Schools win awards for family-friendly atmosphere, customer-focused service
May 17, 2010
CHARLESTON, SC – May 17, 2010 – Schools across South Carolina werehonored today with RedCarpet awards to recognize their success at creatingfamily-friendly school environments and providing excellent customerservice.
State Superintendent of Education Jim Rex announced the 124winners of this year’s awards, which have become highly prized bySouth Carolina schools. Winning schools will receive actual red carpetsto display in their lobbies.
“When you see a family-friendly school that emphasizes customer service,that school is much more likely to enjoy strong community support,” Rexsaid. “That’s important because community involvement can play a bigrole in a school’s academic success.”
A total of 262 schools began the Red Carpet award application processlast fall. Applicants provided written details about theirfamily-friendly philosophies and environments, along with the methodsused to promote and self-evaluate those efforts. They also wererequired to include copies of their school’s communication plan.
Schools that passed the written application phase were then screened byindependent judges who rated how telephone callers and visitors weretreated. Judges did not identify themselves during telephone calls orsite visits, and site visits were not announced in advance.
Winning schools receive red carpets with the state seal to display intheir lobbies, and they maintain their recognition status for athree-year period.
This year’s recipients, the largest number since the program began in2001, included four child development centers, six primary schools, 74elementary schools, 22 middle schools, 14 high schools, one technicalschool, and three special schools.
Red Carpet coordinator Frank White said Greenville County schools ledthe awards parade with 15 winners. Richland District 2 and SpartanburgDistrict 7 had six winners each, while Berkeley, Kershaw, LexingtonDistrict 1, Oconee and Richland District 1 had five each.
“The record number of applicants this year shows pretty clearly thatschools understand the importance of customer service,” White said. “Aslocal districts struggle to absorb dramatic budget cuts, schoolsrealize that the support of their families and communities will be moreimportant than ever. And the first step to building that support iscreating a school environment that’s welcoming and inviting.”
Staff members from the Department of Education and school districtpersonnel from across the state volunteered to take part in the judgingprocess.
The Red Carpet Schools initiative was one of only two programs in thenation to receive a Distinguished Single Project Award from the National School PublicRelations Association (NSPRA) in 2003. The program has also beenfeatured in NSPRA’s monthly newsletter as well as the monthly newsletterof the NationalElementary Principals Association.
This year’s winners provide many examples of family andcommunity-friendly programs:
- Chesterfield-RubyMiddle School in Chesterfield strives to be a vital part of thecommunity. The school family works hard to support the Relay for Lifeprogram and last year raised more than $11,000, gaining recognition asthe county’s top school fundraiser. Following the town’s Veterans Dayparade, veterans are invited to the school for a special lunch. Thisyear 52 veterans ate at the school.
- St.Paul Elementary School in Summerton (Clarendon District One) makesits library available to parents and others in the community who do nothave access to computers or the Internet. The school also makes itsfacilities available for community meetings, family reunions and otherfunctions.
- FennellElementary School in Yemassee (Hampton District One) recognizes theimportance of community relationships and the appearance of a school. One community member, who chose to remain anonymous, was impressed bythe school’s well-maintained grounds. This person contacted theprincipal about wanting to do something for the school, and over theyears, that person has paid for the school to be carpeted, purchasedtechnology, provided the resources for the entire school to visit theSouth Carolina Aquarium in Charleston, and provided funding to enablethe school to have plants, flowers and other materials for its garden.
- Boiling SpringsHigh School (Spartanburg District Two) is proud of its newlyconstructed auxiliary gymnasium. Coaches regularly invite visitors,especially Little League players and cheerleaders, to attend games andtour the facilities.
- SpringfieldMiddle School in Fort Mill (York District Three) makes certain thatmultiple staff members cover the front office during peak hours, andalso that two people are available to answer the school’s telephone sovisitors and families can be served promptly.
- Clemson Road ChildDevelopment Center in Columbia (Richland District Two) is consciousof the growing number of Latino families whose children participate intheir program. In an effort to meet the needs of these students andtheir families, the CDC has employed a bilingual assistant,receptionist, and parent educator. In the two weeks before the beginningof school, each family receives a visit from a member of the schoolstaff. The school has found that this goes a long way toward easing thefears of parents and children and sets the tone for their first schoolexperience.
Schools are judged on a variety of factors, including the exterior andinterior appearance of the campus, the way people were treated in personand over the telephone, and the information and programs available forfamilies and visitors. Specific items that judges evaluated on theirsite visits included:
Outside
* Clearly marked visitor parking spaces near the front door.
* Well-kept grounds that are free of debris and trash.
* Plainly marked entrances, particularly the main entrance door.
Front entrance/lobby
* Clean and appealing lobby/front entrance.
* “Welcome to our school” signs that clearly direct visitors to themain office.
* Attractive, colorful displays of student achievement and schoolevents.
Office
* Clean and tidy front office.
* Reading material about the school available for visitors.
* Welcoming and professionally dressed staff who greet visitorspromptly and quickly ask to offer assistance.
* Visitor badges available.
Telephone
* Telephones that are answered promptly (within three rings) andprofessionally.
* Person answering the phone has basic, up-to-date informationreadily accessible.
* Callers are put through to appropriate parties promptly.
2009-10 Red Carpet Schools Winners
District &nbs
p; School
1. Aiken Belvedere Elementary
2. Aiken Midland Valley High
3. Aiken Millbrook Elementary
4. Aiken North Augusta Elementary
5. Anderson Two Marshall Primary
6. Anderson Three Starr Elementary
7. Anderson Five McCants Middle
8. Anderson Five Southwood Middle
9. Anderson Five Varennes Academy of Communications
10. Anderson Five Westside High
11. Beaufort Beaufort Middle
12. Beaufort Okatie Elementary
13. Beaufort Whale Branch Elementary
14. Beaufort Whale Branch Middle
15. Beaufort Hilton Head Island High
16. Berkeley Goose Creek Primary
17. Berkeley Sangaree Intermediate
18. Berkeley College Park Middle
19. Berkeley Devon Forest Elementary
20. Berkeley Macedonia Middle
21. Charleston Chicora School of Communications andTechnology
22. Cherokee Mary Bramlett Elementary
23. Chesterfield Chesterfield-Ruby Middle
24. Clarendon One Summerton Early Childhood Center
25. Clarendon One St. Paul Elementary
26. Clarendon One Scott’s Branch Middle School
27. Clarendon Two Manning Early Childhood Center
28. Clarendon Two Manning Primary
29. Colleton Edisto Beach Elementary
30. Colleton Northside Elementary
31. Colleton Hendersonville Elementary
32. Darlington Pate Elementary
33. Dorchester Two Ashley Ridge High
34. Dorchester Two Eagle Nest Elementary
35. Dorchester Two Windsor Hills Art Infused Elementary
36. Edgefield Strom Thurmond High
37. Edgefield W. E. Parker Elementary
38. Florence One Southside Middle
39. Florence Five Johnsonville High
40. Greenville Pelham Road Elementary
41. Greenville Taylors Elementary
42. Greenville Robert E. Cashion Elementary
43. Greenville Riverside Middle
44. Greenville Rudolph G. Gordon Elementary
45. Greenville Bethel Elementary
46. Greenville Greenbrier Elementary
47. Greenville Northwood Middle
48. Greenville Mountain View Elementary
49. Greenville Simpsonville Elementary
50. Greenville Westcliff Elementary
51. Greenville Lake Forest Elementary
52. Greenville East North Street Academy
53. Greenville Berea Elementary
54. Greenville Sara Collins Elementary
55. Hampton One Fennell Elementary
56. Horry Ocean Bay
Middle
57. Kershaw Baron DeKalb Elementary
58. Kershaw Doby’s Mill Elementary
59. Kershaw Leslie M. Stover Middle
60. Kershaw Blaney Elementary
61. Kershaw Lugoff Elementary
62. Lancaster Indian Land Elementary
63. Lee West Lee Elementary
64. Lexington One Forts Pond Elementary
65. Lexington One Gilbert Primary
66. Lexington One New Providence Elementary
67. Lexington One Lexington Intermediate
68. Lexington One Red Bank Elementary
69. Lexington Three Batesburg-Leesville Elementary
70. Lexington Four Sandhills Elementary
71. Lexington Five Ballentine Elementary
72. Lexington Five Lake Murray Elementary
73. Lexington Five Oak Pointe Elementary
74. Oconee Keowee Elementary
75. Oconee Tamassee-Salem Middle and High
76. Oconee Walhalla High
77. Oconee West-Oak High
78. Oconee Westminister Elementary
79. Orangeburg Four Edisto Primary
80. Orangeburg Four Edisto Elementary
81. Orangeburg Four Hunter-Kinard-Tyler Elementary
82. Orangeburg Five Brookdale Elementary
83. Orangeburg Five Bethune-Bowman Elementary
84. Orangeburg Five Mellichamp Elementary
85. Orangeburg Five William J. Clark Middle
86. Pickens Hagood Elementary
87. Pickens McKissick Elementary
88. Pickens West End Elementary
89. Richland One Brennen Elementary
90. Richland One Burton-Pack Elementary
91. Richland One Crayton Middle
92. Richland One Columbia High
93. Richland One Heyward Career and Technology Center
94. Richland Two Bookman Road Elementary
95. Richland Two Bridge Creek Elementary
96. Richland Two Clemson Road Child Development Center
97. Richland Two Dent Middle School
98. Richland Two Lonnie B. Nelson Elementary
99. Richland Two Spears Creek Child Development Center
100. Spartanburg One Inman Elementary
101. Spartanburg One Landrum Elementary
102. Spartanburg One T. E. Mabry Middle
103. Spartanburg Two Boiling Springs High
104. Spartanburg Three Clifdale Elementary
105. Spartanburg Three Pacolet Elementary
106. Spartanburg Four Woodruff Primary
107. Spartanburg Five Berry Shoals Intermediate
108. Spartanburg Six Pauline-Glenn Springs Elementary
109. Spartanburg Seven E. P. Todd Elementary
110. Spartanburg Seven Houston Elementary
111. Spartanburg Seven Mary H. Wright Elementary
112. Spartanburg Seven McCracken Junior High
113. Spartanburg Seven Spartanburg High
114. Spartanburg Seven W. H. Chapman Elementary
115. Sumter Two Shaw Heights Elementary
116. Sumter Seventeen Lemira Elementary
117. Sumter Seventeen Alice Drive Middle School
118. Union Foster Park Elementary
119. Williamsburg &nbs
p; Kingstree Elementary
120. York Two Clover High
121. York Three Ebinport Elementary
122. York Three Mount Holly Elementary
123. York Three Sullivan Middle
124. York Four-Fort Mill Springfield Middle
