Good News Gram-1st Quarter Recap

Good News Gram First Quarter Recap What a great start to the school year! The first quarter of the 2025-2026 school year has been filled with excitement, accomplishments and school pride in Dorchester District Two. From smiles on the first day of school and Meet Your Teacher events to special moments in the classroom and successful school celebrations, our students and staff have been responsible for creating the atmosphere for what is sure to be an extraordinary school year. The highlights included here are but a small example of the commitment, creativity and cooperation that occurs daily in our schools and evidence that #DDTwoExcellence is alive and well! Celebrating Everyday Heroes October gave us two special reasons to celebrate—Physical Therapy Month and School Custodian Appreciation Day! We are so grateful for our dedicated physical therapists, who help students build strength, mobility, and confidence each day, and for our incredible custodians, who keep our schools clean, safe, and welcoming for all. Their hard work and care often happen behind the scenes, but their impact is felt in every classroom and hallway across DDTwo. Thank you for all you do to support our students and staff!  Celebrating Career & Technical Education Month! Dorchester District Two is proud to offer some of the best CTE opportunities in South Carolina, helping students explore their passions and prepare for future careers. From engineering and culinary arts to health science and digital media, our programs connect classroom learning to real-world experiences—and even include emerging fields like eSports! Students at Fort Dorchester High School are leading the way with their competitive eSports team, showing that innovation, teamwork, and technology are at the heart of 21st-century learning. Standing Together for Kindness On Thursday, October 9th, DD2 schools came together in a sea of orange to celebrate Unity Day! This districtwide event, held as part of National Bullying Prevention Month, encouraged students and staff to show their support for kindness, inclusion, and respect. By wearing orange, our DDTwo family sent a powerful message that, together, we stand united against bullying and for a positive school culture. 🧡   Educational Foundation Turning Good Behavior into Great Reading The DDTwo Educational Foundation has put new book vending machines in both Alston Bailey Elementary and Alston Middle which reward students to read and achieve! These colorful machines feature the opportunity for staff and teachers to reward positive behavior and academic effort with a special token that is good for one brand new book. This is a fun way to promote literacy, to appreciate positive choices and to keep students involved and interested in reading! Meatball Run & Italian Feast A huge thank-you to everyone who came out for the Meatball Run on October 11th! Your energy and support made the event a success and helped kick off what was set to be a fantastic Italian Feast weekend. While the Feast had to be canceled on October 12th due to weather, we have buona notizia-good news! The event has been rescheduled for Sunday, November 16th. Stay tuned for updated times and details for our amazing student performances. We can’t wait to celebrate with you soon! Chattanooga Ballet Masterclasses Due to funding support from the DDTwo Educational Foundation, students and teachers enjoyed a wonderful week of dance with the Chattanooga Ballet! All RMSA Dance Core students participated in a master class from members of the company and high school dancers from ARHS and SHS attended a special class created just for them. Six DDTwo dance teachers are also involved in a professional development opportunity with the company and RMSA students will benefit by seeing an in-school performance by the Chattanooga Ballet. Experiences like these happen because of your support of the Foundation- thank you for helping our students shine!   Making Waves! Congratulations to the Ashley Ridge High School Swim Team on an outstanding showing at the SCHSL 5A Division I State Championships! The ARHS boys team earned the title of State Runner-Up, showcasing incredible effort and teamwork. A special shoutout to Grace Marsaa, who captured state titles in both the 50 Free and 100 Breast, setting a new South Carolina record previously held since 2016! Karter Gladis also made waves with a strong finish in the 100 Breast. We’re so proud of these Swamp Fox swimmers for representing DDTwo with excellence in and out of the pool! Middle School Volleyball Championships Congratulations to the East Edisto Lady Wolves on taking home the win at the DDTwo Middle School Girls Volleyball Championship! These talented athletes showed incredible teamwork, determination, and sportsmanship throughout the season and brought home a well-deserved victory. Way to go, Lady Wolves—you make DDTwo proud! 💙🐺   Wolfpack Singers We are thrilled to announce that Heulen Treble Choir from East Edisto Middle School recently performed at the SC Choral Directors Association (SCACDA) Fall Conference — and they were the ONLY middle school choir selected from a very competitive pool of middle school choirs throughout Florida, Georgia and South Carolina! The other choirs invited were high school, university or professional choirs — what an incredible achievement for our middle school musicians and director, Mr. Burgess. Congratulations! This marks the first time any choir from DDTwo has ever been invited to perform at this event — a true milestone for the district and the community. Standing Ovation for our Marching Bands Congratulations to the marching bands from Ashley Ridge High, Fort Dorchester High, and Summerville High for their outstanding performances at recent regional competitions! Their hard work, dedication, and incredible talent continue to make DDTwo proud. Best of luck to all three bands as they head into their upcoming competitions—your DDTwo family will be cheering you on every step of the way!  Voices in Harmony- District Honor Choir Students from across DDTwo came together for a powerful weekend of music during the District Honor Choir with Dr. Aaron Harp from Wofford College. Under his direction, students worked diligently to bring an inspiring program to life. A special thank-you goes to Michael Lopez for the beautiful accompaniments and to Angela Pinkham Varnon and TJ Williams for their leadership in making this musical experience such a success. What an incredible showcase of DDTwo talent and collaboration!  

Thursday, Oct 23 2025

Act now- spots are filling up fast! Support your DD2...

​ ​ THE BIG EVENT Limited tickets remaining ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Event Details ​ Step into the glitz and glamour of Old Hollywood meets Casino Night — where elegance and excitement collide! Dress to impress and prepare for: 🎰 High-stakes casino games 🎲 Fabulous prizes 🎭 Stunning entertainment straight out of a Hollywood dream 🗓 Date: Saturday, March 8th 📍 Location: Exchange Park Fairgrounds 9850 US 78, Ladson, SC 🕘 Time: 6-10 pm Put on your finest attire, channel your inner starlet or high roller, and get ready to roll the dice on a night you’ll never forget. ​ ​ ​ ​ Get your tickets here ​ ​

Wednesday, Feb 26 2025

Good News Gram

​ ​ Good News Gram January Recap ​ ​ ​ ​ Starting the Year with Gratitude and Growth ​ As we kick off a new year, we're excited to share the incredible achievements and moments from across our district this January. From celebrations of student success to inspiring events that strengthen our school community, there's plenty of good news to share. This month, we proudly recognize and celebrate School Board Appreciation Month. Our dedicated school board members play a crucial role in guiding and supporting our district's mission to provide exceptional educational experiences for every student. We are grateful for their unwavering commitment and leadership. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ DD2 Educational Foundation ​ ​ ​ ​ Bored Teachers Tour ​ This January, the DD2 Educational Foundation spread some much-needed joy by gifting tickets to the Bored Teachers Comedy Tour to eight deserving educators from Alston Bailey, Eugene Sires, William Reeves, and Fort Dorchester Elementary Schools. The evening was filled with laughter and fun, offering our hardworking teachers a chance to relax and recharge. We are proud to support the incredible educators who make a difference every day in the lives of our students. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Get your tickets here ​ ​ ​ ​ Law Enforcement Appreciation Day ​ On Law Enforcement Appreciation Day, we proudly recognized the dedication and service of our School Resource Officers (SROs). These officers play a vital role in ensuring the safety and well-being of our students and staff every day. Their positive presence and commitment to building strong relationships within our schools make a lasting impact. We are grateful for their unwavering support and partnership in creating a safe learning environment for all. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ State of the District Update ​ This month, Superintendent Dr. Robbins hosted the annual State of the District event, providing valuable updates to community stakeholders, business partners, and school leaders. The presentation highlighted key achievements, ongoing initiatives, and future goals for the district. Dr. Robbins emphasized the power of collaboration in driving educational success and strengthening our community. We are grateful for the continued support of our partners as we work together to provide the best opportunities for our students. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Event Recording ​ ​ ​ ​ Spelling Bee ​ The buzz was in the air as our talented spellers took the stage for this year's District Spelling Bee! With impressive vocabulary skills and nerves of steel, students from across the district wowed the audience round after round. Congratulations to all participants for their hard work and determination—you're the bee's knees!  ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Groundbreaking at Sand Hill Elementary ​ Exciting changes are on the horizon at Sand Hill Elementary School! This month, we celebrated a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the start of renovations and expansions funded by our capital projects. These improvements are a reflection of the district’s continued growth and commitment to providing state-of-the-art learning environments for our students. We look forward to seeing the progress and the positive impact it will have on the Sand Hill community! ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Capital Project List ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Wrestling Champs ​ Howl about a victory! 🐺 The East Edisto Wolves wrestling team pinned down an incredible win, taking home the middle school championship title. Their hard work, determination, and teamwork paid off in a big way. Congratulations to these talented athletes and their coaches for an unforgettable season! ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Capturing Kids Hearts ​ At DD2, we are proud to continue to implement Capturing Kids' Hearts®, a program designed to foster a positive and relationship-driven school culture. This initiative equips educators with tools and strategies to support students' social-emotional well-being, build meaningful connections, and create a thriving learning environment. Recently, leadership from Capturing Kids' Hearts toured several of our schools and were impressed by the incredible strides our students and staff have made in creating a culture of care and respect. We are committed to continuing this work to ensure that every child feels valued, connected, and empowered to succeed. ​ ​ ​

Sunday, Feb 02 2025