Keenan High School continues to enjoy a family-type atmosphere. Our teachers, parents, students and the community demand quality in education. The school is staffed with highly qualified teachers and other professionals who genuinely care for students. At least six Keenan staff members hold doctoral degrees and several teachers are National Board Certified.
What sets us apart and I think quite remarkable, is what our teachers have been able to accomplish, considering the diverse achievement levels of all students on campus. A good example of this is the fact that more than ninety-five percent of our freshmen arrive at basic or below-basic achievement levels, as indicated on their eighth grade PACT test results. After just one year with us, they pass their High School Achievement Program (HSAP), which is their Exit Exam. As first-time takers of the exam, students pass with an almost eighty percent in English/Language Arts and sixty-five percent in math. This could not happen if our teachers were not willing to accept students where they are, and work tirelessly with them to improve their achievement levels.
Expectations are high for all as we always strive for ways to improve. The administration, faculty and staff work daily to see that the following expectations are constantly met:
1- Safe and secure school environment
2- A certified, capable and caring staff who teach at high levels of instruction
3- On-going professional development and data-driven strategies to improve instruction
4- The creation of additional smaller learning communities with clusters of study with student majors
5- Regular and meaningful communications from the school regarding student progress and upcoming events
6- Accommodations for students with special needs/disabilities which allow for functioning in the least restrictive environment
7- Mechanisms in place to guide, counsel, support and help students and families with special needs.
8- Extracurricular programs including clubs/organization membership, athletic competitions, music, dance, drama activities, an award-winning band, scholarship competitions, school-wide reading and writing activities and celebrations, and community service projects.
Keenan has had good and excellent ratings on the states report card and has met Annual Yearly Progress (AYP) for the past two years, as defined by No Child Left Behind (NCLB). During the 2003-04 school year, Keenan High School was one of four finalists for Palmettos Finest and the very next year in 2004-05, we won the Palmettos Finest High School Award. The school has received the Palmetto Silver and Palmetto Gold Awards in subsequent years for increased student achievement. Approximately sixty-five percent of Keenan graduates further their education through the colleges and universities of their choice, to include West Point and Harvard University.
Another aspect of Keenan, that sets us apart from other schools, is that there is something to assist any student with his/her academics. After considering the data and the diverse achievement levels of students enrolled each year as freshmen, it was obvious that students needed assistance, both socially and academically. Two years ago, the school formulated its Freshman Academy. The academy was formed to assist the middle school students with their transition to high school. Now, freshmen students are housed in a separate location on the campus, with two teams of teachers assigned to provide their instruction. The academy has been quite successful in providing those skills that many of them did not pick up in middle school. The following programs are also available to assist our students:
1- A Flagship School of Promise: Keenan High School was the first high school in the district to receive this status from the Administration Association. One of the requirements to be awarded this recognition, is the school must provide a caring adult for every student in the school. Homeroom teachers have been assigned as mentors for approximately fifteen students each. Also, students meet twice monthly with their mentors for Advisor/Advisee sessions.
2- Advancement via of Individual Determination (AVID): This program has been a Keenan hallmark for the past four years. The program is designed to assist students performing at the middle level of academics. Study skills, note-taking and individual determination are a few of the skills this program reinforces.
3- Project GOAL (Guided Opportunities for Achievement in Life): This project was formed to provide tutoring and mentoring for students needing assistance with their studies. The project continues to be an integral part of the school and provides an important service to the students of Keenan High School.
4- Raider Engineering and Academic Leadership (REAL) Project: REAL was formed as a partnership between Keenan and the Engineering School at the University of South Carolina. The project has been remarkably successful. This program is designed for students who want to challenge themselves through technology, math and science. The curricula consist of AP and honors level courses, with college courses in engineering. The project has a coordinator and three teachers to include an engineer who teaches the courses. The students of the REAL Project have been very successful with local and international robotics competitions. Students from all across the district have been accepted through the application process.
5- The Academy of Reading: This academy is a computer lab set up with the appropriate software to remediate reading deficiencies. The lab is run by a literacy coach trained in reading. The lab has proven successful with students with such deficiencies. Many of the teachers here at Keenan have been trained to utilize the lab with individual classes or individual students.
6- High School That Work (HSTW): Keenan High School recently joined the Southern Region Education Boards (SREB) High School That Work Network. Keenan's affiliation with this network provides the school with the best practices in teaching strategies for our teachers. It also provides the school with relevant data on the reading, math and science skills of Keenan students.
7- The Teacher Cadet Program: This program is designed for high school students interested in teaching after college. The students receive an elective unit of credit while being taught preliminary skills for becoming a teacher.
8- NovaNet Lab: This computer lab is set up with the appropriate software for credit recovery. It allows teachers to recommend students with appropriate averages to recover their credits after failing a particular course.
9- The Media Center: The media center has approximately 20,000 volumes, which is more than adequate for a school the size of Keenan. We are particularly stressing literacy skills as students are reading each day for fifteen minutes during their enrichment period. Teachers and students have access to the latest technology for teaching and learning through the center.
10- Special Needs Program: Keenan has a very diverse population of special education students. These students add variety to our school and have added to our culture of caring and concern. They seem genuinely happy and are thriving with their teachers and peers through the use of their specialized curriculum.
11- Triumph Learning System: This software program is designed to assist students with the necessary skills for success on the SAT and ACT. Students are instructed on the strategies to be used when taking these tests. Then they are given a real SAT or ACT to test their strategies. The tests are scored and students are then allowed to work on their areas of weaknesses.
The teachers of Keenan High School just completed their curriculum standards audit. The purpose was to decide what should be Keenan's Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum. By course, teachers decided the standards that absolutely must be taught. These standards will be known as our
Power Standards. We have included these Power Standards after this section, for your information. Our teachers are now assigned to Professional Learning Teams (PLTs) where they are able to collaborate and consult with each other about the Power Standards and other teaching strategies.
Finally, there are many other tangibles that the Keenan staff does everyday for our teachers and students. Their efforts must be supported in the classroom. When all is said and done, the one thing that sets us apart from any other high school is, we genuinely care and provide for our staff and students.
Steve Wilson, Ed. D.
Principal