Report to the Parents 2023-2024

The Catawba Ridge School faculty and staff set high expectations for all students in academics, the arts, athletics, character, extra-curricular activities, and community involvement. This school year the faculty and staff continued to grow the #BeTheWhy culture by creating opportunities for students to be selected as Students of the Month. These students are voted on by each department and embody the culture of #doright with positive attitudes, kindness and citizenship. The students receive a shirt that says, "I Am The Why," a certificate and free entry into athletic events for that month.

Whether preparing for college, service in the military or the workforce, Catawba Ridge provides students with the education they need to pursue their future goals. College readiness curriculum, vocational education opportunities, and military experience are all available for students to explore.

Catawba Ridge High School Corps of Cadets were named the #3 Best NJROTC unit in the Nation(over 600 schools nationwide) and for the 4th year in a row our NJROTC Navy Corps of Cadets were invited to the Navy Nationals Drill, Academic and Physical Fitness Championships in Pensacola Florida(Only 26 schools nationwide receive an invite). Huge achievement finishing 15th overall in the Nation. The Corps of Cadets also had 6 ROTC Scholarship winners…over a million dollars in scholarship money earned by this Senior class. Our focus on STEM resulted in a banner year for our Drone team as they were invited to and competed at the Area 6 Drone Championships. The Area 6 Manager conducted his first inspection of our Unit in April and left extremely impressed. The cadets also had a remarkable year contributing over 3500 hours of community service and over 1500 hours supporting their school. In addition, for the 3rd year in a row Catawba Ridge was named the #1 Top NJROTC Unit in the Carolinas placing our Corps of Cadets in the TOP 24 Units in the Nation. Remarkable achievement considering how young we are AND compared to NJROTC schools that have been around for 30+ years.

Congratulations to Era Bhide, Grace Eisenrieth, Erika Giaconia, Justin Isch, Kayla Mancini, Josiah McHargue, Donavan Rhee, Rebekah Rich, and Haripranov Shanmugam Baraneedharan our finalist in the 2025 National Merit Scholarship Competition.

High School students enter the National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the Preliminary SAT as a Junior. The selection of some 7,500 Merit Scholarship winners from the group of more than 15,000 Finalists is now in progress. In March, NMSC will begin notifying scholarship winners. Please join us in celebrating these students in this very prestigious competition!

Our Faculty & Staff are the heart of our school. With over over 150 staff members in 2023-24, we served over 1,500 students by year's end. Each year in February, we vote on and honor a Teacher of the Year and Support Staff person on the Year.

CRHS had an excellent year on the field and on the court.

XC- Boys and Girls Region Champions, Boys Upper State Champions, Boys State Champions

Girls Tennis- Region Runner up, SCHSL Playoffs

Swim- Boys and Girls- Region Champs, SCHSL Playoffs

Girls VB- Region Champs, SCHSL Playoffs- Upper State Championship Runner Up

Boys Volleyball- Upper State Champions, State Championship-Runner Up

Girls Golf- Region Champs- Finished 3rd in SCHSL State Finals

Competitive Cheer- Region Champs , SCHSL Playoffs

Boys Basketball- Region Champs, Quarterfinals of SCHSL Playoffs

Girls Basketball- Region Runner up, SCHSL Playoffs.

Wrestling- SCSHL Playoff Qualifier

Baseball- Region Champs, In Playoffs now

Softball- Region Champs, In Playoffs now

Boys Tennis- Region Runner up, State Playoff Qualifier

Boys Golf- Region Runner up, Upper State Qualifier

Boys Soccer- Region Champs, In Playoffs now

Girls Soccer- Region Champs, In Playoffs now

Track and Field- Region championship is Thursday (May 2)

Boys Lacrosse- State Playoff Qualifier

Girls Lacrosse- State Playoff Qualifier

21 Varsity Sports

20 Teams qualified for the SCHSL Playoffs

11 Region Championships

3 Upper State Championship Appearances (Girls VB, Boys VB, Boys XC)

1 Upper State Championships (Boys XC)

1 State Championships (Boys XC)

BAND:

The CR Band program had yet another outstanding year in 2023/24.

Marching Band

• The marching band were a class champion at the Bands of America Carolina Regional in Conway, SC, and finished 2nd overall regardless of class in the finals competition. The marching band was also the SCBDA 4A Upper State Championships and the SCBDA 4A State runner-up. Finally, the marching band placed third at the Bands of America Southeastern Regional Championships in Troy, Alabama.
• The marching band was a featured performer in the 2024 London New Year’s Day Parade.

Concert Band/Wind Symphony:

• The CR concert band, comprised mostly of Freshman, received a superior rating with distinction at the South Carolina Band Directors Association (SCDBA) Concert Performance Assessment. The CR Wind Symphony, the top concert ensemble, also received a superior rating with distinction, the highest award given by the SCBDA, at their Concert Performance Assessment in mid-March.

The CR Band also had record setting indoor seasons.

• The CR Indoor Winds program won the Carolina Winter Ensemble Association Winds Scholastic Open class Gold medal in mid-April. The Indoor Winds program also won the gold medal in the Winds Scholastic Open class at the prestigious Winter Guard International World Championships in Dayton, Ohio in late-April, setting a program record high score at both events. This is the first winds groups from South Carolina to ever win a gold medal at Winter Guard International World Championships.
• The CR Indoor Percussion program won the Carolina Winter Ensemble Association Percussion Scholastic World class Gold medal in mid-April. The Indoor Percussion program also won the gold medal in the Percussion Scholastic World class at the prestigious Winter Guard International World Championships in Dayton, Ohio in late-April. This is the first Percussion Scholastic Concert Gold medal won by a South Carolina school since Fort Mill High School won in 2005.
• The CR Winter Guard participated at 2 Winter Guard International regional events, setting a record high score for any CR guard and making finals at both events.

Individually, the Catawba Ridge band had a record setting year with 47 students making All-Region Band, and 7 making All-State Band.

THEATER and CHORALE:

Our Chorus Department had an incredible year under the direction of our new leader, Ms. Jessie Haynes. We kicked off the year in the Snake Pit by singing the National Anthem at our home game against South Pointe and singing at our Fall Pep Rally. Aside from our successful Fall and Spring Concerts, the chorus department hosted a Catawba Ridge First - a holiday themed talent show! Many singers were involved in the wildly successful, magical 5-show run of Roger & Hammerstein's Cinderella, our school musical. 8 singers participated in SCACDA, 2 singers were sent to All-State, and 3 singers made it to Southern Region - comprised of the best singers in 11 south eastern states. What a year! We are looking forward to growing as a choral family here at the Ridge!

Our Theater department just hosted a musical rendition of Cinderella here at the Ridge. One showing was done during the day and we hosted students from Fort Mill High School, Nation Ford High School, Forest Creek Middle School, and Banks Trail Middle School.

The Catawba Ridge Visual Arts Program was actively involved in collaboration, community service, and cultivating a vibrant school culture. Visual Arts produced several gallery shows including Freedom Quilts, Design Principles, and an AP Art Showcase.

Clubs:

Clubs as diverse as our population. CRHS offers over 40 Clubs for every interest and passion. A complete list of clubs is listed on our webpage, including Diversity Club, Walk for Water, FCCLA, Sewing Club, Yearbook, Writer's Club, and Copperhead Cookie Club through Special Services. Club info was posted in the Art Gallery with remind or QR codes for more information.

Social Responsibility:

Our student organizations contributed to their community through Food and Cold Weather Gear Drives for the Fort Mill Care Center, the Copperheads Care initiative (Angel Tree), Care Packages for local First Responders, a Book Drive for the Historic Paradise Foundation, and monetary donations for Special Olympics through our Ice Bucket Challenge.

Building Community:

• Senior Special Events

• Student Council: Spirit Week & Traditions Tuesdays
  

• Ridge Fridays

• Fun Food Fridays

• #BeTheWhy

• The Ridgies Academic Awards Show

• Hispanic Heritage Month

• Black History Month

• Disability Awareness Month

• Polar Plunge for Special Olympics
  

• Miss CR Pageant

• Community Blood Drives

• Coat Drive and Community Volunteers sponsored by Athletics Teams

• HBCU Fall Fair

• Golden Gala

The School Improvement Council of Catawba Ridge High School is a group of educational stakeholders that promote and support academic achievement and civic engagement at Catawba Ridge High School. This group of students, parents, teachers, and community members facilitates meaningful parent and community involvement at Catawba Ridge High School. The SIC meets monthly to discuss ways to support academic, athletic, fine art, and student body events. Also, they review policies and set annual goals aimed at targeting areas of need specific to the students of Catawba Ridge High School.

This year, the SIC focused on the following areas: communication, parent involvement, student safety, and creating a positive culture.

Elected:

Jeff Davenport, Parent

Carrie Seekings, Parent

Jen Weiser, Student

Alexandra Cardozo, Student

Isabella Garcia, Student

Hannah Smith, Student

Tiffany Davis, Teacher

Drew Dittmer, Teacher

Appointed:

Kristie Hill, Community Member

Katie Marciniak, Community Member

Karena McCoy, Community Member

Ex-Officio:

Brad Mercer, Assistant Principal

Barry Ledford, Principal

Catawba Ridge High School's mission is to unleash the talent of each student to become college and career ready and reach the heights of their potential.

Beliefs
We believe each student possesses the ability to learn.

We believe each student deserves a safe and supportive learning environment.

We believe communication among parents, faculty, staff, students and members of the community is essential and all are responsible for student success.

We believe each student can maximize learning through career-based educational opportunities integrated with business, government, and the community at large.

We believe in providing students with a relevant, challenging program of study.

We believe it is essential to use student achievement data and program evaluations to ensure continuous improvement.

Fort Mill

The town of Fort Mill, South Carolina is located just south of the North Carolina state line. Nearly 20,000 people live inside the Fort Mill corporate limits with a total of nearly 50,000 people residing within the entire township. The Township of Fort Mill currently supports three high schools with a Catawba Ridge High School opening in the fall of 2019.

Catawba Ridge High School

The faculty of Catawba Ridge High School consists of teachers, one principal, five assistant principals, five school counselors, a media specialist, and numerous facilities and faculty support staff.

More than 200 course selections are offered, including Advanced Placement, Honors, and College Preparatory courses.

Catawba Ridge High School has more than 40 co-curricular activities and 22 athletic teams.

This report is issued by the Catawba Ridge High School, School Improvement Council in accordance with South Carolina law to share information on the school's progress in meeting various goals and objectives, the work of the SIC, and other accomplishments during the school year.

For more information regarding the Catawba Ridge High School SIC please contact Brad Mercer at mercerb@fortmillschools.org

Instagram: @CatawbaRidge

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Email: mercerb@fortmillschools.org
Website: http://crhs.fortmillschools.org/
Location: 1180 Fort Mill Pkwy, Fort Mill, SC 29715, USA
Phone: 803-835-5200
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/catawbaridge
Twitter: @CatawbaRidge