The Raider ACE!

Volume 1 Issue 28 - May 20, 2024 - May 24, 2024

As the school year winds down, it's the perfect time to look back and reflect on all the memories, challenges, and growth we've experienced. Reflecting allows us to appreciate how far we've come and to set goals for the future. Here are five fun activities you can try to reflect on your school year:

1. Memory Collage: Gather photos, notes, and mementos from throughout the year. Arrange them on a poster board or in a scrapbook. Take time to reflect on each memory and write down what made it special or memorable. You'll be amazed at how much you've accomplished and experienced!

2. Letter to Your Future Self: Sit down and write a letter to yourself that you'll open at the end of the next school year. Reflect on your achievements, struggles, and lessons learned. Share your hopes and goals for the future. It's a great way to track your growth and see how much you've changed over time.

3. Top 10 Moments: Make a list of the top 10 moments from this school year. They could be big events like field trips or performances, or smaller moments like a funny joke shared with friends or a meaningful conversation with a teacher. Reflect on why each moment was important to you and how it impacted your year.

4. Goal Setting: Take some time to set goals for yourself for the upcoming school year. Think about what you want to achieve academically, socially, and personally. Write down specific, achievable goals and come up with a plan for how you'll work towards them. Reflecting on your goals will help you stay focused and motivated in the year ahead.

5. Classroom Reflection Circle: Sit in a circle with your classmates and take turns sharing your reflections on the school year. What were your favorite moments? What challenges did you overcome? What are you proud of? Listening to each other's reflections can help you gain new perspectives and appreciate the diversity of experiences within your class.

Reflection is a powerful tool for personal growth and learning. By taking the time to reflect on your school year, you'll gain valuable insights that will help you continue to grow and succeed in the future. So grab a pen, some paper, and maybe even a few friends, and start reflecting!

We are W.J. Keenan High School. Home of the Champion Raiders!

There are a few things that we will need to make sure we are doing to keep the natural order and flow of our school:

• School starts at 8:00 a.m. Remind students they need to report to class before then to avoid a tardy.
• Stand at your door during the change of each class.
• You must not leave your students unsupervised for any reason.
• Please do not allow students into the hallway without a pass.
• Please do not allow students that are not on your roster in your classroom. Students need to be in their scheduled classroom to receive credit. You are accountable for every student in your room.
• You may only sign out to leave on your planning period and/or with administrator approval in an emergency circumstance if you do not have a scheduled absence.
• If you are absent from school, it is your professional responsibility to input the appropriate information in Frontline in a timely manner. Substitutes are limited. Please check Munis prior to doing this so you are aware of your available days for an absence.

Monday, May 20, 2024

• Raider Academy Showcase (Auditorium) @ 6:00 a.m.
• If you set your goals ridiculously high and it's a failure, you will fail above everyone else's success. -James Cameron
• EOC Testing (Check your email for details)

Tuesday, May 21, 2024

• Faculty Meeting @ 3:30 p.m.
• Senior Assembly (Auditorium) @ 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
• EOC Testing (Check your email for details)
• The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing. -Walt Disney
  

Wednesday, May 22, 2024

• Senior Walk (Feeder Elementary Schools) @8:00 a.m.
• Greenview Elementary Concert (Auditorium) @6:00 p.m.
• EOC Testing (Check your email for details)
• "Get busy living or get busy dying." — Stephen King

Thursday, May 23, 2024

• EOC Testing (Check your email for details)
• Bradley Elementary Promotion (Auditorium) 11:00 a.m.
• WJ Keenan Athletic Department Awards Ceremony (Gymnasium) @ 1:45 p.m.
• "Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up."– Thomas A. Edison

Friday, May 24, 2024

• "You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough." — Mae West
• EOC Testing (Check your email for details)
• Alcorn Promotion (Auditorium) @ 9:00 a.m.

Physics students in Mrs. Abongnwi's class are finishing strong! They were challenged with a project to build a mini ball launcher stating how such a project would be impactful to their community. They applied the Steps of Engineering Practice: defining the problem researching, planning. creating and finally improving their products. They crafted their hypothesis, tested them experimentally, collected data, plotted graphs which they analyzed and came out with conclusions. They communicated their results to peers in a general class discussion, had fun as the balls were launched into their receivers and were excited with their accomplishments.

Hello Raiders,

We will continue Bio & USH EOC testing through this week. Make-up testing will occur on May 23, 2024.

Dates to Remember:

May 3- 22 End of Course exams

May 20 - Grade verification due to Ms. Sims for Seniors by 12:00pm

May 22-28 Underclassman exams

May 27 - Holiday (School Closed)

May 29 - Underclassman grades/gradebooks due to Ms. Sims by 12:00 pm

May 31 - Graduation/Last Day of School for Students

June 1 - Teacher Workday

Test Dates this week:

May 20 - Biology Webb

May 20 - Biology Acc. Balan

May 22 - USH Menton & Rivera

May 22 - USH Acc Balan

May 23 - Make-up testing

Enjoy your week!

This year, W.J. Keenan High School had 8 Richland One All Stars. Congratulations to Zyan Abney, K'Leah Mitchell, Julissa Roman-Garcia, Felicity Samuel, Mya Short, Kaedin Davenport, Laurin Hannibal, and Arav Patel.

School Photos

Please note the following dates for school photos:

• November 30—Fall Individuals makeup

Graduation 2024 Date Announced

This year’s Raider Graduation ceremony will be held Friday, May 31 at 11:00 am at the Colonial Life Arena. Seniors need to ensure they have met all requirements for graduation, pay any outstanding debts or fees and not have excessive discipline issues in order to participate.

Raider graduates are expected to conduct themselves with dignity, honor, and class. Inappropriate/disrespectful actions during the commencement ceremony WILL NOT be tolerated.

Keeping Seniors on Track

Class of 2024 students are meeting with school leaders to help them stay on track and be successful. Seniors are meeting with the Graduation Coach (Mrs. DuBard), School Counselors (Mrs. Hasinger, Ms. Humphrey and Mr. Oliver), and Mr. Hankins (Senior Class Administrator) to discuss their progress, requirements, future college/career goals, and plans for the year. All conferences are aimed at helping students be prepared to successfully graduate and meet their future goals.

Raider Community Student Support

Teachers and staff, we need your assistance in providing support for our young Raider students. Through our Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) framework, we are aiming to give our students the tools they need to be successful.

Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) is a school-wide, data driven, proactive framework for improving both learning and behavioral outcomes for all students. MTSS uses the problem-solving process to meet the academic, behavioral, social, and emotional needs of each student. (https://www.richlandone.org/Domain/1736)

You may be asked to sit in on MTSS meetings as a classroom teacher, serve as a mentor, advocate or content expert for students. The goal is to surround students with as many caring adults and resources as possible to allow students to thrive. Thank you in advance for your assistance and cooperation.

Who We Are

W.J. Keenan High School is an engaging learning environment that provides educational opportunities that nurtures the learner to be an innovative thinker prepared with a rigorous curriculum, cutting edge technology, and partnerships to meet the challenges of the future.

Pathways

The W.J. Keenan High School Raider Academy offers five unique pathways aimed at engaging learners.

• Business Management and Administration

• Hospitality and Tourism Management

• Government and Public Administration

• Agriculture and Animal Science

• Information Technology

As of right now, transportation is not provided for 2023-2024 school year. Please plan to provide transportation. We are working on getting transportation for the 2024-2025.

May 20th, 2024, we will hold our annual Raider Academy Showcase for the community starting at 6:00pm in the W. J. Keenan Auditorium.

Love seeing our @wjkeenan Theatre students displaying their talents this evening in their rendition of Borrowed Time by Kevin Stone.

Teachers and staff, please help us keep our students and school safe by reporting to work by 7:30 (morning duty) or 7:45 am. Please be at your doors ready to receive students by 7:50 am.

Please be reminded if you are going to be absent, report your absence by:

1. Submitting your absence in Frontline (Aesop).

2. Sending an email that you will be out.

a. To: Mr. Hankins

b. CC: Ms. Erving and Mrs. McIntee

c. Subject: Your Name Absent Date of Absence (Ex: Jabar Hankins Absent 1/16/23)

3. Calling the school (if an emergency happens on your way to work).

Substitutes and staff members covering classes should arrive by 7:45 am.

Thanks for your cooperation and for all you do for our students.

Feedback From Observations: Focus on engaging students and having them do the work. Rather than standing up and writing on the smartboard as you are explaining, have students come up to the board and share what they know. Put students in groups and give meaningful activities. Use balls and other manipulatives to identify students for a response. Make these engaging strategies apart of your daily routine.

Handling Conflict: Please talk with our students about how to properly handle conflict. Encourage them to reach out to adults in the building to get help with situations that can potentially get them in trouble. Please convey the importance of working together resolve problems before they become bigger issues. It takes a village!

Student Work: Please start posting your best student work inside and outside your classroom in the hallways. You may also share by tagging WJK on social media.

Ask Yourself: What is the hook for today’s lesson that will keep them engaged? Is there an opportunity for my students to get up and move around with my lesson? How am I going to check for understanding? Am I giving students the opportunity to show me they have a grasp of the content? Am I using the DLE to enhance the lesson or am I simply giving electronic skill sheets?

Signing In and Out: If you need to leave campus for an emergency, please get approval from an administrator, and sign out in the main office. We are professionals.

PTSO: Please consider joining our Parent Teacher Student Association. It is a big part of communicating to our parents that we want to build a stronger partnership this year. The application is in the main office with Ms. Golston.

Our Mission

The mission of W. J. Keenan High School is to provide engaging educational opportunities through a rigorous curriculum, cutting edge technology, and partnerships to extend to our diverse community and produce first class citizens who will contribute to the present and excel in the future. WE ARE KEENAN!

Our Vision

Our vision is to create a nationally known high school that is highly regarded for its academic excellence, leadership in cutting edge technology, science, environmental, and career based programs. A high school that builds strong relationships with all stakeholders and continues a culture where the expectation is to lead, set the example, and raise standards for all to follow.

Email: vondre.whaley@richlandone.org
Website: http://keenan.richlandone.org/
Location: 361 Pisgah Church Road, Columbia, SC, USA
Phone: 803-714-2500
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/keenanraiders/
Twitter: @wjkeenan