BCSD 'Listen and Learn' Tour stops at Daniel Island School

A public forum by the Berkeley County School District (BCSD) was held at the Daniel Island School on October 26. This was one out of eight forums that have taken place across the district, including at Stratford High, Cane Bay High, Timberland High, Berkeley High, Cross High, and Goose Creek. The final forum was held on November 1 at Hanahan High School.

Based on the 2016 AdvancED Exit Report, the “Listen and Learn” forums on the tour were intended to open communication among the staff, parents, students, district officials and community members.

At the Daniel Island School forum, BCSD Superintendent Brenda Blackburn opened the presentation by announcing that the Daniel Island Community Fund donated a grant of $42,500 to the Daniel Island School PTA.

The PTA Board asked the Community Fund for a grant for a new sound system for the multipurpose room, a sponsorship for the Island of Lights annual community event, and money for training and materials for teachers to work towards the STEAM initiative and Engaging Creative Minds.

Teachers will be able to use this money to apply for grants for STEAM-related activities, as well as to create interesting, engaging projects for the students to work on and learn from.

A huge concentration of the forum was devoted to the population growth of the area and how to handle it.

“The area is obviously growing,” BCSD Chief Administrative Officer Deon Jackson said.

The district is growing by more than 1,000 students per year. The projected growth is 21,000 students in the district by 2035. It is predicted by 2040, Daniel Island will have more than 2001 to 3000 households.

For adequate facilities to handle this volume of students, the district is looking at $900 million of construction over time, Jackson said. BCSD is focused on how the schools in the county will handle this growing need, while using tax money wisely and keeping up education standards.

Blackburn also highlighted that the goal of the school district is “empowering every student for success” to ensure students have the skillsets to be successful, earn a living wage and be productive members of the community.

Part of this initiative is incorporating technology into the school. Twenty-three of the schools in the county are one-to-one with tablets at the home for students.

Since 60 percent of the children in the Berkeley County school district live in poverty, Blackburn said, the tablet assists children by providing greater access to technology, since technology is deeply integrated in every workplace and academic environment.

The district is looking at what the next generation of high demanded, high skilled and high paying jobs will be, said Tana Lee, BCSD director of Career and Technical Education.

“What do we need to do to prepare our children?” Lee asked. “We need to prepare our young people for jobs.”

That future focus was narrowed down to three specific areas - medical, production and software IT.

Throughout the district, schools are hosting programs aimed at these areas so students will have the skills employers are looking for – and qualifications that give them a competitive edge when compared to other job seekers.