Snipes for School Board

🎉FIVE ADDITIONAL NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLARS ANNOUNCED!

🎓Scholars include: Anthony Coniglio, Jr. (Spring Hill High, University of South Carolina), Luke Elgin (Dutch Fork High STEM Honors, University of Texas at Dallas), Athena Kale (Chapin High, University of South Carolina), Dylan Reynolds (Chapin High, Clemson University), and Conner Thatch (Dutch Fork High STEM Honors, University of South Carolina)

Officials of each sponsor college selected their scholarship winners from among the Finalists in the 2026 National Merit Scholarship Program who plan to attend their institution. These awards provide between $500 and $2,000 annually for up to four years of undergraduate study at the institution financing the scholarship. An additional group of Scholars will be announced in July, bringing the total number of college-sponsored Merit Scholarship recipients in the 2026 competition to approximately 3,500.

I’m incredibly honored to be nominated for Best Local Politician!

If you’re able, head over and cast your vote for me. It only takes a second, and you don’t have to complete every category for your ballot to count!

Let’s keep the momentum going! Tell a friend, share the link, and help spread the word! Thank you for the support!!

The nominations have been tallied and the finalists determined. See who made the cut before casting your vote in the 2026 Best of Columbia competition. (Full story below.)

Today, I participated in my final D5 graduation as Chair of the Board, and it was both an exciting and emotional experience as the reality of this season began to sink in.

Watching our students cross the stage and celebrate this important milestone was a powerful reminder of why this work matters. Congratulations to all of the graduates. The world is truly a better place because you are in it.

Wishing each of you continued success as you begin your next chapter!

BIG WIN FOR THE FOX FAMILY 🦊💚

Thank you to the District 5 Board for voting YES to the stadium, scoreboard, and press box improvements! Huge thanks to every parent, student, coach, alumni, and supporter who showed up and stood behind this vision every step of the way.

This is what happens when a community shows up together. 🔥

🎉🎉Two additional students from Lexington-Richland School District Five have earned National Merit Scholarships.

Vivian Garcia (Chapin High School) and Hunter Taylor (Dutch Fork High School ) were named winners of this year’s National Merit $2,500 Scholarships. National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) finances most of these single-payment National Merit $2500 Scholarships. Corporations and company foundations that sponsor awards through NMSC help underwrite these scholarships with grants they provide in lieu of paying administrative fees. Donations made to NMSC’s President’s Fund also provide funding for some National Merit $2500 Scholarships awards. Scholars may use their awards at any regionally accredited U.S. college or university. The awards to these students are part of the second round of National Merit Scholarship award announcements.

Last month, Jayden Won (Dutch Fork High STEM, Boeing Scholarship) was named a winner of this year’s National Merit Corporate-Sponsored Scholarships.

🎉🎓 SC TEACHING FELLOWS: Congratulations to this year's School District Five seniors named South Carolina Teaching Fellows!

✏️ Aiden Allen, Irmo High School (College of Charleston)
✏️ Brynne Barnaby, Chapin High School (University of South Carolina)
✏️ Brooklyn DeWitt, Chapin High School (North Greenville University)
✏️ Ezelle Sternenberg, Chapin High School (University of South Carolina)
✏️ Samantha Wilkerson, Irmo High School (Coastal Carolina University)

The prestigious South Carolina Teaching Fellowship provides $24,000 in yearly scholarships (up to $6000 a year for four years) to attend a Teaching Fellows Institution in South Carolina. Each Fellow agrees to teach in South Carolina one year for every year he or she receives the Fellowship.

“We are so proud of our seniors who have earned this prestigious recognition and opportunity, and we are thankful for all of our wonderful teachers and families who helped influence their decision to pursue a degree in education,” said School District Five Chief Academics Officer Tina McCaskill. “These students are shining examples of why the Teaching Fellows program was created-- to recruit the best and brightest to the teaching profession and to continue to develop and enhance their leadership abilities. We look forward to welcoming them into the profession (hopefully back home in D5) in a few years.”

Applicants for the program undergo a rigorous selection process that includes an online application, an interview and presentation in front of a team of three educators, and a scored response.

The National Weather Service has issued a Cold Weather Advisory for Monday, December 15, 2025, in the midlands area. School District Five will operate on a normal schedule, but district officials are making the following preparations to ensure student and staff safety:
🚌 Bus drivers will begin heating buses earlier than usual so they are warm for the earliest riders.
🏫 Heat is running in schools all weekend to keep the temperature regulated.
⚽️ Schools will observe indoor recess Monday.
🧤Families can help by ensuring that students are dressed warmly for school Monday.
See you tomorrow!