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Tag: Blythewood High School

  • Jackson nominated for McDonald’s All Star Game

    Jackson

    BLYTHEWOOD – Blythewood’s Tre Jackson had a superb 33-point showing at the MLK bash this weekend, but that is not the only feather the Iowa State-commit can add to his cap. Jackson was selected as one of 400 nominees for the 2019 McDonald’s All-American Game in Atlanta at the State Farm arena on Mar. 27.

    Twenty-four of the top players will be selected by the Games’ Selection Committee to play in the event. The McDonald’s All-American Game has been a running tradition since its inception in 1977 and has showcased a slew of some basketball’s most decorated superstars.

    Michael Jordan, Lebron James, Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant and numerous other all-stars and hall of famers have participated in the showcase. Jackson was among six players to be selected from the state of South Carolina. Jackson has average 23 points per game this year to go with almost seven rebounds, four steals and nearly four assists per contest.

  • Good Job!

    BLYTHEWOOD – The Blythewood High School drama team was recognized at the Richland Two School Board meeting Tuesday, Jan. 8, for being named one of the two top state winners in the SC Theater competition in November. The students will next compete in the Southeastern Theater Conference competition in Knoxville, TN. From left (back row): BHS Adminstrator David Coyne, Jesse Elliott, Kira Chiles, Ellie Feuerstein, board member Monica Elkins-Johnson, Marvin Jacobs, Jenna Kiser, Jacob Rubino, Jerry Windhorn and Audrey Winstead. Front row: Isabella Butler, Jennifer Warner, Em Estebanez, Anne Heiler, Kaycee Dial, Lily Campbell, Sophie Pirich, Matthew Kerr and teacher/director Sandra Dietel. Not pictured is  Sofia Lynch.

  • BHS teacher selected for European program

    Auspelmyer

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Blythewood High School teacher Scott Auspelmyer is one of 18 educators from across America who have been selected to participate in Memorializing the Fallen — a teacher professional development program that will take place in Europe in June.  Sponsored by the U.S. World War I Centennial Commission and the Pritzker Military Museum and Library, the program takes educators to rediscover the history of World War I to invigorate its teaching in America’s classrooms. The trip will culminate with the teachers attending the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Versailles (end of World War I) at the Palace of Versailles.

  • Breaking Legs

    Cast includes, from left: Sophie Pirich, Jesse Elliott, Anne Heiler, Jennifer Warner, AJ Jacobs, Ellie Feuerstein and Jerry Windhorn.

    BLYTHEWOOD – Blythewood High School’s drama class’s one-act play, Elephant’s Graveyard, has been named one of the two top state winners at SC Theater Association competition. BHS will now compete (for the fifth year) in the Southeastern Theater Conference in Knoxville, TN against the top two winners from 10 states. To pay for the trip, the cast will perform at the Farm on Dec. 19 & 20, at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10, available at the BHS office.

  • EOC scores: BHS up, WHS lags

    BLYTHEWOOD – Blythewood High School students outscored both the Richland Two district average and the state average in a key assessment that counts as 20 percent of a student’s final grade in core subjects in statewide results.

    Westwood High School, however, experienced a setback in the same assessment, mirroring a similar slide in statewide results.

    Those core subjects of testing consist of Algebra 1, Biology 1, English 1 and U.S. History and the Constitution. Students must pass each course at some point before they are awarded a high school diploma.

    Blythewood High’s Scores

    Blythewood exceeded state and district average mean scores in all four core subjects tested in the 2018 End-of-Course Examination Program (EOCEP). The school also exceeded the state and district in the percentage of A’s scored in three of the four subject areas – Biology 1, English 1 and U.S. History and Constitution.

    While the 2.6 percent of BHS students scoring an A in Algebra 1 fell short when compared to the district (10.6 percent) and to the state (9.1 percent), the school’s scores in Algebra 1 showed improvement from 1.9 percent in 2017 to 2.6 in 2018.

    Considerable improvement was seen in English 1, from 16.4 percent scoring an A in 2017 to 27.7 percent in 2018.

    Percentage of BHS students scoring an A in Biology 1 dropped from 34.6 percent (2017) to 26.5 percent (2018) and in U.S. History and Constitution from 20.7 (2017) to 18.3 (2018).

    The percentage of Blythewood High School students scoring an F remained well below both state and district percentages.  Only 9.2 percent of BHS test takers scored an F in English 1, down from 11 percent in 2017. Percentages also improved in U.S. History and Constitution from 22.1 scoring an F in 2017 down to 17.7 in 2018.

    More than one-quarter (28.5 percent) of BHS test takers scored an F in Algebra 1, up from 22.2 percent in 2017, and almost one-third (30.3) scored an F in Biology 1, almost doubling the percentage of 17.8 percent that scored an F in 2017.

    The mean scores of BHS students taking the EOCEP in 2018 exceeded the mean scores for both the district and the state in three out of the four subjects, falling behind only in Algebra 1.

    BHS students also saw gains over their 2017 mean test scores in English and U.S. History and Consitution, but declines in Algebra 1 and Biology 1.

    • Algebra 1 – 67.5 (2017) to 66.9 (2018), down 0.6
    • Biology 1 – 78.4 (2017) to 73.1 (2018), down 5.3
    • English 1 – 76.2 (2017) to 79.6. (2018), up 3.4
    • U.S. History and Constitution – 73.7 (2017) to 74.7 (2018), up 1

    Westwood High’s Scores

    Westwood High School test takers fell behind both the district and the state in all four of the tested subjects but improved their percentages for scoring an A over last year in both Algebra 1 and English 1.

    Students performed best on the English 1 exam, improving the percentage of A scores considerably from 3.2 percent (2017) to 12.6 percent in (2018). Improvement was also seen in those scoring an A in Algebra 1 from 0.4 percent (2017) to 1.1 percent (2018).

    WHS students struggled in Biology 1, going from 14.4 percent scoring an A in 2017 to only 2.2 percent scoring an A in 2018. Percentages scoring an A in U.S. History and Constitution stayed about the same, going from 3.6 percent (2017) to 3.5 percent (2018).

    Those WHS students scoring an F in Algebra 1 increased from 30.3 percent (2017) to 43.2 percent (2018) and in Biology 1 from 38.7 percent (2017) to 51.6 percent (2018).

    However, fewer WHS test takers scored an F in English 1, improving from 37.3 percent (2017) to 25.9 (2018) and in U. S. History and Constitution, improving from 49.1 percent (2017) to 38.6 (2018).

    While school’s mean scale score lagged behind both district and state scores, the greatest decline was in Biology 1 (down 7 points) and the most improvement in English 1 (up 6.3 points).

    • Algebra 1—63.3 (2017) to 62.9 (2018), down 0.4 points
    • Biology 1—66.8 (2017) to 59.8 (2018), down 7.0 points
    • English 1—65.2 (2017) to 71.5 (2018), up 6.3 points
    • U.S. History and Constitution—61.6 (2017) to 63.5 (2018), up 1.9 points

    Ready to Work

    Ready to Work (R2W) is a career readiness assessment administered to all eleventh grade students to determine student achievement in three key subjects – Applied Mathematics, Reading for Information and Locating Information.

    Blythewood High

    Blythewood High School R2W test takers outperformed the state averages in all three key subjects

    • Applied Mathematics—State average 241, BHS – 245
    • Reading for Information—State average 247, BHS – 251
    • Locating Information—State average 230, BHS – 231

    The test awards certificates, which are associated with career professions, beginning with bronze and peaking with platinum.

    Nearly 91 percent of 487 Blythewood students earned certificates, meaning 9.2 percent didn’t score high enough to earn certificates.

    Bronze Level certificates were earned by 19.1 percent of test takers, meaning they’re ready for 35 percent of jobs in the workforce. Bronze level sample professions include construction laborer, electrician assistant, cement mason and dental hygienist.

    Another 60.2 percent earned Silver Level certificates, which means they’re ready for 65 percent of jobs, including insulation installer, roofer, chef, pipe layer, flight attendant or machinist.

    Gold Level certificates were earned by 7.8 percent of students. This level includes credit analysts, aircraft mechanics, medical transcriptionists, acute care nurses and social workers.

    Platinum Level certificates were earned by 3.7 percent of BHS test takers, which includes architects, chemists, geographers, anesthesiologists and agricultural engineers.

    Westwood High

    Westwood High School test takers lagged behind the state averages in all three R2W key subjects

    • Applied Mathematics—State average 241, BHS – 238
    • Reading for Information—State average 247, BHS – 245
    • Locating Information—State average 230, BHS – 229

    Nearly 81 percent of 298 Westwood students earned certificates, versus 19.1 percent who didn’t. One-quarter (24.8 percent) earned Bronze certificates and exactly half (50 percent) earned Silver certificates. Five percent earned Gold certificates, while 1 percent earned a Platinum certificate.

  • BHS student published in academic journal

    BLYTHEWOOD – Blythewood High School Junior Abhimanyu Sailesh will present two papers at the prestigious peer-reviewed 2018 International Conference on Computational Science and Computational Intelligence (CSCI’18) to be held in Las Vegas, Dec. 13 – 15.

    The IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineering) Journal, which will publish Sailesh’s papers in the fall of 2019, describes itself as the most reputed world-wide academic publication in the fields of computer science, electrical and electronic engineering.

    Sailesh’s two papers, “Comparison of two image enhancement techniques: Histogram Equalization and Gamma Method” and “High Frequency Emphasis Filter Instead of Homomorphic Filter”, were written in collaboration with Dr. Naima Naheed and two other undergraduate senior students in the department of Computer Science, Physics, and Engineering at Benedict College.

    “My papers getting published is a great achievement because I spent the entire summer working on it,” Sailesh said. “I believe it opens a lot of opportunities for me because I have gotten it published in an adult scientific journal, and I can present it at various conferences.”

    Sailesh has won numerous academic competitions and honors at BHS. He and fellow student Samuel Cathart were recognized at the State Fair last year for winning the IT-ology Innovation Challenge as the state’s top student innovators.

    Sailesh and Cathart created a portable element synthesizer that runs on solar and or water power and can be used for tasks such as charging cell phones. The project was a class assignment, but students were encouraged to submit their results to the IT-ology Innovation Challenge.

    Sailesh also finished as runner-up in the 2017 South Carolina State History Bee as well as the Bowl Championships at North Greenville University in February. Sailesh accomplished these fetes as a one-member team competing against four-member teams.

  • BHS in top 20% of SC SAT test takers

    BLYTHEWOOD – While Blythewood High School seniors taking the SAT hovered just below the state average, the school ranked near the top in the number of test takers.

    Blythewood High placed in the top 20 statewide at 71.1 percent, ranking 16th out of 230 schools, with 335 of 471 seniors taking the test, according to S.C. Department of Education figures released last week.

    Other Richland 2 schools reported high percentages, ranging between 46 and 56 percent tested.

    “Students in the Class of 2018 and their parents decided whether or not to take the SAT,” Richland 2 spokeswoman Libby Roof said via email. “We don’t have any data that would indicate why a greater percentage of students in one school chose to take the SAT than in another school.”

    Blythewood seniors averaged 1,048, scoring a point shy of the state average. The school also shed 10 points from last year’s tally of 1,058, data shows

    Blythewood’s tally this year was the second highest in Richland 2. Spring Valley High School led the district at 1,098.

    Westwood High, meantime, struggled. The school averaged 970, creeping up four points from 966 last year.

    “As the district’s total score is below the state average, we recognize there is room for growth and are committed to helping our students better prepare for this assessment,” Roof said. “That being said, these assessments don’t provide teachers with the standard or strand-level results that are needed to make informed instructional decisions.”

    Slightly less than half – 168 of 342, or 49.1 percent – of seniors took the test, data shows.

    “We avoid using SAT scores as a measure to compare our schools to each other,” Roof said. “The SAT is designed to gauge a student’s readiness to perform college level work. It is used by colleges and universities to compare the academic readiness of students and to make admission decisions.”

    In tabulating SAT data, the Department of Education counted individual students only once, regardless of how many times they took the test. The most recent score was counted, figures show.

    Accurate data comparisons to 2016 and before were not possible because the College Board, which administers the test, changed the format in 2017.

    In 2017, the College Board, which administers the SAT, revised the test to score in two critical areas – evidence-based reading and writing, or ERW, and math, according to the Department of Education website.

    The ERW portion replaced the English/Language Arts and Writing sections, which gave the SAT three components, the website states.

    The test became a two-part test in 2017, broken down into Evidence-based Reading and Writing and Math.

    While Richland 2 saw high percentages of test takers, the number of Fairfield County seniors taking the SAT continued to sag.

    Only one in five Fairfield County seniors took the SAT in 2018, and those who did take the test averaged more than 80 points below the state average.

    Fairfield Central High School climbed from 922 to 983, with 41 of 198 seniors – or 20.7 percent – taking the test, about the same as last year, state data shows.

    Fairfield’s performance still fell 81 points behind the state average of 1,064. The national average was 1,049.

    Dr. J.R. Green, district superintendent, couldn’t be reached for comment Tuesday.

    In a prior interview with The Voice about the impact of per pupil revenues on student achievement, Green said that rural districts like Fairfield, where poverty tends to be high, tend to struggle academically.

    He also noted student achievement is measured in more ways than how students score on standardized tests.

    “The reality is there are students who can be successful, but not at a four-year institution,” Green told The Voice. “It doesn’t mean these kids aren’t sufficient. Poverty has an adverse effect on a kids’ ability to be successful academically.”

  • Brandon Wilds called up by Jaguars

    Brandon Wilds (22) showing a glimpse of what made him a star at Blythewood and the University of South Carolina.

    JACKSONVILLE, FL – Leonard Fournette was a stellar collegiate football talent at LSU and was the fourth overall pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2017 draft. However, Fournette went down with a strained hamstring in the opening week of the 2018 season, and this opened the door for Blythewood native Brandon Wilds to be activated from the Jaguars’ practice squad.

    Wilds, a former PrepStar All-American and North-South All-star, was a running back for the Bengals from 2007 until he graduated in 2011, and he had superb career at Blythewood. As a junior, he became the first player in school history to accumulate 1,000 rushing yards in a single season. He finished his junior year with 1,551 yards and 20 touchdowns.

    He followed his stellar junior season with another strong season the following year. Wilds tallied 881 yards and eight touchdowns in his senior year. After his Blythewood career was said and done, he had racked up 500 carries for 2,700 yards and 29 touchdowns.

    He was ranked a three-star prospect and the 29th best player in the state by Rivals.com coming out of high school. Scout.com slated Wilds as the 115th running back in the country and also named him as a three-star prospect.

    East Carolina, Illinois, Arkansas and Maryland were among the major universities that showed interest in recruiting the tough running back. Eventually, Wilds elected to take his talents to the University of South Carolina and play for Steve Spurrier.

    Wilds was listed as the fifth running back on the Gamecocks’ roster heading into his freshman season in 2011, but team injuries allowed him to make an immediate impact. He started five games as a true-freshman and ran for over 147 yards against the University of Tennessee, 120 against Florida and hung 109 on the Citadel. His 486 rushing yards in his freshman season were good enough for the third highest total on the team.

    A high-ankle sprain led to Wilds being red-shirted in 2012. He kicked off the 2013 season by earning the Joe Morrison Offensive Player of the Spring at the Garnet and Black game. Despite the positive spring performance in sophomore year, he had to fight through injuries most of the 2013 season and only started two games.

    Wilds had a much better season in 2014, finishing second on the team in total rushing with 570 yards on 106 carries with four starts in 12 appearances. He had a 24-yard, game-winning touchdown that season to knock off the number-six ranked Georgia Bulldogs, and, in a game against Auburn, he became the 42nd Gamecock to ever amass 1,000 total rushing. His 143-yard performance against Tennessee that year turned out to be a career-high, and he also had a career-long 70-yard touchdown in the same game.

    The 2015 season was a big one for Wilds. He led the team in rushing in his senior year with 567 yards in nine starts and was invited to play in the National Football League’s Player’s Association Collegiate Bowl. He finished his Gamecock career as the 20th leading rusher in school history with 1,844 yards and piled up seven 100-yard rushing games.

    Wilds was not selected in the 2016 NFL Draft, but quickly signed a free agent deal with the Atlanta Falcons. He had 26 yards on 10 carries and one touchdown in his NFL preseason debut against the Washington Redskins. The following week against the Cleveland Browns, he had 49 yards on eight carries and a 32-yard touchdown. Shortly after the Browns game, Wilds was waived by the Falcons.

    After his release from the Falcons, he signed to the New York Jets practice squad and got his first shot of regular season action in late 2016. His first regular season game was against the San Francisco 49ers in December, and he had four yards on two carries. He played again a couple of weeks later in a loss to the New England Patriots, but was waived the following offseason.

    Wilds had a short stint with the Cleveland Browns after his Jets’ tenure, but injuries prevented him from seeing any playing time. He signed to Jaguars practice squad on Oct. 9, 2017. He will wear no. 34 for Jacksonville.

  • Let The Games Begin – Fall Sports Preview is here

    If you are like us, you flipped the calendar to August and felt a slight shift in the air. The days are slowly getting shorter and soon, maybe…hopefully, the weather will get a little cooler.

    For us, the spectators, seasons are just getting started. But for athletes and coaches, preparation started months ago. While others’ summer days were filled with sleeping in and relaxing by the pool, these coaches and athletes spent their days designing schemes, running sprints, lifting weights, swimming laps. Getting stronger. Getting faster. Getting better. Because that’s what makes the difference come October and November. That’s what gives one team an edge.

    We don’t see the countless hours of blood, sweat and tears poured into these teams in the offseason. But we cheer for a return on those investments for athletes and coaches.

    Westwood athletics saw some returns last year. Volleyball and football made it to round three of the playoffs.  Cross Country runners made a showing at State. Many of the athletes from these teams return this year, looking to avenge their season-ending losses.

    Eagle football was bumped in the first round last year, but looks to push farther this year. To do so, they’ll have to get past newly realigned region foe Wardlaw. Cross Country enters its second season in school history with a new coach – Kristen Chaisson. Volleyball will have to overcome last season’s leadership struggles to find success on the court, especially against a tough Laurens team.

    The Griffin tennis program returns strong players and a settled coaching staff. The sky could be the limit for Syreeta Thompson’s squad. Football had a bumpy start last season, but had a strong run until Emerald dashed their playoff hopes in the third round. The region realignment places Keenan into the region, but they expect the toughest opponents continue to be Chester, Camden and Indian Land.

    Blythewood’s region shifted with the loss of White Knoll and addition of Lugoff-Elgin. Bengal volleyball, tennis and golf look to build on the foundations established last year. Will Epps returns for a second year as head of boys’ cross country and Aleshia Hawkins takes over the girls’ squad.  Perhaps the biggest change comes with the new face of the football program, Jason Seidel. Seidel, looking to change the culture of the program after its dismal 2017 season, is ‘all in.’

    Soon the stadiums, courts and gyms will be filled with our cheers (or silent golf claps). Exciting, isn’t it. A blank slate – a new season on the horizon. Where will we end up in October and November?  Only time will tell.

    Honor Roll

    We thank the many talented people who helped make the 2018 Fall Sports Preview happen. First, our sports writers.

    They report weekly from the trenches, day and night, near and far – Ross Burton, Worthy Evans, Martha Ladd and Blake Wooten.

    And our photographers who contribute vivid images of our athletes in action: Ross Burton, Leroy Howard, DeAnna Robinson, Joe Seibles, Martha Ladd and Kristy Kimball Massey, Carolina Sports Photography and especially our designers Ashley Ghere and Callie Ladd Sims.

    We also thank the following for their time and contributions: Paul Brigman, Ross Burton, Kristen Chaisson, Dustin Curtis, Demetrius Davis, Kelly Edrington, Will Epps, Robin Gaithers, Mary Hall, Aleshia Hawkins, Mary Hunter,  Ciji Kuhlmann, Brice Mann, Jason Minkel, Rachel Peake, Jason Powell, Terrell Roach, Jason Seidel, Syreeta Thompson

    Pick up a copy of the Fall Sports Preview (28 pages) today!

  • Finney invited to try out for US National Training Team

    Finney, No. 5
    Finney

    BLYTHEWOOD – The summer of 2018 is shaping up well for both former and current members of the Blythewood Bengal family. First, former Bengal Jordyn Adams was picked up in the first round of the MLB draft, and then volleyball standout Colleen Finney received an invitation to the U.S. Girls’ Youth National Training Team Roster.

    If Finney, a rising junior and Clemson commit, delivers a strong outing, she could earn one of 12 available spots on the U.S. Girls’ Youth National Team, where she could potentially compete in the 2018 Under 18 NORCECA Continental Championship.

    The Bengals went 28-9-3 last season, with a solid 10-2 record in region play, and Finney contributed 59 kills and 33 triple blocks. She heads to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado to train from July 20 to Aug. 3.