Headlines
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May   2015

D7 Word Wizards Are Best in the Nation

Each year, over 125,000 students from some of the best public and private schools in the U.S. participate in the WordMasters Challenge. The rigorous competition for students in grades 3-8 encourages growth in vocabulary and verbal reasoning, and has been a feature of District 7's Odyssey Program for 25 years. This year's winning team was coached by Susan Holcombe and included 3rd graders; Marnie Baxter, Sean Foote, Sean Griffin, Maddox Allen, Aidan Brown, Luke Duncan, Anne Hamilton Karn, Will Manello, Foster Neely, Kennedy Gordon and Cassidy Scherer. Kudos kids for beating out 140 schools to snag a fancy brass trophy and top bragging rights.
Watch Out QVC, SHS Has Home Shopping!
Spartanburg High Opens Viking Unlimited
Get ready to punch up your wardrobe with D7 colors, at the
new Viking Unlimited. The sporty retail venue, located just
 Amy Murphy, Jakayla Booker & Caroline Carey
inside the en trance to SHS, is fully staffed and serviced by SHS students, and will serve as a working project for the Business Education Department's Entrepreneurship class. From baseball caps to boxers, and everything in between,  check out Viking Unlimited before you cheer on your favorite team. Cash, credit and debit cards are accepted and weekday store hours are  8-9:45am, 11:45-1:25pm  and  2:20-3:15 pm. Viking Unlimited will also be open during special events at the high school.
Teacher Appreciation Week
It's that time of year to hug your favorite teacher! The week of May 4-8 is National Teacher Appreciation Week and for District Seven, it's a chance to say thank you to the more than 700 teachers in the district's 14 schools. "In addition to recognizing our faculty," Superintendent Dr. Russell Booker said, "we also want to send a shout-out to principals, administrators, teacher aides and support staff. All of these employees are the backbone of our school system and their passion for educating our children is on display every single day."  
They're GRRRRRREAT!

Students representing elementary schools across Spartanburg County were recognized for their good character and citizenship during the Kiwanis Club's 26th annual Terrific Kid of the Year luncheon on April 23.

Honorees from D7 include; Amaia Ferretiz-Chavez,Early Learning Center; Jason Ruelas, Chapman; Ja'Liyah McJimpsey, Cleveland Academy; Markyia Martin, E. P. Todd; Isaac Bobo, Houston; Adianna Steinbach, Jesse Boyd; Angel Ja'Osha Hunter, Mary H. Wright; William Schwartz, Pine Street; and McCarthy Teszler's Areli Gomez-Hernandez; Dallas Miller, and Zoie Murphy. Take a bow Terrifc Kids, you make us proud!

McCracken Gets a YES!
This year, McCracken Middle School picked up top honors as a National Middle School to Watch. Applauded for their innovative approach to education, the teachers and staff at MMS recently unveiled an exciting new program which illustrates that spirit, and exemplifies the school's commitment to expanding a student's knowledge-base through community connections beyond the walls of the school. Margaret Peach and her staff is excited. "We've retired our end-of-course exams, with a dynamic week of project-based learning we're calling Year End Studies or YES," she said. "Students will choose one or two courses from an extensive list of incredibly cool offerings."

YES Commercial
Watch McCracken's YES Commercial
Teacher Amy Walker is a lead coordinator of the program and says her favorite aspect of the YES initiative is the community component that enables students and teachers to interact with nearly 100 organizations and businesses in the Upstate. With course titles such as Aircraft of WWII, Hip Hop Dance, and The Ocean is Alive, Let's Snorkel, the only "NO" for YES is deciding which of more than 50 fun classes to take.
Buy Tickets to Mary Poppins!
The best of Broadway is coming to The Chapman Cultural Center. Tickets are now on sale for D7's high flying musical production of Mary Poppins. Performed by SHS students, the play opens on Thursday, May 28 at 7p.m., with other performances on Friday, May 29 at 7p.m., Saturday, May 30 at 7p.m., and Sunday, May 31 at 3p.m. Tickets can be purchased at the Cultural Center by calling 864-542-2787,  by ordering online, or at the Chapman box office. Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for senior citizens and $10 for students. All seats are reserved.

To sweeten the night and support the SHS Musical Theatre Department, be sure to pick up a copy of  A Spoonful of Seven. Th e district cookbook features recipes collected from faculty and students and will be be sold for $20 a copy during all four productions.
 Poster Prize for Freshman Academy Student
Artwork by Sophomore Jacob McBee Smith
The Freshman Academy's Jacob McBee Smith placed third in the National Career Development Association's Annual Poetry and Poster Contest. The talented sophomore is well on this way to a wonderful career in the arts!
In This Issue
Washington Post Honors SHS

For the 4th year in a row SHS is recognized in T he Washington Post's  list of America's Most Challenging High
Schools. SHS was named 18th in the state in the 2015 rankings.
2015-2016 
Academic Calendar

With the end of school only weeks away, mark your calendars now with important dates for next year. 
Note to Selfie
Hit us with your best shot during Teacher Appreciation Week and see your selfie in 7Headlines.
Prizes will awarded to the best of the bunch! Send your pics to sjhammond@spart7.org
Bike to School
Put on your pedal pushers and take part in National Bike to School Day on May 6.  
Check out your school's website to see if you and your classmates will be spinning to school.
Last School Day
We're getting many inquiries about the last day of school. At this writing the last day for students is June 3, with June 2 and 3 being designated as half days. If this should change due to the  State Legislature "forgiving" days we will  post immediately the updated info on websites and social media channels.     
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Spartanburg School District Seven | 610 Dupre Drive  | Spartanburg SC  | 29307  | 864-594-4400