Spartanburg School District One was honored as a “Schools to Watch District” last month during the Schools to Watch Conference in Washington, D.C.

Spartanburg District One was the only district in South Carolina to receive this brand-new recognition from the National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform.

The designation follows the Schools to Watch initiative, which the national forum launched in 1999 to recognize high-performing middle-grades schools across the United States. Schools to Watch are designated for their consistency in academic excellence, developmental responsiveness, social equity and strong organizational support.

Once given the original designation, schools may reapply for redesignation every three years.

All three District One middle schools — Campobello-Gramling School, Landrum Middle and Mabry Middle — have been named Schools to Watch by the South Carolina Association for Middle Level Education, and have earned current redesignated statuses.

“We are so very proud of your schools and the commitment by your district and leadership to the Schools to Watch process and program,” said Ericka D. Uskali, executive director of the National Forum, in an email to District One Superintendent Dr. Ron Garner. “It was important to us to celebrate that commitment and the fact that all of the eligible middle-grades schools in your district are actively designated or redesignated schools. That is a major accomplishment that is worthy of recognition and praise.”

Landrum Middle School was also recognized during the conference for earning its second consecutive redesignation this year since its original status in 2011. Mabry Middle School and Campobello-Gramling School earned the status in 2011 and 2014, respectively, and were both redesignated in 2017.

“Being the first and only school district in South Carolina to be named as a National Forum ‘Schools to Watch District’ is a testament to our ‘student-centered’ mission and to the hard work and dedication of our teachers, students and administrators,” said superintendent Dr. Ron Garner.

-Submitted by

Sandra Williams