School District Five has announced several impressive accomplishments for its Class of 2026, highlighting the academic success and post-graduation opportunities earned by this year’s graduates. The district’s 1,315 graduates were offered a combined total of $211,219,715 in scholarship funds, reflecting their achievements in academics, leadership, athletics, and community involvement. AmongContinue Reading

Annie Xu, a Junior STEM Honors Academic Magnet student, represented Dutch Fork High School at the 2026 Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (Regeneron ISEF) in Phoenix, Arizona. Regeneron ISEF is the world’s largest global science competition for high school students, and Xu presented her research about exosome-mediated neuroregeneration toContinue Reading

Three District Five students were recognized for their artwork as the 2025-2026 Superintendent’s Choice Award. One award is given to an elementary, middle and high school student in the District. Their work will hang permanently in the District Office. Elementary School Level: Thera Piotrowski — Harbison West Elementary Gifted andContinue Reading

School District Five has recognized students who earned academic certificates from Midlands Technical College (MTC) through the district’s Dual Enrollment program during the 2025–2026 school year. The students successfully completed an 18-credit-hour sequence of college coursework while still in high school, earning credentials that carry full academic credit and areContinue Reading

Five School District Five students were graduated from Project SEARCH May 19. Project SEARCH is a one-year program where School District Five partners with Prisma Health Baptist Parkridge Hospital and allows students with special needs to gain job skills and solve work based problems as they rotate through different departmentsContinue Reading

Thirteen students in District Five have earned Firefighter I Certificates through the Fire & Rescue course at the Center for Advanced Technical Studies (The Center). The Fire & Rescue class is a year long course. In the first year, students earn the following certifications: FEMA; I-100; I-200; I-700; I-800; FirstContinue Reading

Leaphart Elementary STEAM Magnet School fourth grade teacher Dr. Paul Duggan has been selected as a Spring 2026 recipient of the Coaching Teacher Award of Excellence from the University of South Carolina College of Education. The award recognizes outstanding educators who demonstrate excellence in mentoring and supporting future teachers throughContinue Reading

District Five student Chloe Coleman (Spring Hill High) has been named the Midlands Work-Based Learning (WBL) Student of the Year. The SC Work-Based Learning Student of the Year award recognizes a student who exemplifies sound work-based practices while applying academia to real-life, real-work, and real-world situations in the business/industry environment.Continue Reading

District Five will host a virtual Lunch & Learn event with Superintendent Dr. Akil E. Ross, Sr. and his administrative team regarding the district’s tool iBoss, a parent monitoring application that gives parents and guardians real-time information about students’ Chromebook usage. The event will be held virtually from noon toContinue Reading

District Five student Jayden Won has earned a National Merit Scholarship. Jayden Won (Dutch Fork High, Boeing Scholarship) was named a winner of this year’s National Merit Corporate-Sponsored Scholarships. These scholarships were financed by about 115 corporations, company foundations, and other business organizations. Also included in this category are awardsContinue Reading