Blythewood High Adopts Main Street Elementary

Blythewood High Adopts Main Street Elementary
Posted on 12/08/2017
Blythewood and Main Street Elementary students celebrate

Students and staff from Blythewood High School visited Main Street Elementary School Friday, bring with them gifts of school supplies and holiday cheer.

The Blythewood students spent time Thursday night decorating classrooms and the MSE gym with motivational posters and left gifts on each MSE student’s desk. They also hosted an assembly Friday morning to celebrate the connection between both schools. During the assembly Blythewood steel drum band and an acapella group performed Christmas music during Friday’s assembly. The school’s ROTC armed and unarmed drill teams also performed precision drills.

Blythewood High School adopted Main Street Elementary School through their 2018 Winter Service Initiative, Project Connect. The goal of Project Connect is to provide much needed supplies and support for Main Street Elementary, its students, and faculty. The schools were matched via the Pee Dee Education Center.

“The lesson learned through Blythewood’s generosity and encouraging actions will make an impact on our students in so many ways,” said MSE Principal Allana Prosser.

Blythewood students arrived Thursday to set up for Friday’s assembly. They greeted the Main Street Elementary students as they arrive Friday morning, sat with them while they ate breakfast and spent some time in each classroom helping with work, reading to them, and assisting the teachers. 

“Our goal was to sponsor every classroom in the building by donating the basic supplies the students and teachers need every day,” BHS Student Activities Director Fletcher Spigner said. “We feel that these students deserve ‘a win’ and our students were determined to give it to them.”

According to the South Carolina Department of Education 2017 School Report Card, 93.8% of Main Street Elementary’s students live in poverty.

“The school lacks many basic supplies that we sometimes take for granted, especially items in their art and music departments, and of course traditional classroom items such as books, pencils, and markers and other items needed in an elementary classroom,” Spigner added.  “We want to give them every opportunity to succeed. Many of Blythewood’s students live in relative wealth and comfort, but they have truly embraced the idea of educational equity through this process.”

Blythewood High has also received donations from parent groups, individuals and other Richland Two schools. The high school donated $1,000 to MSE. They also donated a $300 gift card to be used for teachers and the school’s band booster club donated $430 for MSE’s music class.

blythewood High steel drum band performs

A Blythewood High students high fives a Main Street Elementary student.

Blythewood ROTC drill team performs precision drills.