Viking Update

ADMIN Appreciation Week

Last week was Admin Appreciation Week. We want to thank our diligent admin team at the Valley for their unwavering commitment and collaborative efforts, which are truly admirable. Let’s continue to support and uplift them in all their endeavors.

Congratulations Shavani Patel!

Congratulations to Shivani Patel on winning the South Carolina Outstanding Youth Volunteer award from the Daughters of the American Revolution. The Daughters of the American Revolution is a “membership service organization for women directly descended from a person involved in supporting the American Revolution. A non-profit group, the organization promotes education and patriotism.” It currently has over 190,000 members nationwide.

Every Veterans Affairs Hospital in the state nominates one of its youth volunteers for the state competition. Shivani was nominated by the Columbia VA Hospital, where she volunteered for 3 years. Congratulations Shivani!

Congrats to SV Scholastic Visual Arts Winners

Scholastic Art Awards announced the Southeastern Region at Large award winners. Scholastic Art received one thousand works of art from across the southern states. SVHS had eight student winners and 12 awards in total. Juniors Vi Phan and Kyrie Dae received Gold Keys, and their work will continue to compete in the National Awad.

Vianne Phan

Gold Key — Drawing & Illustration, “Wring”

Honorable Mention — Drawing & Illustration, “Loopy Portrait”

Reese Morgan

Honorable Mention — Comic Art, “Duchess”

Honorable Mention — Comic Art, “The Knave & The Joker”

Satvik Nelakuditi

Silver Key — Comic Art, “Joseph’s World”

Iraine Taine

Honorable Mention — Digital Art, “Frustration”

Honorable Mention — Digital Art, “Morning Light”

Daniya Ashford

Silver Key — Printmaking, “Daniya/Ascending”

Silver Key — Drawing & Illustration, “Three-Daniymensional”

Ashley Euri Kelley

Silver Key — Printmaking, “빨간 여자”

James Patrick

Gold Key — Drawing & Illustration, “RAWR:3D”

Kyrie Dae

Gold Key — Digital Art, “The Art of Letting Go”

2024 USC Region II Science and Engineering Fair Results

Seventy-three Discovery students competed in the University of South Carolina Region II Science and Engineering Fair on March 8 th, 2024. Each of these students did an outstanding job presenting his/her research to the judges from the University of South Carolina and many other professional organizations. Approximately 200 students from area high schools were interviewed by judges to determine the best of the submitted projects. Our Spring Valley students earned 62 awards! Please see the complete list of awards that our students earned.  Congratulations to all of our students, their families, and their research teachers, Ms. Heather Alexander, Ms. Lindsey McKenzie, Dr. Michelle Spigner, and Dr. Michelle Wyatt, on their outstanding work!

Congratulations Mbia Mvondo!

Congratulations to Spring Valley senior Mbia Mvondo on winning 3rd place for her short story “Dinner At The Millers” in the 2024 Elmbridge Literary Competition FAME. Mvondo’s winning entry will be published on the R C Sherriff website in May.

Congratulations SVHS Orchestra!

Congratulations to the members of the SVHS String Orchestra! They gave an EXCELLENT performance at the 2024 SCMEA Concert Performance Assessment (CPA) at Irmo HS! Another Congratulations to the SVHS Festival Orchestra! They, too, performed at the 2024 SCMEA CPA event and earned a SUPERIOR rating for their overall performance!

Thank you for being so supportive of the SVHS Orchestras!

SVEF Scholarships

Explore the wide range of scholarships SVEF offers for students graduating this academic year. Don’t miss out on this valuable chance to secure financial aid for your education. Take action now and submit your application to seize this opportunity! Visit https://shorturl.at/ehsOW for a description of all the scholarships. #scholarships #financialassistance #education #opportunity #applynow #studentsuccess

Month of the Military Child Spirit Week

Prom Updates

Prom just days away! Here are a few updates!
1) Dates from Other Schools: Unless you filled out the Out of Valley Date form, you may not bring a student who attends another school. That form was open from February until April 8th. I am still waiting to hear back from several schools.

2) Fee Payment Deadline. You must have your fees paid by April 18th in order to attend prom and purchase a ticket at the door. You will not be allowed to pay your fees at the door this year!
​
3) Tickets at the door to prom will be $150. Tickets at the door can only be purchased by Juniors and Seniors who attend Spring Valley — NO DATES other than Junior and Seniors who attend Spring Valley who have all their fees paid by April 18th!

All prom attendees must have photo ID to attend prom! Your school ID, or Driver’s License is acceptable! We will be checking names against a list of people who have purchased tickets and their approved dates.

NHS Newsletter

Key Club’s March Madness

During the month of March, Key Club hosted their own March Madness competition. Members had to volunteer for points and the team with the highest total points won a prize. Throughout March, Key Clubbers volunteered a total of 433 hours through 14 events.

LRADAC Town Hall Meeting

Virtual SC Spring Exams Save The Date

Spring Valley High School Graduation Update

GRADUATION UPDATE AND INFORMATION

Senior Slideshow

Submissions are being accepted for the 2024 senior slideshow. Please complete this form to submit your photos. Most people submit a baby picture, a middle years picture, and a senior picture (not necessarily a formal one – just from senior year). The cost to submit photos is $5 for 3 pictures or $3 for 1 picture. NO selfies will be accepted. If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Bouchey at kbouchey@richland2.org. The deadline for submissions is Monday, April 22, 2024.

HIGH SCHOOL SUMMER SCHOOL

Math Summer Packets

Click here to access the links to the math summer packets.

SVHS Free Pageant Coaching Seminars

“Miss Spring Valley is beyond excited to offer pageant seminars for anyone at SVHS that is interested in pageants or competing next season! Each seminar will focus on new skills and sections of the pageant to help provide free training to all those interested. We hope to see you soon!”

VIKING SPORTS SCHEDULES

Women’s Soccer

Men’s Soccer Schedule

Baseball Schedule

Girls Track & Field

Summer Programs

No School

Spring Valley JROTC Earns Exceeds Standards

Spring Valley JROTC completed its tri-annual evaluation on 14 May. JROTC is unique in that it enjoys two chains of leadership: civil (Richland Two) and military (HQ AFJROTC). The HQ AFJROTC evaluator rated the program in 24 categories, including school administration support, cadet operation, and leadership development requirement participation. Across these categories, Spring Valley earned an ExceedsStandard rating in 19 of 24 categories! The cadets “wowed” the evaluator with their outstanding mission briefing and 30-step Command Sequence to the point that he purposed to share the good things about Spring Valley with the rest of the units yet to be evaluated. Congratulations, SV JROTC–we are proud of you!

Discovery Students Excel at the 2024 South Carolina Junior Academy of Science (SCJAS) Competition

Seventy-two Discovery magnet students submitted research papers and presented at the 2024 South Carolina Junior Academy of Science (SCJAS) competition at the College of Charleston on March 23. Our students earned 61 awards for their hard work (see the complete list here). Congratulations to all of our Discovery students for their dedication and resulting accomplishments. Also, a big congratulations and thank you to these students’ research teachers, Ms. Heather Alexander, Ms. Lindsey McKenzie, Dr. Michelle Spigner, and Dr. Michelle Wyatt, who spent hours reading research papers, helping with experiments, and encouraging students to persevere! 

Congratulations to Harmonie Frederick

Congratulations to Spring Valley Senior Harmonie Frederick, who has earned the Congressional Award’s highest Award: the Gold Medal. For more than a decade, 18-year-old Harmonie Frederick has worked tirelessly to improve her community and make life just a little better for those less fortunate. Her work has caught the eyes of many while touching lives in South Carolina and across the country. The Congressional Award National Board of Directors recently informed her that she has earned their Gold Medal.

In a letter, Paxton K. Baker, Chairman of the Board wrote, “We commend your willingness to give of yourself to voluntarily help others in the community and your achievements in personal development, physical fitness, and expedition/exploration.”

Her accomplishments in earning the Congressional Award will be recognized this summer in the annual celebration of Gold Medalists. Frederick previously earned lower levels of the award, including the Bronze and Silver medals.

At an early age, Frederick was inspired to help others when she saw the outpouring of love and support her family received when her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and her father with leukemia. She and her older brother Anthony spent many hours working lemonade stands in various locations to raise money for cancer awareness. She has also volunteered in retirement and healthcare homes for senior citizens, collected coats for children, and held summer cleanouts where she collected items for foster children. Frederick has several college scholarship offers from the University of South Carolina, North Carolina State University, Hampton University, and the University of North Carolina, Charlotte. The Gold Medal is Congress’ highest honor for youth, and Frederick will receive it at the Summer Congressional Olympics.

Frederick was recently featured on WIS-TV in recognition of her work in the community. 

https://www.wistv.com/video/2024/02/03/midlands-teen-inspires-change-her-community-over-span-decade-part-1/
https://www.wistv.com/video/2024/02/03/midlands-teen-inspires-change-her-community-over-span-decade-part-2/

Congratulations Ava Phelps!

Congratulations to Spring Valley Senior Ava Phelps for being named a Magnet Schools of America 2024 National Scholarship finalist. Student scholarship winners will be selected from member magnet schools and programs that are registered for the annual conference, April 16-20. Each $1,000 postsecondary scholarship award may be used for expenses, including textbooks, technology, and other related educational materials at a two/four-year college or career and technical training institution. To be considered for the scholarship, students complete an application, upload two essays, provide two recommendations, and obtain parent and principal verification.

Magnet Schools of America (MSA) is a non-profit organization that represents and supports magnet schools, their parents, families, and district leaders at a national level. MSA annually hosts a national conference featuring keynote speakers, sessions on best practices, networking opportunities, and awards for students, teachers, administrators, and districts. MSA is hosting a National Student Scholarship program for magnet high school students enrolled in a member school or program this year. This scholarship is an excellent opportunity for students to earn a scholarship funded solely by donations from MSA members, Past Presidents, the Board of Directors, and the national office staff. Each registered school or district representative may submit one applicant.

Congratulations Chandler!

Congratulations to Spring Valley Senior Chandler Lawton, who was honored at the Richland Two board meeting with her student award as part of the inaugural Anne Frank Awards. These national awards honor those who have demonstrated outstanding commitment to advancing Holocaust education.

Boeing Visits Spring Valley High School

On Monday, March 25, representatives from Boeing visited Spring Valley High School.  Students from Spring Valley’s Career and Technical Education (CTE), math, and science programs engaged in a rich dialogue about the vast array of career opportunities available at Boeing.  Students in attendance were representatives of Engineering, Computer Science, Business, Building Construction, Automotive Technology, and Physics programs.  What students found most enlightening was that Boeing hires individuals in all of the disciplines they represent and so many more.  When most people think of Boeing, Aerospace Engineering, Physics, and Computer Science may come to mind.  However, CTE students in the Automotive Technology program learned about career options for individuals earning the ASE certification, also known as the Automotive Service Excellence certification.  Similarly, Building Construction students pursuing the NCCER (National Center for Construction Education and Research) certification learned about Boeing’s hiring needs in areas of construction.  “We are very excited to partner with Boeing and see this as a golden opportunity in the development of Future Ready students” stated Schiria Wilson with Spring Valley’s Office of Work-based Learning.

SVHS Career Fair

Viking Teacher & Classified Employee of the Month of March

The Spring Valley “Teacher of the Month” program is designed to recognize teachers who are making a profound and positive difference in the lives of our students. Each month during the school year, Spring Valley students, teachers, parents, and staff are given a chance to vote for a teacher and explain how that teacher has impacted them. Congratulations to Ms. LeAnn Haga and Ms. Christina Smith, the “Teacher of the Month” for March.

Spring Valley’s “Classified Employee of the Month” program is designed to recognize a classified employee who has gone beyond the call of duty. The teachers and staff voted, and the winners for March were Mr. Ricardo Thomas and Ms. Devon Tucker.

Cupcakes for Success

The Freshman Academy of Spring Valley presented its “Cupcakes for Success” program. All freshmen had an opportunity to get a free cupcake if they made 77% or above in all their courses on their first quarter report card. Congratulations on a job well done! Thank you to the Spring Valley Education Foundation for sponsoring the Cupcakes for Success.

Honor Roll Students Recognized for Academic Excellence

Mitch Uehling, owner of CiCi’s Pizza, partnered with Spring Valley High School to recognize all of the Super Star students who made the “A” and “A/B” honor roll. Students received a coupon for a free buffet as long as another was purchased with it. Congratulations to all these hard-working students! Thank you, CiCi’s for all you do for Spring Valley. Go Vikings!

Spring Valley High School Graduation Update

GRADUATION UPDATE AND INFORMATION

Buy your SV Fine Arts Shirts!

Senior Slideshow

Submissions are being accepted for the 2024 senior slideshow. Please complete this form to submit your photos. Most people submit a baby picture, a middle years picture, and a senior picture (not necessarily a formal one – just from senior year). The cost to submit photos is $5 for 3 pictures or $3 for 1 picture. NO selfies will be accepted. If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Bouchey at kbouchey@richland2.org. The deadline for submissions is Monday, April 22, 2024.

HIGH SCHOOL SUMMER SCHOOL

Math Summer Packets

Click here to access the links to the math summer packets.

Prom Updates

There are only 5 more chances to purchase your Prom Tickets for $50! Monday March 18th, Wednesday, March 20th, Friday March 22nd, Monday March 25th and Wednesday, March 26th. DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE LAST DAY! All fees must be paid in order to purchase a prom ticket or as a senior reserve your free prom ticket. You can purchase with Cash or Card.
Prom Tickets will be on sale for 1 week after spring break- April 8th-12th. Tickets will be $100 each.

PROM INFORMATION SHEET! If you have a question about Prom, it can more than likely be answered on the Prom Information Sheet.

Important Forms:
Senior Reservation Form: bit.ly/SrProm24
Non-Spring Valley Date Form: bit.ly/svhdate24
Prom Queen/ King Interest Form: bit.ly/svhPC24

Important Dates:
March 28th- Seniors must have fees paid for free ticket
April 5th- Last Day Seniors can reserve their free ticket( but fees must be paid by March 28th)
April 8th- Last Day a Student can register to take a date outside of Spring Valley
April 12th- Last Day to buy a Prom Ticket at school.
April 18th- Last day to pay fees to attend Prom (must buy ticket at the door)
April 20th- PROM! Tickets can be purchased at the door for $150. Only Juniors and Seniors that attend Spring Valley and that have paid their fees by April 18th will be allowed to purchase tickets at the door. NO dates from outside of Spring Valley and NO SV UNDERCLASSMEN can have date tickets purchased at the door.

FIERCE Hygiene Drive

SVHS Free Pageant Coaching Seminars

“Miss Spring Valley is beyond excited to offer pageant seminars for anyone at SVHS that is interested in pageants or competing next season! Each seminar will focus on new skills and sections of the pageant to help provide free training to all those interested. We hope to see you soon!”

VIKING SPORTS SCHEDULES

Women’s Soccer

Men’s Soccer Schedule

Baseball Schedule

Girls Track & Field

Summer Programs

Spring Valley Seniors Named Candidates for U.S. Presidential Scholars Program

Sanvi Divekar, Jackson Dowey, Shrihan Ganesh Babu, Abagail Greer, Jisso Lee, Iraine Taine and Ryan Young have been selected as a candidates for the 2024 U.S. Presidential Scholars Program, one of the nation’s highest honors for high school students.

Candidates will learn in mid-April if they are among the 800 students who will be named semifinalists. In early May, the U.S. Presidential Scholars will be announced, and winners will be honored in Washington, D.C. Application to the program is by invitation only. Students are selected based on broad academic achievement; academic and artistic scholarship in the visual arts, the performing arts or creative writing; or outstanding scholarship and accomplishment in career and technical education fields.

These students are among more than 100 candidates in South Carolina and thousands nationally competing in the program. The U.S. Presidential Scholars Program was established in 1964, by executive order of the President, to recognize and honor some of our nation’s most distinguished graduating high school seniors. Last year, Cathy C. Tang of Spring Valley High School was named a 2023 U.S. Presidential Scholar.

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR 8 NATIONAL MERIT FINALISTS

Spring Valley High School seniors Sanvi Divekar, Jackson Dowey, Shrihan Ganesh Babu, Abagail Greer, Emma Hook, Jisoo Lee, Ava Phelps, and Iraine Taine are among the approximately 15,000 finalists announced by NMSC.  These academically talented high school students move on to compete for some 7,500 National Merit Scholarships worth about $32 million that will be offered next spring. We are delighted to have the opportunity to congratulate these outstanding students and celebrate their advancement as Finalists.

Types of Merit Scholarship® Awards

Beginning in March and continuing to mid-June, NMSC notifies approximately 7,500 Finalists at their home addresses that they have been selected to receive a Merit Scholarship® award. Merit Scholarship awards are of three types:

• National Merit® $2500 Scholarships
  Every Finalist competes for these single payment scholarships, which are awarded on a state representational basis. Winners are selected without consideration of family financial circumstances, college choice, or major and career plans.
• Corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards
  Corporate sponsors designate their awards for children of their employees or members, for residents of a community where a company has operations, or for Finalists with career plans the sponsor wishes to encourage. These scholarships may either be renewable for four years of undergraduate study or one-time awards.
• College-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards
  Officials of each sponsor college select winners of their awards from Finalists who have been accepted for admission and have informed NMSC by the published deadlines that the sponsor college or university is their first choice. These awards are renewable for up to four years of undergraduate study. The published deadlines for reporting a sponsor college as first choice can be viewed on page 3 of the Requirements and Instructions for Semifinalists in the 2018 National Merit®Scholarship Program. (Adobe Acrobat Reader is required.)

Merit Scholarship awards are supported by some 420 independent sponsors and by NMSC’s own funds. Sponsor organizations include corporations and businesses, company foundations, professional associations, and colleges and universities.NMSC, a non-profit organization that operates without government assistance, was established in 1955 specifically to conduct the annual National Merit Scholarship Program. Scholarships are underwritten by NMSC with its own funds and by approximately 420 business organizations and higher education institutions that share NMSC’s goals of honoring the nation’s scholastic champions and encouraging the pursuit of academic excellence.

Viking Teacher & Classified Employee of the Month of February

Spring Valley “Teacher of the Month” program is designed to recognize teachers who are making a profound and positive difference in the lives of our students. Each month during the school year Spring Valley students, teachers, parents, and staff are given a chance to vote for a teacher and explain how that teacher has made an impact on them. Congratulations to the “Teacher of the Month” for February Ms. Quishana Barnes and Ms. Kim Bouchey.

Spring Valley “Classified Employee of the Month” program is designed to recognize a classified employee who has gone beyond the call of duty. The teachers and staff voted and the winner for February Mrs. Angela Thibou and Mrs. Valerie Wright.

Congratulations to our SVHS Swim State Champions

Patrick Quirk, STATE CHAMPION in the 100 Backstroke, 5A SCHSL Swim State Meet

-Boys 200 Freestyle Relay Team State Champions, 5A SCHSL Swim State Meet 

– Andrew May

– Patrick Quirk 

– JoJo Frye 

– Sammy Urs

Hearts Day at the Valley

Hearts Day at Spring Valley is a long standing tradition. Every staff member and student has a labeled heart placed on the wall the evening before Valentine’s Day. When everyone arrives at school on Valentine’s Day, they walk into a school covered with hearts. The idea is for students to walk around during the week to write nice messages on their friends’ hearts. At the end of the week, students are encouraged to take their hearts home. The hearts are cut and labeled by STUCO.

The Shahani Family Scholarship NOW OPEN

The application window for The Shahani Family Scholarship is now open. Applications are due on Feb. 26th.

Spring Valley High School seniors may apply at:

https://docs.google.com/…/1UN6WIOJhKzuPWvNuE…/edit

Shahani Family Scholarship- $5000, multiple recipients

This scholarship is given to honor and celebrate the formative impact that Spring Valley High School had on the academic success of Dr. Ashwin Shahani. Dr. Shahani is a

2008 graduate of the Spring Valley High School Discovery program and is currently an Assistant Professor at the University of Michigan. 

Recipients must have a GPA of 3.5 and should demonstrate that they could benefit financially from the scholarship. Applicants should submit their resume and an essay of 2000 words or less.

In the essay, the applicant should describe their career ambitions and their outreach and leadership activities. 

PROM TICKET SALES

Flash Sale Weeks for Prom Tickets will be February 12th- 23rd. The tickets will be $30 each for these two weeks only, and then the price goes up to $50 . Tickets will be on sale Monday, Wednesday, and Friday in the Atrium at Lunch. All fees must be paid in order to get a prom ticket! More Details about prom can be found on the Prom Info Sheet: https://bit.ly/SVHSProm24.

JROTC Community Service

Spring Valley JROTC joined Westwood, RidgeView, Blythewood JROTC units for our 2nd annual Joint District Community Service Project, Saturday morning at the Spring Valley Commons. The cadets joined Spring Valley Baptist Church as they partnered with local non-profit Harvest Pack. Cadets were joined by Richland School District Two Board President Lindsay Agostini and Superintendent Dr Kim Moore for a day of packing meals to be distributed in the Northeast. Cadets and church volunteers manned 24 assembly lines and prepared 70,000 meals on Saturday. It was a fun day of merging generations, cultures, and different military backgrounds in order to do something worthwhile for the community. Spring Valley JROTC cadets helped with the setup of the event Friday afternoon, and were vital to the flow of the operation throughout the morning.

NHS Faculty Talent Show

Tickets can be purchased through any National Honor Society Member or through Mrs. Thomas in room C138. All proceeds will go to Arts Access SC, a nonprofit organization that provides children, youth and adults with disabilities quality arts experiences.

VIKING CHALLENGE BOARD

Palmetto Girls State

APPLICATIONS ARE NOW OPEN!
ALA PGS is a weeklong summer program designed to immerse you in a real, functioning
government, in the mythical State of Palmetto. You’ll meet lots of new friends from across the state, and you may even be eligible for some college scholarships! Be sure to stop by Student Activities (C127), the School Counseling office or the Main Office for your application.  Applications are due Thursday, February 22nd.

Click on the link below for additional information and the 2024 application.

Palmetto Girls State Information and Application

VIKING TEACHER/STAFF OF THE MONTH

Who is your favorite Teacher & Support Staff Employee of The Month? Please take a moment to fill out the March nomination form that was emailed to students and parents. We are voting for your favorite Social Studies and Science Teacher and Support Staff (Attendance, Health Room and SPED TAs). Voting will end on February 23rd at 4:00 pm. The winner for each month will be selected and announced at the designated time. Please note that your nomination letter will be shared with the teacher and classified employee selected.

SAVE THE DATE: SVEF ANNUAL AUCTION

SVHS Free Pageant Coaching Seminars

“Miss Spring Valley is beyond excited to offer pageant seminars for anyone at SVHS that is interested in pageants or competing next season! Each seminar will focus on new skills and sections of the pageant to help provide free training to all those interested. We hope to see you soon!”

R2i2 Hackathon 2024

R2i2’s fourth annual Hackathon is on the horizon! Sign up and come down to R2i2 for a chance to tackle challenging problems in your school and community with elegant, immediate, and compelling solutions! See the flyer attached below for more information and come get a permission form from Mrs. Zweimiller (D204) – permission forms due by February 15th!

Green & Gold Literary Magazine

The Green & Gold Literary Magazine is back and accepting art, poetry, and stories for its Spring edition! Submissions are now open and close on March 15. Here’s the link:  https://bit.ly/TGGLitMag. 

The Caroliance Youth Poetry Festival is a two-day convergence of middle
and high school students from North and South Carolina, focused on
celebrating the power of their voices through poetry and creativity.
Students representing those with casual interests in poetry to seasoned
spoken word performers are all invited. Click here for the Information Packet and to Register.

VIKING SPORTS SCHEDULES

Women’s Soccer

Men’s Soccer Schedule

Baseball Schedule

Girls Track & Field

Spring Valley High School Named One of the Top 2024 Magnet Schools of Excellence

Spring Valley High School, home of the Discovery and Explorations magnet programs, has been named one of the top 2024 Magnet Schools of Excellence by Magnet Schools of America, the national association for magnet and theme-based schools. The excellence demonstrated by Discovery and Explorations has earned the magnet programs a merit award every year since 2017.

The Discovery and Explorations magnet programs seek to provide our students with an innovative, academically challenging experience centered on rigorous mathematics and science education through unique, student-centered research and internship opportunities. Our educators strive to establish meaningful relationships with each student and family, set consistently high expectations for all learners, empower each student with the tools to reach his/her full potential, and continuously inspire exploration, discovery, and creativity in our students. Our vision is to develop a well-rounded scholar who has the ability to use scientific inquiry, mathematical tools, and twenty-first-century technology skills to succeed and solve problems in our rapidly changing world. Discovery and Explorations challenge students to embrace diversity and become culturally responsible, caring citizens in the global community.

Ms. Kim Bouchey, Mr.  Jeff Temoney, and Dr. Michelle Wyatt will be recognized and receive a National Magnet School of Excellence Merit Award on behalf of the school during an awards ceremony held at Magnet Schools of America’s 41^st National Conference in New York City, New York, April 16-20, 2024.

Magnet School of Excellence Awards are only given to a select group of magnet schools. Schools of Excellence are eligible to receive monetary awards and are eligible to be named the nation’s top Elementary, Secondary, or New & Emerging Magnet School. One of the Schools of Excellence will also be selected to win $5,000 and the Dr. Ronald P. Simpson Distinguished Merit Award, which is considered the most prestigious magnet school award in the nation.

To receive a national merit award, members of Magnet Schools of America must submit a detailed application that is scored by a panel of educators. These schools are judged and scored on their demonstrated ability to raise student academic achievement, promote racial and socioeconomic diversity, provide integrated curricula and instruction, and create strong family and community partnerships that enhance the school’s magnet theme. To learn more about the national merit awards program, please visit www.magnet.edu. 

SPRING OPEN HOUSE TONIGHT

Join us tonight for Open House in the Spring Valley Commons. Meet your student’s teachers, counselors, and administrators.

Happy School Counseling Appreciation Week

Happy School Counseling Week to our school counselors and the entire staff in the School Counseling Office for all you do for our students and our school. We appreciate Ms. Bishton, Ms. Pope, Ms. Willingham, Mrs. Draft, Mrs. Johnson, Ms. Wright, Ms. Bright, Mrs. Coleman, Ms. Darby, Ms. O’Dell, Mrs. Spain, Mr. DuRant, Ms. Riester, Mr. Ray, Mrs. Seymore and Mr. Joyner. 

Palmetto Girls State

APPLICATIONS ARE NOW OPEN!
ALA PGS is a weeklong summer program designed to immerse you in a real, functioning
government, in the mythical State of Palmetto. You’ll meet lots of new friends from across the state, and you may even be eligible for some college scholarships! Be sure to stop by Student Activities (C127), the School Counseling office or the Main Office for your application.  Applications are due Thursday, February 22nd.

Click on the link below for additional information and the 2024 application.

Palmetto Girls State Information and Application

VIKING TEACHER/STAFF OF THE MONTH

Who is your favorite Teacher & Support Staff Employee of The Month? Please take a moment to fill out the February nomination form that was emailed to students and parents. This February we are voting for your favorite Social Studies and Science Teacher and Support Staff (Attendance, Health Room and SPED TAs). Voting will end on February 23rd at 4:00 pm. The winner for each month will be selected and announced at the designated time. Please note that your nomination letter will be shared with the teacher and classified employee selected.

Selling Carnations – Key Club

SAVE THE DATE: SVEF ANNUAL AUCTION

SVHS Free Pageant Coaching Seminars

“Miss Spring Valley is beyond excited to offer pageant seminars for anyone at SVHS that is interested in pageants or competing next season! Each seminar will focus on new skills and sections of the pageant to help provide free training to all those interested. We hope to see you soon!”

R2i2 Hackathon 2024

R2i2’s fourth annual Hackathon is on the horizon! Sign up and come down to R2i2 for a chance to tackle challenging problems in your school and community with elegant, immediate, and compelling solutions! See the flyer attached below for more information and come get a permission form from Mrs. Zweimiller (D204) – permission forms due by February 15th!

Green & Gold Literary Magazine

The Green & Gold Literary Magazine is back and accepting art, poetry, and stories for its Spring edition! Submissions are now open and close on March 15. Here’s the link:  https://bit.ly/TGGLitMag. 

The Caroliance Youth Poetry Festival is a two-day convergence of middle
and high school students from North and South Carolina, focused on
celebrating the power of their voices through poetry and creativity.
Students representing those with casual interests in poetry to seasoned
spoken word performers are all invited. Click here for the Information Packet and to Register.

VIKING SPORTS SCHEDULES

Women’s Soccer

Men’s Soccer Schedule

Baseball Schedule

Girls Track & Field

Spring Valley Senior Named One of Nation’s Top Scientists in Regeneron Science Talent Search 2024

Spring Valley Discovery senior, Ava Phelps, has been named Regeneron Science Talent Search 2024 Scholar. The Regeneron Science Talent Search (Regeneron STS), a program of Society for Science & the Public, is the nation’s most prestigious pre-college science and math competition. Alumni of STS have made extraordinary contributions to science and hold more than 100 of the world’s most distinguished science and math honors, including the Nobel Prize and the National Medal of Science.

 Society for Science (the Society) today announced the top 300 scholars in the Regeneron Science Talent Search 2024, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious science and math competition for high school seniors. The 300 scholars will be awarded $2,000 each and their schools will be awarded $2,000 for each enrolled scholar.

The Regeneron Science Talent Search scholars were selected from 2,162 entrants from 712 high schools across 46 states, Puerto Rico and 10 other countries – the highest number of entrants since 1969 and an increase of over 200 from 2023. Scholars were chosen based on their outstanding research, leadership skills, community involvement, commitment to academics, creativity in asking scientific questions and demonstration of exceptional promise as leaders in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) through original, independent research projects, essays, and recommendations. The 300 scholars hail from 196 American and international high schools in 36 states and China.

The full list of scholars can be viewed here.

“Congratulations to the top 300 scholars in this year’s Regeneron Science Talent Search,” said Maya Ajmera, President and CEO, Society for Science and Executive Publisher, Science News. “We received a record-breaking number of applications this year; interest in this prestigious competition is at an all-time high. I am truly impressed by the quality of the projects and the ingenuity that each student brings to the competition. Their diligence, passion, and perseverance should be celebrated.”

The Regeneron Science Talent Search recognizes and empowers our nation’s most promising young scientists who are generating innovative solutions to solve significant global challenges through rigorous research and discoveries. The competition provides students with a national stage to present new ideas and challenge conventional ways of thinking.

Now in its 102nd year, The Society has played a significant role in educating the public about scientific discoveries as well as in identifying future leaders in STEM. Regeneron has sponsored the Science Talent Search since 2017 as part of its deep commitment to supporting young scientists and future scientific innovation.

This year, research projects cover topics from artificial intelligence/machine learning assistance and detection to climate change prevention for wildfires, floods to drug discovery and more. Other students chose to focus on ways to tackle other pressing societal issues like teen mental health, anxiety, and suicide. With a total of 19 research categories, the top 5 categories among scholars’ projects this year include: Environmental Science, Medicine & Health, Cellular & Molecular Biology, Computational Biology and Behavioral and Social Sciences.

“Congratulations to the Regeneron Science Talent Search 2024 scholars, whose exceptional projects demonstrate their ability to use science to improve the world,” said Christina Chan, Senior Vice President, Corporate Affairs at Regeneron. “In partnership with the Society, we are proud to provide this prestigious national platform that recognizes, celebrates, and rewards students for their curiosity and innovation and encourages them to push the boundaries of science to tackle society’s most pressing issues.”

On January 24, 40 of the 300 scholars will be named Regeneron Science Talent Search finalists. The finalists will then compete for more than $1.8 million in awards during a week-long competition in Washington, D.C., taking place March 6-13, 2024.

For over eight decades the Science Talent Search has rewarded talented high school seniors who dedicate countless hours to original research projects and present their results in rigorous reports that resemble graduate school theses. Collectively, Science Talent Search alumni have received millions of dollars in scholarships and won Nobel Prizes, Fields Medals, MacArthur Fellowships, and many other accolades.

Important Dates for 2024:

• Top 40 Finalists Announced: January 24, 2024
• Regeneron STS Finals Week: March 7-13, 2024
• Public Exhibition of Projects: March 10, 2024
• Winners Announced at Awards Ceremony: March 12, 2024

Resources:

• Top 300 Scholars
• Notable STS Alumni
• STS 2023 Video Highlights

---

About the Regeneron Science Talent Search

The Regeneron Science Talent Search, a program of Society for Science since 1942, is the nation’s oldest and most prestigious science and math competition for high school seniors. Each year, more than 2,000 student entrants submit original research in critically important scientific fields of study and are judged by leading experts in their fields. Unique among high school competitions in the U.S. and around the world, the Regeneron Science Talent Search focuses on identifying, inspiring and engaging the nation’s most promising young scientists who are creating the ideas that could solve society’s most urgent challenges.

In 2017, Regeneron became only the third sponsor of the Science Talent Search to help reward and celebrate the best and brightest young minds and encourage them to pursue careers in STEM as a way to positively impact the world. Through its 10-year, $100 million commitment, Regeneron nearly doubled the overall award distribution to $3.1 million annually, increasing the top award to $250,000 and doubling the awards for the top 300 scholars to $2,000 and their schools to $2,000 for each enrolled scholar to inspire more young people to engage in science.

Learn more at https://www.societyforscience.org/regeneron-sts/.

About Society for Science

Society for Science is a champion for science, dedicated to promoting the understanding and appreciation of science and the vital role it plays in human advancement. Established in 1921, Society for Science is best known for its award-winning journalism through Science News and Science News Explores, its world-class science research competitions for students, including the Regeneron Science Talent Search, the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair and the Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge, and its outreach and equity programming that seeks to ensure that all students have an opportunity to pursue a career in STEM. A 501(c)(3) membership organization, Society for Science is committed to inform, educate and inspire. Learn more at www.societyforscience.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat (Society4Science).

Media Contact
Gayle Kansagor, Society for Science
703-489-1131, gkansagor@societyforscience.org

Congratulations Dr. Wendy Harriford-Platt !

Congratulations to Spring Valley English teacher Dr. Wendy Harriford-Platt for being chosen as a TED Talk Speaker. Click the link above to watch her TEDx talk:”Generations of Learning: A Lifelong Journey from College Dropout to Inspiring Educator.”

Meet Dr. Wendy Harriford-Platt: From Dropout to Inspirational Educator!

Get ready to be inspired by the incredible journey of Dr. Wendy Harriford-Platt, a remarkable member of the Board of Directors for Palmetto Pride Sports and a dedicated educator at Spring Valley High School!

In this captivating presentation, Dr. Wendy takes us on a transformative odyssey, highlighting the power of resilience, family support, and personal determination. From facing early challenges and being a college dropout due to family responsibilities to earning not one, but three degrees, Dr. Wendy’s story is a testament to the unstoppable spirit of lifelong learning and the pursuit of dreams.

Key Takeaways:
 Family as the Pillar: Discover how Dr. Wendy’s unwavering family support became the driving force behind her academic journey, propelling her to overcome obstacles and embrace education as a lifeline.
 The Evolution of a Passionate Educator: Explore Dr. Wendy’s transformation from a nontraditional student to an inspirational educator. Witness her dedication to instilling the love of learning in her students and bridging diverse ideas in the classroom.
 Legacy of Perseverance: Learn about Dr. Wendy’s father, Willie Lloyd Harriford, Jr., a key figure in Columbia’s civil rights movement, whose legacy continues through her commitment to education and empowerment.

Dr. Wendy Harriford-Platt’s story is a beacon of hope, reminding us that obstacles are stepping stones to greatness. Join us at TEDx to witness her inspiring journey and celebrate the enduring power of education! #GenerationsOfLearning#EducationalEmpowerment#TEDxTalk#ResilienceInEducation

Auditions for the Spring Musical

Come out and audition for SV Players’ spring Musical Alice by Heart. You will need a signed parent sheet and come prepared to sing 30 seconds to one minute of a song that shows off your voice acapella. You DO NOT have to be in a Theater Class or Chorus Class– this is open to all Spring Valley Students!! Please sign up for a time outside of Mrs. Curtis’ Room- Room A-119. Please email Mrs. Curtis at vcurtis@richland2.org if you have any questions.

Just Socks January

Throughout January, Key Club is collecting socks for the homeless in our community. You can help support by donating in front of the school on Wednesday mornings drop off a NEW pair of socks in the Atrium or E303!

---

Adopt-a-Stream

Members of the Adopt-a-Stream club (Drake Locklear, Kiri Yo, Amaar Tisdale, and Aadarsh Pate) with the club sponsors Melissa Dissinger and Ramona Saracila participated in cleaning a river activity conducted by the Congaree Riverkeeper Bill Stangler. Together with other volunteers, Spring Valley students and teachers picked up an estimated 1000 lb of trash from the creek by Olympia Avenue, Columbia.

Save the Dates Credit Recovery

---

SEAT TIME

VIKING SPORTS SCHEDULES

NEWS19 Teacher of the Week

NEWS 19 TEACHER OF THE WEEK

Save the Date

JUNIOR PRIVILEGE

Gear Up News

SVHS Cheer Interest Meeting