Rotary Clubs of Laurens and Clinton Host SC Superintendent of Education Ellen Weaver

The Rotary Clubs of Laurens and Clinton recently came together to extend a warm welcome to a distinguished guest, South Carolina Department of Education State Superintendent Ellen Weaver. Senator Danny Verdin attended the meeting and delivered a heartfelt introduction of Weaver.

“Every time I visit a community, I make it a priority to visit with business, faith, and non-profit leaders. Solving South Carolina’s educational challenges will take an all-hands-on-deck effort, so it was a real privilege to be able to speak with the combined Laurens and Clinton Rotaries about how we can work together to support our students, teachers, and families. As I shared at lunch, ‘These are our schools, and that means they’re our responsibility,’ said State Superintendent of Education Ellen Weaver.

Another stop in Laurens County for Weaver was Waterloo Elementary School where she learned about the great things happening at the school under the leadership of Principal Penland. The school’s report card jumped from an overall rating of “Average” to “Excellent” from 2021-22 to 2022-23.

“The greatest joy of my visit was celebrating the phenomenal academic growth we are seeing happen under Principal Penland’s leadership at Waterloo Elementary School. I have never received such an exciting welcome, and it was a real privilege to have a chance to thank the school leadership, staff, and teachers for the amazing work they are doing on behalf of their students each day,” said Weaver. “The ‘magic’ we see happening at Waterloo is a role model for the entire state: strong principal leadership – paired with high quality teaching, professional development, and curriculum that is grounded in the Science of Reading – can deliver educational opportunity for every child in every community.”