District Five to hold ‘Magnet Fair’ to showcase magnet programs – January 4

Lexington-Richland School District Five will hold its second Magnet Fair on January 4, giving families in the district an opportunity to explore offerings at several of its schools.

The event at the Center for Advanced Technical Studies from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. will feature a wide variety of programs, including four new magnets that are being implemented through a $13.7 million federal Magnet School Assistance Program (MSAP) grant the district was awarded in September. The district’s first Magnet Fair attracted over 270 parents, students and community members.

District Five Chief Instructional Officer Dr. Christina Melton said, “District Five has long placed a priority on growing academic programs through magnet and other choice offerings. It’s important to provide our families with top quality choices that help make students successful in school and in future careers. The magnet fairs are a part of our effort to make families in the district aware of opportunities we have available.”

The district’s new magnet programs include:

• H. E. Corley Elementary School Montessori Magnet
• I AM Escolares at Irmo Middle School, a district-wide academic magnet program for middle school students
• Leaphart Elementary School STEAM Magnet
• Nursery Road Elementary School Arts Magnet
• The IB Career Program Magnet at Irmo High School (in partnership with the Center for Advanced Technical Studies)

Many of the district’s magnet themes were developed in response to a community-wide survey administered in fall 2012. The district’s current magnet offerings are as follows:

Dutch Fork Elementary School Academy of Environmental Sciences uses 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 School 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 School 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.

H. E. Corley Elementary School Leader in Me Magnet 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) offers 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 offers 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 School 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.

Leaphart Engineering Arts Program STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts) Magnet offers a school-wide engineering magnet program. 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 fosters a range of content and digital literacies among students through a MEDIA (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 Career Pathways Magnet 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.

District Five Choice includes the option to select any school in the district that has space available to accommodate additional students or to select a magnet school or magnet program. In addition to magnet programs, District Five “School of Choice” options currently include: the Academy For Success, Irmo Elementary School, Nursery Road Elementary School, Oak Pointe Elementary School, River Springs Elementary School, CrossRoads Intermediate School, Dutch Fork High School and Chapin High School. Information on these schools will be available at the magnet fair and at upcoming open house events.