We had the opportunity to celebrate incredible student and staff accomplishments during last night's District Three Board of Trustees meeting!
Each year, roughly 300,000 students in grades 3 through 8 take SC READY English Language Arts (ELA) and Math Assessments. This year, 8 District Three students earned a perfect score on one of the assessments!
They are:
Chloe Moss (ELA)
Noah Cockran (Math)
Jessiney Millner (Math)
Isabella Moua (Math)
Onur Peker (Math)
Luv Brannon (Math)
Jordan Abernathy (Math)
Lance Butler (Math)
Faith Kennedy, a 5th grade student at Pacolet Elementary School, was selected to be part of the South Carolina Elementary Honor Choir, where she will perform in Columbia next month with outstanding chorus students from around the state.
Peter Thao, a 2nd grade student at Pacolet Elementary School, earned second place in the American Printing House Abacus Bee competition!
The APH Abacus Bee is a fun and engaging competition designed to ignite a passion for mathematics in students who are blind or have low vision. Peter competed against students of all grade
levels — including high school!
We then celebrated 7 members of the District Three family, who earned the Fall 2025 Be the Change! Award! This honor is awarded to staff who demonstrate exceptional leadership from their position.
They are:
Mr. Thomas Swanger – Daniel Morgan Technology Center – Welding Instructor
Mrs. Christina Johnson – Cannons Elementary School - Teacher Assistant
Dr. Loreta Dylgjeri – Cowpens Elementary School – Special Education Teacher
Mrs. Sarah Burnett – Pacolet Elementary School – Academic Skills Teacher
Mrs. Tracy Taylor – Clifdale Middle – 7th Grade Science Teacher
Mrs. Sally Sprouse-Anderson – Gettys D. Broome High School – Assistant Principal
Mrs. Holly Kesler – Spartanburg School District Three District Office – Data Manager
Ms. Jenelle Gilliam, drama teacher at Clifdale Middle, earned the School Arts Support Grant from the South Carolina Arts Commission. The grant is in the amount of $2,500 and will support the drama department at Clifdale Middle.
Mrs. Ivy Garner and Mrs. Ashlyn Taylor presented at the South Carolina Council of Teachers of Mathematics Fall Conference back in November. Mrs. Garner is a Math Interventionist at Pacolet Elementary and Mrs. Taylor teaches 3rd grade. Mrs. Taylor is our District Teacher of the Year!
The Broome High School Football Field has been named South Carolina Sporting Grounds Field of the Year!
This recognition comes from the South Carolina Sports Field Managers Association and is due to the hard work and dedication of our Grounds team.
They are:
Robert Quinn, Grounds Manager
Matt Harris
David Holland
Troy Lee
Jacob McCraw
Libby Hipps
Eddie Wyatt, Director of Facilities and Grounds.
This team also won South Carolina Softball Field of the Year in 2020 and South Carolina Football Field of the Year in 2023. They work hard to ensure our student athletes play on the highest quality fields. Congratulations!
Daniel Morgan Technology Center's Business Partner of the Month is Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System!
Through meaningful collaboration, clinical exposure, and ongoing support of DMTC's Health Science programs, Spartanburg Regional provides students with authentic, real-world experiences that prepare them for high-demand healthcare careers. They have provided essential supplies needed for modernizing DMTC labs and WBL experiences that nurture nursing candidates in their endeavors. Their investment in education not only strengthens our programs but also ensures a skilled, compassionate pipeline of future healthcare professionals serving our
community.
Shelly McMillan, System Director for Professional Practice, Innovation, and Workforce Development at Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System, accepted the recognition. Mrs. McMillan has been a great supporter of DMTC students and staff.
We then recognized the Broome High School Girls Strength Team, which won its second AAA State Championship in a row! Congratulations to these outstanding athletes, led by Coach Chad Cooksey and Coach Rebecca Burress.
January is School Board Recognition Month! We are so fortunate to have a board that shows exceptional commitment to the success of our students and staff. We recognized Mrs. Jodi Gilmer for 15 years of exemplary service and Mr. Eddie Dearybury for 35 years of exemplary service as members of the Spartanburg School District Three Board of Trustees.
After that, Board of Trustees Chair Mr. Chris Jolley introduced Mr. Paul Abbott. Mr. Abbott has served the District Three community in various capacities, including as a member of the Spartanburg School District Three Board of Trustees. In November, Mr. Abbott was elected to represent District Three on Spartanburg County Council. We thank Mr. Abbott for sharing his time with us and we appreciate his service to our communities.
Congratulations to all!