. Pearce!! Jesse has advanced to Finalist standing in the National Merit Scholarship Program of 2008. He has high potential for future academic accomplishment.


Only 15,000 students nationwide have advanced to the Finalist stage of the competition. Of the 15,000 approximately 8200 will be named Merit Scholarship winners in March. Congratulations Jesse!

SHS Teachers Write EIA Teacher Grants

Teachers at Seneca High School had the opportunity to participate in an EIA teacher grant workshop with District Grant Writer Jennifer Dodd today. EIA teacher grants support the improvement of classroom instructional practices and procedures. Grants may be written for projects that support instructional activities and for the implementation of the South Carolina curriculum standards. Grants may be writtent to support teachers in the following areas:

• implementation of performance assessments



• instructional activities for parental reinforcement at home



• computer-assisted instruction



• techniques for motivating and rewarding achievement



• techniques for improving students' study skills



• innovative teaching strategies, activities

Teachers may write individual grants up to $2,000, or teachers may submit group grants up to $6,000. Seneca High School is proud of the following teachers for participating in this workshop:

Stephanie Brewer, Al Langston, Michelle Williams, Demetric Tensley, Hans Schmidt, Jaquette Gilbert, Cheryl Cook

All County Orchestra

Seneca High School would like to congratulate the following students for being selected to participate in All County Orchestra:

Sheida Abdi
Saxon Cook
Brianna Hyslop
JoAnna McAnally
Olivia Piccirillo
James Quarles
Kim Romero
Brianna Smith
Brian Stephens
Zach Suffern
Jason Vo
Javier Zamarripa


The concert will be Thursday, January 24, 2008 at 7:00 at West Oak.

Mrs. Brewer's Class visit China Inn

Mrs. Brewer's students have been studying China. During the unit, students learned about the geography, history, and people of China. Guest speakers, Sam Holleman and Dr. Norton, shared pictures and artifacts from their visit to China. The students enjoyed learning about the Great Wall, Terracotta Soldiers, pandas, the Chinese New Year, and Chinese Food. As a culuminating activity, students had the opportunity to eat lunch at China Inn on Friday. In addition to eating Chinese cuisine, many students ate with chopsticks! Mrs. Brewer has done an outstanding job with her students. They have had the opportunity to participate in many educational activities this year.

Coach Duncan and Family Visit Seneca High

Today was exciting at Seneca High as we welcomed Coach Duncan. Coach Duncan spent several hours touring our school and athletic facility, and meeting teachers and students. Coach Duncan also met with all boys interested in playing football. More than 100 young men met with Coach Duncan to hear about the football program. He began explaining his expectations for our students and our football program. Seneca High School and the Athletic Booster Club hosted a reception for Coach Duncan, his wife Misty, and their two children. We had a great turn out of students, parents, faculty, and community members. Coach Duncan plans to be at Seneca High School a few days each week during second semester. Our school and community are proud to have Coach Duncan join our faculty.

A huge thank you to Frank and Beth Thompson and the Athletic Booster Club for coordinating the reception.

Seneca High Welcomes New Football Coach

Seneca High School welcomes Head Football Coach and Social Studies Teacher Ron Duncan. Coach Duncan was approved by the School Board on Tuesday, January 8, 2008 during its regularly scheduled meeting. Coach Duncan comes to Seneca High School from Bamberg-Earhardt High School where he has established a successful football program. He has an overall record of 50-12. He has been named Region V Coach of the Year for the last four years. His football team has had numerous accomplishments including being the Region V Champions and Upper State Champions in 2007, Region V Champions in 2006, and Lower State Champions in 2005. He is described as being an excellent teacher, running a first class football program, a great communicator and a person with high expectations. Ron is married to Misty and has two children- Jackson and Laney Claire. We are excited to have Coach Duncan at Seneca High School. A reception will be held for Coach Duncan and his family on Thursday, January 10th from 4:30-6:30 in the Seneca High School cafeteria- students, parents, faculty, and staff are invited.