7Headlines is Signing Off For the Summer - See You August 17th!
Headlines
Your Source For District News                                                    May/June, 2017
SHS Grads Are Equipped For The Future

More than 400 graduating seniors and their families filled the Ben Johnson Arena at Wofford College on May 19, 2017 for Spartanburg High School's commencement exercise. Senior Class President Breigh Moore, set the tone for the evening as she addressed her classmates with a heartfelt sendoff. "With the help of Spartanburg High School, we are prepared to be the best at whatever we plan to do next. We are not only equipped, we are inspired to follow our dreams." 

Principal Jeff Stevens saluted the seniors and shared their collective accomplishments. Stevens noted 34 members of the Class of 2017 earned Palmetto Fellows Scholarships,   107 qualified for Life Scholarships, 109 received Hope Scholarships, 182 were   recipients of the Presidential Award for Educational Excellence, 8 were recognized by the National Merit scholarship program as finalists, semifinalists, or commended students, and 2 were recognized as US Presidential Scholar Candidates. Valedictorian Luke Martin was commended for his outstanding academic career.  In total, 251   students, or 64% of the class, earned $17.7 million in merit scholarships from colleges and universities throughout the United States, and 11 graduating seniors from the Viking Early College received an associate's degree from Spartanburg Community College. Through the District's partnership with Handan, China, 4 exchange students received SHS diplomas. 

Spartanburg High School is one of only 11 South Carolina schools to be ranked by The Washington Post, as one of America's Best High Schools . This is the 6th consecutive year, SHS has made the Post's annual list, which identifies high schools that excel in preparing students for college-level work. 
New Schools in the District Are Taking Shape!
District 7 Landscape, Changing By the Day, Visit the Live Cam
There's plenty of progress to report on the two capital projects underway in the District. In fact, by the time our students and staff return to school in August, the landscape on Skylyn Drive and East Main Street will reveal exciting new views. With steel beams now being erected for the elementary school and modifications taking place this summer for new traffic patterns around the site, it won't be long before our children from Chapman and Houston elementary schools have a good idea of what their new school will actually look like. 
May 16, Aerial Image of Sptbg High School Site on East Main
Meanwhile, site work continues to go well at the new high school as the building pad is now complete and construction crews turn their attention to the development of the athletic and activity fields. District administrators say they're also in meetings with local partners and interest groups in regard to landscaping plans for the high school. The District is also well into the work of facilitating a quiet zone at the railroad crossing, parallel to the high school.
 
Finally, quiet will be the operative word this summer in regard to the athletic fields on Dupre Drive as the District conducts maintenance and repairs at the sports complex. All of the grass fields will be closed through August 1 and the entire complex will be closed during the month of July. Thanks for your patience as we take care of this important work!
Take It from the Students; It's a Snap to Register
Registering children for school should be an exciting experience, but also quick and simple. In 2016, the District introduced families to an online program called Info Snap - a platform that updates and aggregates student information with the click of a few keys. The new format is also saving a few thousand trees!
As you turn your thoughts to summer vacation, don't forget to visit InfoSnap to register your student for the coming academic year. This step-by-step tutorial featuring our very own students will show you how easy it is! 
InfoSnap step-by-step tutorial

We're Designing a New Website and  Want Your Input
Take One For the Team With Our 1-Minute Survey
As we sign off for the summer, our communication efforts will be redirected to the development of a new District website. While the current site has been a dependable resource for the past nine years, the latest technology affords us a great opportunity to make significant improvements in content and design.
 
To ensure the new site fully supports the needs of our various audiences - we'd love to hear from you. Our brief  survey will take ONE MINUTE (or less) to complete. Your opinions and input will be greatly appreciated!
A Stand Out Season for the Vikings

For the last four years, the Spartanburg Vikings boys' tennis team has dominated the high school sport in South Carolina. With an unprecedented 90-match winning streak, the Vikings clinched their 4th consecutive state championship this season and two consecutive national high school championships by way of the Deco-Turf National Invitational. Spotlighting other varsity sports this season: girls soccer, boys soccer, girls lacrosse, boys lacrosse, boys tennis, girls tennis, and baseball all made the playoffs, and boys tennis, girls tennis and girls track won their regions this year. For the second year in row  Maggie Cubitt was honored as the Individual State Champion in Girls Tennis and Remy Skerjanz as the Individual State Championship in Swimming in the 200 Yard Freestyle. Remy, along with teammates Spenser Ashby, Walker Gillespie, and Luke Martin, also took home State Championship medals in the 200 Yard Freestyle Relay .
National Wordmaster Competition Spells Success for D7 Teams 
All year long, Ms. Susan Holcombe's third-grade ODYSSEY class has worked diligently to become adept at solving analogies for the 30th annual WordMasters Challenge. To say the least, they took the competition by storm, winning first place in the nation in the Gold Division for year-end cumulative standings among thousands of other students in the country. The 3rd grade ODYSSEY team comprised of students representing E.P Todd School, Pine Street, Mary H. Wright, and Meeting Street Academy placed first in the nation among 112 teams in the WordMasters Challenge Gold Division. Students on the National Championship team include; Mary Ella Bullington, Sebastian Cartwright, Reese Cooper, Reese Crocker, Patrick Delaney, Virginia Delaney, Sara Catherine Evans, Sarah Grace Fluckinger, Riley Fordham, Kamaya Free-Foster, Sophie Groover, Sarah Halstead, Thomas Hyde, Jaeda Johnson, Myles Klosterman, Levi Lazenby, Gabe Malarney, Sam Mitchell, Evers Morris, Wade Cooper Neely, Davis Norton, Emma Kate Pittman, Josiah Rogers, Natali Servando, Jillian Stone, Addie Usry, and Charlotte Ward. Congratulations to all of our WordMaster wizards! 
It's Been a SUPER Year in District 7
Meeting Street Academy Joined the District 7 Family in 2017
E.P. Todd Students Close the Books On Another Year
As the saying goes, time flies when you're having fun and, so it is as we wave goodbye to students and staff for the summer and wish the Spartanburg High School Class of 2017 a fond farewell! From beginning to end, it's been a productive and positive year in the District with headlines and happenings that point to exciting momentum, outstanding student achievement, new construction and significant accomplishments. With the introduction of 7Headlines in April 2015, it's been our goal in the Office of Communications to chronicle the news and events of the District and to keep you abreast of the activity taking place in every corner of our community. In keeping with our effort to sum up the state of the District each month with seven stories, we'll close this year's newsletter with the top seven headlines that best reflect the 2016-2017 year in review.

The Year In Review Through 7Headlines
From Left to Right:Celebrating 10 Years of 7Reads, D7 Breaks Ground for New Elementary School, D7 In The Spotlight During MLK Unity Week, Dr. Russell Booker Shares The State of the District, District 7 Vikings Ready to Sail A New Ship, D7 Teams Up With Dolly Parton and United Way of the Piedmont, Viking Tennis Team Nets Another National Title.
August Eclipse Impacts Back-To-School Calendar
On Monday, August 21, millions of people across the US will witness one of nature's most wondrous spectacles - a total eclipse of the Sun.

Most school districts throughout the Upstate will be closed for the day, allowing families to experience this phenomenon however they choose.

During the two schools days prior to the eclipse - Thursday, Aug 17 and Friday, Aug 18 - teachers will include the event in lesson plans and school curricula. In the meantime check out the links below for more information.
In This Issue
Get Tickets for Sister Act!
What: "Sister Act" presented D7
When: THIS  Thur, Fri, & Sat at 7pm, and 3pm Sun
Where: Chapman Cultural Center
Tickets:On Sale Here
Congrats Dr. Pruitt
Congratulations to our own Deputy Superintendent, Dr. Terry Pruitt for being honored as the 2017-2018 South Carolina District Administrator of the Year. The recognition from the South Carolina Association of School Administrators (SCASA) underscores Dr. Pruitt's tremendous contributions to the students and staff of D7.
Seen Around Seven
Walking The Path to Success Ceremony at Meeting Street
Cleveland Kindergarten Grads
Field Day Fun For Pine Street
SHS AP Studio Art Students
Beary Smart at MHW!
Peace Out from E.P.Todd

JBE Slides into Summer
Former Mayor Bill Barnet Gives Carver Students the Scoop on Northside News
Testing's Done, Bring on the  
Fun at Mary H. Wright
Dr. Booker with SHS and Viking Early College Graduate
Houston Huskies Say Hi
From the Greenville Zoo!
Proud Viking Grads

Valedictorian, Luke Martin   

Glowing Graduates
Chapman Chiefs Celebrate High Marks on Math Challenge 
The Cast of Sister Act 
Performs for Rotary Club

Touring the Town, McCracken's Year End Studies Program 
Congratulations to our
D7 Support Staff of the Year for 2017-2018
 
Front row; Dana Mason , SHS; Meredith Olson , E.P. Todd; Annette Watkins, ELC; Tricia Batten, Cleveland; JeJuan Smalls, McCarthy Teszler
2nd row: Cindy Quillen, McCarthy Teszler; Yvonne Williams , Carver, Officer Bryan Wight, Whitlock, Wanda Skipper, Houston
3rd row: Mindy Freudenthal , McCracken; Kathy Insabella , Jesse Boyd; Lori Humphries, District Office
Back row: Mack Rodgers , McCarthy Teszler; Tevin Logan , Mary Wright; Caroline Neely , Chapman; Thomas Cheeks, DSOC, Paul Brown, Pine
Not pictured: Daryl Wayne Blakely, Angela Brandon, and Barrett Burns , Transportation
Important Dates
Jun 6: Board Meeting
Summer School
Jun 12-29: First Session 
July 10-27: Second Session
Summer Office Hours 
Beginning June 5 Monday thru Thursday 7am - 5pm. The office will be closed every Friday until July 28.
Holidays 
July 3
July 4 
First Day of School
Aug 17
Spartanburg School District Seven | 610 Dupre Drive  | Spartanburg SC  | 29307  | 864-594-4400