Chamber program addresses Beaufort County
Hlton Head Island High School football coach Tim Singleton wishes Bluffton High School coach Jeremy West well this season until Oct. 31, when the two teams meet for a gridiron grudge match in Bluffton. The coaches were featured speakers Aug. 28 at the State of the Schools breakfast presented by the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce at the Hilton Oceanfront Resort.
The program also included presentations by Beaufort County Board of Education Chairman Fred Washington Jr., Superintendent Valerie Truesdale, Hilton Head Christian Academy (HHCA) Headmaster Mike Lindsey and Hilton Head Preparatory (Prep) Interim Headmaster Peter Cooper.
A running theme of the event was achievement in the classroom and on the playing field. Prep football coach Ron Peduzzi cited athletics as one of the “foundations of life,” in which players learn to work as one or they won’t be successful.
In pursuing academic achievement, the administrators agreed the keys to success for schools is to attract and to retain quality teachers. Truesdale cited “investing in people and creating work environments where people love to come to work,” as means of achieving those goals. Affordable housing, healthcare and benefits that allow teachers to raise their families and secure their future were all part of the education equation.
Truesdale was lauded for finishing her first year on the job with a budget surplus. She said that 17 percent of the county’s enrollment of nearly 20,000 students is Hispanic, but that doesn’t mean those students aren’t proficient in English.
Truesdale cited math and science, areas where local schools have traditionally lagged behind in achievement, as targets for improvement.
Hilton Head Prep Interim Headmaster Peter Cooper reported progress on the school’s five-year plan for continuous improvement, and discussed advances in instructional strategies, such as understanding how to group students and to use technological teaching tools. Prep’s low student/teacher ratio allows the faculty and staff to focus on the individual needs of students, he said. Cooper also said that 100 percent of Prep graduates attend college, so the school’s curriculum features many advanced-placement classes.
Sixty-five percent of Prep students participate in fall sports as well. Funding is a particular challenge for independent schools, he said. Hilton Head Prep has committed $1 million of its endowment to financial aid to keep the school affordable for parents and to attract a diverse student population.
Noteworthy student accomplishments were also highlighted at the meeting. Bill Miles, chamber CEO and president, recognized Prep senior Tom Thomas, son of chamber staffer Susan Thomas, for his perfect scores of 800 on both the math and English portions of the SAT.
For details about the Education Foundation Fund or Beaufort County School District: (843) 322-5424 or beaufort.k12.sc.us. Visit Prep at hhprep.org and HHCA at hhca.org.
