♪ Hello and welcome to Carolina Classrooms.

I'm Laura Ibarra.

On this episode, we're celebrating the educators and staff who've supported students throughout the year.

We're also looking forward to what comes next after school.

We'll explore summer learning opportunities and programs to ensure South Carolina students are college and career ready.

Melody Cook-McDuffie helps to keep Blythewood High School running smoothly.

Melody> You know, schools have been a part of, you know, education forever, shall we say.

But we have a new identity now.

We're a family at Blythewood High.

And sometimes it's a little bit more than educating kids.

It's getting involved and loving them and showing them the right way to go.

>> Ms. Cooke-McDuffie and what she means to Blythewood High School.

Ms. Cooke, or Mel, as we like to call her, she's a rock, not only for students and staff, but for the community.

She's been here for many years.

She's helped raise so many kiddos, but she is our go-to whenever you need something.

Mel's prepared, Mel's equipped.

She's the shoulder to lean on and, pretty much, every morning it's a hug from Mel, welcome home to the guests and friends that are joining us.

But she is our constant.

She's our North Star.

Mel solves problems that we never knew could be solved.

Mel> I've been with Richland School District Two since '78.

January the 23rd will be 46 years in Richland Two and I've enjoyed every minute of it.

Have I worked?

No.

It's a vocation.

It's a calling.

So every day that you have a vocation or a calling, it's not work because you enjoy what you do and the people that you're around and kids keep you young.

So I can claim to be 102.

There's so many things to running a school of 2100 young, young adults and 200 amazing staff.

And it takes that strong support staff that are selfless servants.

They step in when called on.

They know their role and know it well.

They all find creative solutions to all of life's troubles, but it balances everything.

These students and staff need to have a strong support staff.

Mel> Day to day, I'm responsible for helping the principal in the Admin team.

We work with, I work directly with the principal as such, and the leadership team.

That entails working with community, working with kids, working with coworkers, working with anybody who walks in their door.

It could be parents, It could be a sales person.

It could be anybody.

Matt> I challenge every adult here.

Our perspective, our lens is we're a parent first and foremost.

I think it helps link all positions to include our support staff.

Everyone has a critical role, whether you're that certified teacher delivering content from student or you're that support person so you're supporting students, staff, operations.

It is a well oiled machine, but all those parts fit together.

And a huge part of that is our support staff.

Mel> I think the best part of my job are the people that I get to work with and the kids.

I love kids.

Kids make a difference through some times.

I lost my husband about 17 years ago, and, the support that I got from this community and the students, they were just there for me.

There were some dark days in my life, but those kids came together and just, you know, would walk in and say, Okay, Ms. Cooke, you need a hug today.

Or, you know, what can we do for you?

And that's just that's part of life, you know, losing and helping.

So with that loss in my life, I was able to help others who have lost family members.

It's just an important part of life to being able to help others, you know?

But that's what I like about Richland Two.

That's what I like about Blythewood High.

We're a family.

Matt> And it's selfless servants and folks like Mel that help balance us and keep us moving in a forward, progressive direction.

Mel> There's always something that we can do to support teachers, that we can do to help administrators.

You know, it may be something as easy as doing a letter.

It may be something as easy as just being there, being that sounding board.

So, you know, teachers are supported, Admin are supported, parents are supported, kids are supported.

The key is taking the time, making time for people.

Matt> As I reflect on growing up in high school age are some of the life lessons things about myself I didn't see.

Mel> I was not perfect by no means.

As a teenager and as a kid, and I needed that extra nudge from somebody to say, hey, listen, you know, I value you.

>> And those are the lessons that I apply today.

You know, when I want to see a young person be successful, I think back to folks like Mel who have this chance to make a small impact on a kiddo, that's why we're successful.

Mel> Know what your purpose is in life.

You know, it's funny, somebody at Richland looked at me when I was graduating from high school and she said, you know, you've got an opportunity to go to Richland Two and be part of that, or you can go into the private sector.

I've got some jobs lined up for you.

You can make, you know, back in that day to make 50 or 60 or 70 or $80,000 was a lot of money back then.

And she looked at me and she says, what do you want?

Do you want a family or do you want money?

I chose family, and it was the best decision I ever made.

Laura> A new family resource center in Clarendon County offers classes and resources for community education.

This is in partnership with the Department of Education and the Carolina Family Engagement Center.

There's also a special vending machine that can help combat summer learning loss.

>> It's called the Abundant Life Community Resource Center.

And what we do, we provide support and connections for the community to meet these different needs.

My husband and I purchased this building a few months ago and, we were debating what to do with the building.

And, after much prayer, I thought about how we could use this area to, to be something positive for the community.

>> We are partners in a federal grant that affords us the opportunity to work with the State Department in conjunction with the South Carolina Family Engagement Center.

And as a result of that, we have the opportunity to establish community resource centers throughout our county.

>> I enjoy coming here with the different programs pertaining to health, nutritional and exercise and also come back on Wednesday to bring my grandson for the youth section, the reading section, and he's enjoying it as well.

Yvette> Right now, the needs are in the area of health education, literacy.

We're working towards teaching our children to read and to write and to do math.

Lakesha> The center allows us to provide another supplemental opportunity for, for our young people to improve academically.

We provide and are able to, because of the partnership, to provide reading supplementary materials as well as mathematical supplementary materials.

We're able to provide books and manipulatives as well as resources, pamphlets for parents.

>> My daughter gets to interact with children, and I get to interact with parents.

She will be a new thing for her this year, so this is kind of breaking grounds for her to be able to understand what school is going to be like on a smaller level.

>> And this is my teacher right here.

And she and she and she does read me stories, yes.

I like to come here, read every day, and Ms. LaKesha tells me stories over there at snack time.

As the Youth Services librarian, I do storytime and we named it the Community Storytime to bridge the gap between the local public library and connect them with the community and the programs that we do typically in Manning, and here at Community Storytime, we do activities, we do gangs.

We try to focus on what the kids need at that moment.

And so if there's a story, if it's just socialization, we do that.

>> With the grant, it's going to come with the book vending machine.

We have to do the vending machine where the traffic is going to be, which is in the store.

The one good thing about the, with the store, with, with the vending machine is it was a way to get the community to see the center because reading was, at that time, one week a month.

But I want it to grow because we have the space.

So how do I partner with the community?

So we got the churches involved.

Whenever someone gets on a roll or do something good in a youth group, they would give them with a coin to come and shop at the store and purchase, you know, put that coin in the in the vending machine.

It's free with the books.

So that's how it grew for this space to grow with the people coming.

And so on Wednesdays, we still have community leaders that come in.

Every Wednesday, there is a guest reader.

Great thing is, we've had, by opening this space, so many local authors of children's books that, you know, I knew about a few of them, but we had one author that led to another.

Ms. Karen, Lady Kay, she came with her book, first read to the kids, and then we had Ms. Kimmy Ellison.

She came, and then Chavonne Fulton came.

And then others have cousins or niece and nephew that live away, but they're from Clarendon County, that have written different books.

So they came and read for their individuals who's not able to come or travel.

So I'm like, oh my goodness.

So that's another inspiration for the kids as well, because not only are you reading books with other authors, but now you have local authors that are coming to read their own books and talk about their books.

So it's a win win.

Lakesha> I'm really excited to tell you that the grant was renewed.

So this academic year actually starts the first fiscal year of another five year cycle.

And so we're excited that we were able to remain a part of the grant.

We want to scale up our community family centers.

We have several throughout the county.

And so it behooves us to really scale up what we're doing and, just continue to serve and serve well.

♪ >> There are seven resource centers and four book vending machines in Clarendon County, which are supported by the grant.

The book vending machines are intended to promote literacy and build home libraries.

A new accessible chemistry lab at the South Carolina School for the Deaf and the Blind makes it easier for students to get the science credits they need for college applications.

>> Our new science lab has been a gift, so first we want to just say thank you to the foundation and to all who donated because it has allowed for our students to be hands on, on their own, where I don't have to do demonstrations all the time, where it's not like I have one set up, and then they come and just all work on that one set up within a class period.

Every single student can have their own set up or I might pair them up and they can work on their own.

Much of science is very visual.

So for our students who have visual impairments, that's difficult.

Aleena> It's really helpful, especially for me, because before now, we haven't had any thing that was accessible.

It was really difficult to use the little two little eye holes to look through.

Now we have a full iPad screen where we could all see it, which is very nice and it makes learning science so much easier and fun.

Adeyanju> Prior to us having the lab this year, I worked in our classroom and it's a very small space, and we did a lot of kitchen science and it kept our kids safe.

But it still didn't really give them the experience of what scientists actually go through and what scientists have to do in a classroom or in a, any type of lab setting, whether it's outside or inside.

So this lab allows them to truly experience the science processes and be able to engage with them on their own.

Voice recording> Hello.

AI voice> 22°C.

Voice recording> It's ready.

Aleena> I can do things by my own, which is amazing.

As a person with visual impairments, we're constantly having to rely on other people's word for things instead of actually being able to do things independently, which allows me so much freedom in the lab too.

Adeyanju> What accessibility means to me is that students can access information and whatever that information is that they need, they can get to it.

So sometimes accessibility isn't just having the microscope that they can work on their own, but it's also asking for help or asking certain questions so that they can then figure out, oh, what do, what app do I need on my iPad?

And they know who to go and email if they need that app, so that when they leave here and this school, they're able to function on their own and they know what to ask for so that they can accomplish whatever their job roles are.

They can accomplish those goals.

Whatever they choose to do in college, they can also accomplish that as well.

So it's to build confidence in our students.

>> That chemistry lab is not just for high schoolers.

It is for our entire school.

But it's significantly important to the high school population.

For most four year schools, students need three lab sciences.

And if they don't have the third lab science, oftentimes a school, college or university are going to deny them access because they don't have the requirements for that setting.

So to be able to offer them what they need to get to that next level and do it in a safe way.

Aleena> Having the accessibility has made me more enthusiastic about learning science out past high school, but I'm thinking about actually working for NASA, doing programing for aeronautics.

Laura> At Lakeside Middle School in Lexington School District one, Agricultural students are digging in the dirt and caring for their feathered friends.

>> So today in class, we had multiple jobs we needed to get done.

>> We were planting some, like eggplants and squash and oregano.

♪ and some other people were doing the compost and, like, spreading it.

So, like, the plants can get, like, nutrition every once in a while.

>> I really like going outside because it's fun and we can just get all of our energy out.

And we're not just sitting cooped up in a classroom all day.

>> We have a big classroom component that we do, and we are teaching.

AG is a huge umbrella, and so we're teaching all different things in every grade.

It's everything from, like, snakes as beneficial animals, to wildlife to hunting practices.

>> So we we start with Intro to Agriculture in 6th grade, and then anybody who didn't get a chance to take it in 6th grade can take it in 7th grade, but after that, we do an advanced agriculture class which builds on the principles they learned as 6th graders.

And then for those who want to take a high school credit class, they can take AG science in 8th grade.

Lauren> They have pretty daily chicken care, checking on welfare of birds, collecting eggs, or doing things like, you know, turning the straw in there to make sure that the birds have what they need, filling up water, >> The chickens, that's my favorite part.

They're my favorite because we have something at our school called chicken therapy.

If you're having a bad day, you can go out to the chickens and they're just they're kind of like cool animals and comforting in a way.

We hatched some of them.

We also have some chickens from hoarding situations.

One of our chickens, the owners couldn't take care of her anymore, and so we took her in.

And there's, they're a good way to make money.

Tyler> We sell our eggs in house here.

So any teachers who want to buy eggs, they just come on down and see us and they pay us for the eggs, and we take the money up to Ms. Tina up front, and she puts it into the AG account.

That's how we can afford a few things here and there.

And then our produce we sell predominantly to a local restaurant owner and he also has a catering service on the side.

So he's always in need of fresh produce.

And he has been really supportive of us as well.

>> I think it's very fulfilling.

And it gives you a feeling of how all the work you put in over the year is coming back and it's just really fun too.

Tyler> They learn kind of literally the hard way that it does take a lot to produce food.

Most of our kids are suburban kids, so they don't have a lot of AG background or AG experience, so they don't really know when they go to the supermarket, how much flavor went into that tomato or that steak or whatever it might be that ends up on their plate.

>> Agriculture classes here are doing an SAE which stands for Supervised Agricultural Experience.

So what you do is you choose something that you're passionate about for AG, and then you do it for a certain number or a certain period of time.

>> What SAE is, growing different types of lettuce and arugula and watering it every week with different with different ounces of water, like one week I'll water it with three.

Next week, I'll water it with four.

And I do that every week to see what, see what will happen.

And right now, I'm growing rocket arugula, iceberg lettuce and lettuce.

The best part of this class would probably have to be the experience you can get from this, Lila> I'd say the hands on learning.

Because I feel like I learned more in this class because of the hands on than I do in any other class.

Avelyn> The skills that you learned here, you will retain forever, and it's useful to know how to grow your own food and know how to harvest and all of that stuff, because you can't always get your own food.

There's lots of places where you have to grow it, and it's definitely healthier.

♪ Laura> The teachers work year round to care for the animals and gardens over the summer.

The students assist them with Chicken Camp, an opportunity for younger children to learn farming skills and how to care for the animals.

Lauren> We, we work through the summer.

So, we work with I mean, Clemson is part of our contract.

And so we work throughout the summer.

We care for the chickens in the summer, but we do host something called Chicken Camp.

And it's for students in our district, ages 5 to 10.

We have several FFA members and some nice moms and other teachers that come in and help us.

We do chicken care activities.

We do some things, you know, in the woods.

We have a really nice nature trail down in the woods.

We'll do scavenger hunts down there.

Of course, you do crafts, snacks, and you learn about farming.

We'll do some planting and things like that with them.

So it's just an opportunity for them to come and learn a little bit about AG.

And a lot of those kids are going to come here one day.

So, you know, we get to start that relationship with them.

Lucy> I am a Chicken Camp counselor At Chicken Camp, we have kids from kindergarten to 5th grade that come in and we teach them about chickens, and we do crafts and storytime.

Last year we did, like, a drop an egg challenge where you're trying not to crack your egg.

And it's just a fun way to teach little kids about all sorts of things about chickens, outdoors and stuff like that.

Laura> Job shadowing gives students the opportunity to explore careers they may be interested in pursuing.

We went along a job shadow day with ETV's tower climbing crew, and learned about a career that reaches new heights.

>> We've seen people climbing the towers and we've seen them working really, really hard.

Tristen> We've seen them changing the light bulbs.

I've heard them talking about setting up all the stuff so they know what they're doing.

>> Each day starts off with a team meeting in the parking lot.

We discuss what our plans are for the day, where we're headed, and what we plan to do.

Lily> They have to carry, like, bags with tools in them.

Joe> It takes a coordinated effort.

Everybody has a job to do, and everybody needs to know what their job is.

Lily> And they have to use like the vests so they can hook up and so they're safe.

If they fall, it'll like catch them.

>> Ready to go.

>> If I had to guess, I would say the harness weighs around 20 to 30 pounds.

>> How much does that weigh?

>> Mine?

I have no idea.

50 pounds, maybe?

Yeah.

I tend to carry a lot of things.

As you can see, all the tools in there.

Probably unnecessary, but just never know.

>> It is a very, very intense job if you are not aware of your surroundings, you have to trust your equipment.

You have to, you have to really be cautious because it is a very dangerous job and you have other people's lives in your hand as well.

Lily> I think communication is really important.

>> The communication skills that you need on the tower a lot of times are very basic.

Joe> When we're communicating up on the tower, a lot of that has to do with radio communications.

We have different means of communication.

Someone inevitably has a cell phone while they're up on the tower, or we use a series of whoops and different signals.

>> I don't like to use a radio as much because it requires one of your hands to touch the button.

So for me, just using whoops.

One whoop for up or down or yes, to two whoops being no or down.

(whoop - whoop) And in some cases we're low enough to the ground where we just yell.

>> (Yelling) All off on the rope.

(wind blowing) Brian> Some of the routine maintenance that we do on the tower, we check the lighting systems a lot.

If there's actually an osprey's nest up there, we're not allowed to work on the towers.

There's a season for that.

When they're mating on the tower, they have a nest.

We're not allowed to go up there.

You could be fined for it.

So some of the other things that we do up there, just maintenance for the, we'll replace the lines that are up there.

We'll replace the antennas that are up there.

weatherproofing and making sure that the weather isn't damaging the equipment, just general maintenance like that.

All the way up the top of the tower is the best view.

You can't beat it.

I love it up there.

>> It's like a family.

These are my brothers.

I just love being here and love what I do, love helping people.

>> I hope to continue climbing towers, honestly, until I retire.

Joe> I would say the best part of my job is being able to help people, knowing that we are looking out for the community, providing access to information.

Lily> I think it's really cool and I like it and I hope I can do it too.

Tristen> I feel like it's really interesting and actually, a dream job.

Laura> Congratulations to history teacher Braden Wilson from Anderson District One, South Carolina's 2025 Teacher of the Year.

Braden> It started with just a passion for history because I really, I just really liked history and it felt like nobody else did.

And I was like, why not?

It's the best thing ever.

And I started teaching so I would make you like history.

And then I found out very quickly that not only do kids, a lot of kids not like history, they don't like school at all.

They don't like learning at all.

And so it switched from I want you to like history, to, I at least want you to like learning at the very least.

And when kids started making connections and trying in ways that they wouldn't normally try before, and they start answering questions even if they don't know the answer and then they get it right, that's the best feeling in the entire world because they get proud of themselves.

And so it's not just I like history, and it's not just I like learning, it's, I like taking chances and trying new things, which is a really great life skill to have.

I decided to become a teacher because I had a 6th grade social studies teacher named Miss Shotton, who was wonderful.

She told stories.

That's how she taught.

She told story after story after story and really made it interesting for you.

And that was the first class I ever had that really did that.

And she made me think this could be something different.

I could do this.

And she came to me at the end of the year.

I had a big portfolio.

They had this big ancient civilization portfolio project, and she flipped through it.

She goes, you know so much, you'd be a really good teacher.

I was like, oh, I can do this.

To get District Teacher of the Year was like crowning achievement of my whole career.

And then I get to work alongside all of these people that get to see different kinds of kids in different settings and learn from them and advocate for kids all around the state.

That would be the greatest thing ever, to get to learn from other teachers in different areas and see how they do, and then bring that back and share it with everybody else.

Because no teacher's an island.

Like, we all just work together to be able to see how other people teach, and to be able to represent all the people that I know that are doing such a great job.

It just means everything.

You know, biggest honor ever.

>> Thank you to all educators and support staff for your hard work and dedication to your students.

Thank you so much for joining us.

You can find more education stories on our website: CarolinaClassrooms.org ♪