District 5 of Lexington and Richland Counties

09/17/2026

When you attend , you too can feel like 1 MILLION DOLLARS! 😉

09/17/2026

📅✅ We love seeing our schools focus on school attendance and the importance of being in ! We are halfway through Attendance Awareness Month and our students are working hard to show up prepared and engaged every day!

09/16/2026

🐾 IT'S BACK! DOG GROOMING SERVICES AT THE CENTER!
⬇️ [See Details & Dates Below]

The Center for Advanced Technical Studies (The Center) is offering grooming services and packages this fall as part of the Veterinary Science program in School District Five. Under the expert guidance of Veterinary Science Instructor, Jessica Hidalgo, students at The Center gain hands-on experience in professional pet grooming, learning safe handling, bathing, styling, and basic animal care while preparing for careers in the pet care industry.

Three grooming packages are available to choose: Basic, Standard and Deluxe. The Basic Groom package for $20 includes bath, dry and final brush. The Standard Groom package for $30 includes ear cleaning, nail trim, bath, dry and final brush. The Deluxe Groom for $40 includes ear cleaning, nail trim, bath, dry and shave/style. Funds raised support the care of our classroom pets and student field trips.

“Pet Grooming at The Center is a highly anticipated fundraising event performed by students in the Small Animal Care class. Not only does it create authentic learning experiences for students, but it also engages the community year after year,” said Hidalgo. “Students learn to recognize various dog breeds and breed mixes, practice critical thinking, and solve real-world problems related to animal hygiene and care. The grooming techniques that students practice prepare them for future pet ownership and careers in animal and veterinary care. We are so grateful for the continued support of School District Five and our community.”

Available Fall 2026 dates include:
🐾Friday, September 25, 2026
🐾Thursday, October 1, 2026
🐾Thursday, October 15, 2026
🐾Thursday, October 29, 2026
🐾Thursday, November 5, 2026
🐾Friday, November 13, 2026
🐾Thursday, November 19, 2026
🐾Friday, December 4, 2026

All appointments are scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis, with limited opportunities for large dogs. If you would like to make an appointment, email [email protected]. The Center for Advanced Technical Studies is located at 916 Mt. Vernon Church Road, Chapin, SC 29036.

09/16/2026

💗 THANK YOU: More than 400 children at Nursery Road Elementary School - AM received brand-new coats through a partnership between LII Lennox Foundation and Operation Warm, a national nonprofit that provides brand-new essential apparel to children in need.

This initiative is designed to help children feel comfortable, included, and ready to engage in school and everyday life. Through its core programs—coats, shoes, and sports bras—Operation Warm delivers the first layer of confidence every child deserves. Since 1998, Operation Warm and its partners have served more than 7.2 million children across over 4,000 communities throughout North America.

"A warm coat means a student can come to school ready to learn, play, and grow," said Gillian Porter, School Counselor at Nursery Road. "We're proud to partner with Operation Warm to help ensure children in our community have the essentials they need to feel confident, included, and ready to participate in school and everyday activities."

The distribution will provide Operation Warm coats to children at Nursery Road Elementary School - Arts Magnet.

"When children have access to essential apparel, they gain more than physical comfort—they gain confidence, a sense of belonging, and the opportunity to fully participate alongside their peers," said Principal Karey Fisher. "Our school community is incredibly grateful for this partnership and the direct impact it will have on more than 400 of our students. Providing brand-new coats helps remove one more barrier for families while sending a powerful message to our children: you matter, you belong, and your community is here to support you."

09/16/2026

📅 Mark your calendars! Support Lexington Richland District Five Teacher Forum at this great event to learn more about the upcoming school board candidates and election.

District Five Teacher Forum is excited to announce that we are once again hosting a candidate forum for the upcoming school board elections in Lexington and Richland counties. The forum will be hosted on October 6th at 6:30 P.M. at the Center for Advanced Technical Studies, and will include both Richland and Lexington County school board candidates.

As a viewer, please remember that you are only eligible to vote for the candidates in the county you live in. Teachers and staff, students, and community members are invited to submit questions using this form: https://forms.gle/gjrNjdbFAUUPMR2P7

09/15/2026

💙Safety is a priority in School District Five and in our school district we take a layered approach to school safety. With ZeroEyes now deployed across every campus, we have added a platform that provides human-verified, visible fi***rm detection to the district’s existing security strategy, helping surface potential threats and get critical information to the people who need it. WATCH: Christy Calcagno from WLTX News19 sits down with School District Five Lead Safety Officer, Ross Wise.

09/11/2026

✨🎓 Nine students from Lexington-Richland School District Five have been announced as Semifinalists in the National Merit Scholarship program. These academically talented high school seniors have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 6,700 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $24 million that will be offered next spring.

To be considered for a Merit Scholarship® award, Semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the Finalist level of the competition. About 95 percent of the Semifinalists are expected to attain Finalist standing, and approximately half of the Finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar® title.

School District Five National Merit Scholarship semifinalists include:
🦅Chapin High School: Keenan Reynolds
🦊Dutch Fork High School : Anna Shelley, Zhixuan Xu, Jackson Roy & Anthony Fu
🐎Spring Hill High School: Omachukwu Anadu, Arlen Murataliev, Madeline Rutherford & Claire Ju

"Congratulations to each of our students who have been recognized as National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists,” said School District Five Chief of Academics Tina McCaskill. “The accomplishments of these 9 students demonstrates our district's commitment to academic excellence from our teachers and students. We celebrate with these students and their families and wish them well in the next steps of the program and their senior year."

09/10/2026

SEP. 22 OPEN HOUSE 📈 YOUR FUTURE CAREER STARTS HERE!

The Center for Advanced Technical Studies (The Center) is opening their doors to the community and hosting an Open House Tuesday, September 22, 2026 from 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. located at 916 Mt. Vernon Church Road in Chapin.

The Center serves grades 9-12 throughout the district and offers a wide variety of specialized courses in 17 Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs. Programs include:
🚜 Agriculture/Wildlife Management
🚗 Auto Repair Technology
☣️ Bioengineering Systems
🧬Biomedical Science
🏗️ Building Construction
🍽️Culinary Arts
💻 Cyber Security/Networking
🎨Digital Art and Design
✈️ Drone Technologies (NEW)✨
🌉Engineering and Engineering Design
🔥Fire & Rescue
❄️HVAC
🚔Law Enforcement
🎥 Media Technology
🐶 Veterinary Science
🎆 Welding

During the event all stakeholders will be able to tour the entire school. This will allow parents, students, and community members the opportunity to see the classrooms and labs. Teachers and current students will be available to answer questions and discuss curriculum.

"This event opens the doors to the public and district families to showcase the many college and career focused opportunities available to our students in School District Five,” School District Five Assistant Director of The Center Roy Frick said. “The incredible work of our CTE instructors at The Center prepares students for the workforce now and provides a rigorous foundation for students pursuing postsecondary studies. We look forward to inviting our community to view the excellence of CTE in School District Five.”

09/08/2026

🚧 A look back at our most recent Bond Referendum celebrations - the Wall Raiser Ceremonies at Harbison West Elementary School Gifted and Talent Development Magnet & Nursery Road Elementary School - AM! To learn more about the 2024 Bond Referendum projects and their status, visit www.lexrich5.org/bond.

09/07/2026

⛵️☀️ Come see us at the Chapin Labor Day Festival today! Magnet Fairs are coming up for the 2026-2027 school year - stop by to get the full scoop of about school choice in School District Five. Programs range from 4K-12 grade!