Beaufort teachers to gear up at rally as start of school nears

Flickr user mkrigsman

As the first day of school approaches (August 15,) some 2,500 Beaufort County teachers, staff, and administrators will come together at Bluffton High School on Thursday morning, August 11, at 11 to celebrate the beginning of a new school year.

It is the annual Back to School Rally.

“The Back to School Rally,” Superintendent Valerie Truesdale said, “has become a key event in our staff school calendar.  We come together as a family of educators to visualize the year ahead.  We focus on our schools, our profession and, most importantly, the almost 20,000 students we serve.  This year, we will direct our view to our students as the workforce of tomorrow.  Our theme is “Education is Everybody’s Business,” and joining us will be county, state, and national business leaders.

Rally keynote speakers are the Board Chairman and the CEO of the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Jim Reynolds and Mr. Otis Rawls, Jr., who will address the critical need of educational excellence to attract commerce and industry to South Carolina.  Joining Reynolds and Rawls on the podium will be district student and faculty leaders. Student leaders will include Hannah Durbin from Beaufort High School, Albert  Williams from Battery Creek High School, Katie Ryan from Bluffton High School, Sabrina Drammis from Hilton Head High School, and Vanessa Scott from Whale Branch Early College High School.  The Rally will end with the announcement of the five finalists for District Teacher of the Year by 2010-2011 District Teacher of the Year, Tennille Scheriff.   The 2011-2012 District Teacher of the Year will be announced at a breakfast in September.

The Beaufort County Back to School Rally is in its fifth year.  In addition to the mid-day celebration, teacher and staff in-service training sessions are held for all employees.  Faculty and staff from northern Beaufort County schools attend training sessions in the morning and southern county schools attend in the afternoon.

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