Dorchester 2 School Named Finalist in Riley Award

A Dorchester County School District Two elementary school has been named a finalist for in the Dick and Tunky Riley Award, which recognize accomplishments in parent and civic engagement.

Eagle Nest Elementary, located in North Charleston, was recognized this week. The winner will be announced March 23.

The SC School Improvement Council’s annual Dick and Tunky Riley Award for School Improvement Council Excellence was created in 2002 to recognize the significant contributions made to public education by the nearly 15,000 local SIC members who volunteer in the state’s 1,100-plus K-12 public schools.

In alphabetical order, this year’s Riley Award finalists are:

• Beck Academy Middle SIC, Greenville (Greenville County Schools)
• Brushy Creek Elementary SIC, Taylors (Greenville County Schools)
• Eagle Nest Elementary SIC, North Charleston (Dorchester School District 2)
• North Augusta High SIC, North Augusta (Aiken County Public School District)
• Richland Northeast High SIC, Columbia (Richland School District 2)

“These School Improvement Councils are to be congratulated for the outstanding work they have performed on behalf of their schools and students,” said SC-SIC Board of Trustees Chair Ellen M. Still. “The vital efforts of these parents, educators, students, and community members demonstrate the real impact SICs can have in collaboratively sharing ideas, developing strategies, and identifying resources to strengthen their schools and the futures of our state’s children.”

In the past year, SIC members across South Carolina have turned in over 230,000 volunteer hours in their local schools at an estimated value of nearly $4 million – a substantial return on the state’s current SC-SIC budget allocation of just over $200 per school annually.The winner of the 2013 Riley Award will be selected from this year’s finalists and announced at the SC-SIC Annual Meeting, Saturday, March 23, 2013, in Columbia.

The SC-SIC Riley Award is named in honor of former South Carolina Governor and U.S. Education Secretary Richard Riley and his late wife, Tunky, and recognizes the couple’s longstanding commitment to quality public education.Located in the University of South Carolina’s College of Education, the SC School Improvement Council was established in state law 35 years ago to provide the member training, technical assistance, statutory accountability, and other operational resources necessary for the continued success of the community-based SICs in each of the state’s K-12 public schools.