Nearly 200 attend District Five Magnet Fair

IRMO, SC – Nearly 200 parents, students and community members attended Lexington-Richland School District Five’s Magnet Fair on Nov. 20. The event at CrossRoads Middle School featured interactive booths where visitors talked with staff and students one-on-one and learned more about magnet programs in the district.

Programs from nine District Five schools were featured, including: Dutch Fork Elementary, Dutch Fork High, Harbison West Elementary, H.E. Corley Elementary, Irmo Middle, Irmo High, Leaphart Elementary, Seven Oaks Elementary and Spring Hill High School.  A second Magnet Fair will be held Jan. 8 at the Center for Advanced Technical Studies.

District Five Superintendent Dr. Stephen Hefner said, “District Five is a school system where every choice is a great choice, and we were extremely proud to showcase the wide array of quality magnet programs that are available. It’s our goal to provide families with the choices they need to make their students successful, and we are already seeing the positive impacts of growing our programs in District Five.”

Parents, students and community members talk to school officials during Lexington-Richland School District Five’s Magnet Fair on Nov. 20. The event at CrossRoads Middle School featured interactive booths where visitors talked with staff and students and learned more about magnet offerings in the district.

Magnet Fair attendees like Scottie Dean said having the Magnet Fair allows parents to find a fit for all their children. “I think it’s great. I have one in Escolares Academy, and I’m currently looking for something for my younger son. So, this lets me look at all the programs and see what’s best for us.”

At the Magnet Fair, brightly colored booths with student videos, informational brochures – even LEGOS– prompted visitors to have a closer look at individual magnet programs while students led discussions with Magnet Fair attendees.

“I’m an entrepreneur now…I teach karate, so I was looking at an entrepreneurship magnet program,” said Aaron Trayers, an eighth grader, who wanted more information about the high school magnet programs. “I’m glad I came, I got my answers.”

In September 2013, District Five magnet programs received a boost from a $10.3 million federal grant. New magnet themes were developed in response to a community-wide survey administered in fall 2012.  The district’s magnet offerings are as follows:

• Dutch Fork Elementary School Academy of Environmental Sciences will use the rich local environment and school campus to study core subjects through the lens of earth, water, and space.  Students will have opportunities to be guided in their learning by scientists, teachers, naturalists, historians, artists and musicians.
• STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) program at Dutch Fork High is an honors magnet program that accelerates and enriches learning experiences for students who are academically gifted and have an interest in a STEM related major and career. Implemented in the fall of 2005, the program offers accelerated learning experiences; allowing students to pursue AP courses, research and/or internships in their field of interest as early as the tenth grade.
• Escolares Academy at Harbison West Elementary is an academically gifted magnet program.  It provides elementary gifted students the opportunity to learn, grow and develop to their maximum potential by providing engaging educational experiences that are designed to enable gifted students to develop their unique gifts and pursue their natural talents and interests.
• The Leader in Me program at H. E. Corley Elementary is a whole-school transformation model that acts like the operating system of a computer — it improves performance of all other programs. Based on The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People®, The Leader in Me produces transformational results such as higher academic achievement, fewer discipline problems, and increased engagement among teachers and parents. Students are equipped with the self-confidence and skills they need to thrive in the 21st century economy.
• Irmo Middle School International Academic Magnet (iAM) will offer students opportunities to develop competencies in leadership, communication, fine arts, and entrepreneurship within the international community. Students will collaborate, share opinions, and research with students in classrooms across the nation and around the globe.  The program will establish partnerships with local and state corporations and entrepreneurs to provide students with authentic examples of global citizenship.
• Irmo High School International School for the Arts will offer a rigorous, standards-based curriculum that challenges students intellectually and creatively through arts-infused learning embedded in a global approach.  Teachers will deliver much of the curriculum within their content areas, including concepts, issues, and themes, through the lens of global world-wide Visual and Performing Arts.
• IB (International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme) at Irmo High is an academically rigorous two-year program of study that includes 13 courses, an extended essay, and creativity, action and service requirements. All IB courses require significant writing skills that develop over the two year period, in addition to reading and higher level thinking skills. Students write papers in all subjects, including math, science and the arts.
• LEAP (Leaphart Engineering Arts Program) at Leaphart Elementary offers a school-wide engineering magnetprogram. At Leaphart, engineering is not what teachers and students do; it is the method for how teachers and students approach teaching and learning. Engineering concepts are interwoven into all subject areas through the LEAP Design Process. Students are engaged in collaborative, hands-on learning experiences that highlight engineering concepts and ideas.
• Seven Oaks Elementary School MEDIA (Mass Communications, Engagement, Digital Media, Interactive Learning, Academics) Magnet will foster a range of content and digital literacies among students through aMEDIA (Mass Communication. Engagement. Digital Media. Interactive Learning. Academics) theme that offers activities, centered in “real-world” project-based and collaborative learning approaches in classrooms and at “work” in the TV/Radio Studios.
• Spring Hill High School offers five magnet academies: Engineering, Entrepreneurship, Entertainment, Environmental Studies, and Exercise Science.  Students will pursue a program of study with rigorous standards-based instruction in all content areas and school-specific course requirements, supported by job shadowing, internship, and summer work experiences. All students will participate in cross-academy projects that will enable them to apply what they are learning.