December 2017
D.W. Daniel High School
Our Vision
Students at DWD will graduate with a wide array of skills
and strong knowledge base in a culture of high expectations,
generosity, encouragement, and civility.
A Message from Our Principal: Josh Young
I would like to say a special congratulations to our students for their great performance during the first quarter this year. For the quarter, 537 (over 50%!) of our students had all A’s or all A’s and B’s on their report cards. This is an amazing accomplishment for our student body and reflective of how hard they work.
On November 16th, the state department published its 2017 SC School Report Cards as required by the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) . I am incredibly proud of all of the results, but especially that DWD’s 4-year on-time graduation rate for this past year was 91.5%, a record for both the school and the district. Congratulations to our students, our faculty and staff, and our fantastic parents and community for working together to make this happen.
Link for 2017 Report Card: The 2017 SC School Report Cards can be viewed here.
A Message from Our School Resource Officer: Master Deputy Leslie Daniel
Guidance News
- Job Shadowing- All students are encouraged to take advantage of the opportunity to shadow someone working in the career field that they plan to pursue. Contact Mrs. Potter in the guidance office if you are interested in shadowing someone.
- 9th and 10th grade students learned more about the courses offered at the Career Center during assemblies on November 29th. All course requests for the 2018-2019 school year are due by December 11th.
**Students must use their school login information. **
Current 10th Graders – https://bit.ly/ctcreg10
Current 9th Graders – https://bit.ly/ctcreg9
A Message from the D.W. Daniel Foundation
The holiday season and the spirit of giving are upon us! As we wrap up this calendar year, the DWD Foundation would like to remind you of a few areas where you can help. Please consider contributing to these wonderful causes to improve our school, and remember that 100% of our funding goes directly to the needs of Daniel High School. Also, remember that all monetary donations are tax-deductible!
1) Faculty Requests– The Foundation has received over $6,600 in funding requests from our faculty for this school year for things such as technology, convention fees, transportation costs, and science lab items. Please consider making a donation earmarked for faculty requests!
2) Lion’s Mane- One of the most important fundraisers for the DWD Foundation is the Lion’s Mane artwork that you see in the front lobby of the school. If you are an individual, a family, a group, club, business, or a DWD alumnus who would like to be permanently recognized as a financial supporter of Daniel High School, please consider purchasing a piece of the mane with lettering to honor your donation. Spaces are limited, so please contact us soon if you are interested!
3) Buy a customized Daniel fleece blanket- These warm, cozy blankets make fantastic gifts and 100% of the profits go to support the school! Order forms can be found on our webpage on the school website, on our Facebook page, on myschoolbucks.com, and in the school office. Holiday orders placed by Dec. 8 will be ready by Dec. 22!
4) Shop via smile.amazon.com- This is perhaps the easiest way to support the D. W. Daniel High School Foundation! Just go to smile.amazon.com and choose us as your charity. For every qualifying purchase, we receive 0.01% from Amazon at no additional cost to you! Every little bit makes a difference!
5) Join the Foundation- It’s not too late to join for this school year!
We are excited to now have two easy donating payment options! For your convenience, we now offer PayPal (use email danielhighfoundation@gmail.com). This is a great option to those wanting to make an immediate donation or for friends and family who want to support the school from afar. You can also use the membership and donation forms found on our webpage and social media sites. Just make out your check to the “D.W. Daniel Foundation,” indicate the area you wish to fund on the memo line, and either drop it off in an envelope labeled “D.W. Daniel Foundation” to the DHS front office, or mail it to us at 140 Blue and Gold Blvd, Central, SC 29630.
We thank you for your continued support and wish you all a wonderful holiday season!
First Semester Exams
First semester exams will be given on December 14, 15, 18 and 19. Students enrolled in Algebra 1, Intermediate Algebra, Biology, and US History and Constitution will not have a first semester exam. Anyone taking a semester course will be exempted from the exam if they have an A average (90-100). All other students taking a year-long class are required to take the semester exam. No student will be dismissed during an exam period unless there is an emergency.
First semester exam schedule:
Thursday, December 14 – 1A & 2A
Friday, December 15 – 1B & 2B
Monday, December 18 - 3A & 4A
Tuesday, December 19 – 3B & 4B (Dismissal is at 11:50 a.m.)
Tutoring Sessions Available
Veterans Day 2017
On Friday, 10 November, Daniel High School renewed its annual tradition of hosting a community Veterans Day ceremony. The Air Force Junior ROTC “Flying Lions” Cadet Corps once again teamed up with the Daniel High School Band and the faculty and administration to honor all veterans, particularly those from our local communities. Veterans were treated to a complimentary breakfast before the ceremony, and then transitioned to the gym for the ceremony itself. The Daniel Band treated all attendees to a fantastic rendition of the Star Spangled Banner, a patriotic medley of U.S. Military Service Songs, and a poignant presentation of “Taps.” One of the highlights of the event was the keynote address, presented by Captain Tony Bryant, United States Air Force, Retired. A veteran of almost 30 years of distinguished service to the nation, Captain Bryant provided relevant insights on citizenship, appreciating the contributions previous generations have made to our current national experience, and of course, the importance of recognizing our veterans. To conclude the ceremony, members of the “Flying Lions” Cadet Corps performed a ceremonial Saber Arch as veterans exited the gym to a rousing standing ovation.
As always, it was an outstanding team effort on the part of so many people who made the Veterans Day Ceremony such a success. Thanks to our veterans, and One Daniel!
Captain Tony Bryant, USAF, Retired
Cadet Corps Commander Adrianne Thackery
Flags Posted
Beta Club Induction
The National Beta Club promotes academic excellence, character, service and leadership. Members are required to maintain above a 3.5 GPA, as well as meet requirements for attendance and service.The D.W. Daniel Chapter of the National Beta Club held an induction ceremony for new members on Thursday, November 9. Congratulations to the new members who were recognized during this ceremony!
Click the link to see the list of names: http://bit.ly/dhsbetainductees
The Daniel chapter is under the leadership of Beta Club advisors Meghan Chandler, Charlotte Bruner, Michel Justus, and Shannon Nealy.
Science National Honor Society
Written by Connor Lehmacher, Senior SNHS Officer
The DHS Science National Honor Society learns from a speaker in the STEM fields each month. On Wednesday, November 1, the Honor Society went to Clemson University to hear a public lecture from Dr. Arthur Voter, a computational chemist from the Los Alamos National Laboratory. Dr. Voter simulates small-scale molecular process such as those which occur in computer-chip manufacturing and power generation. He presented about new methods for these simulations which allow for a million-fold increase in speed. Students also learned about how super-computers work and the purpose of simulation, to discover unexpected events.
The next SNHS meeting will be on Wednesday December 6th at 5:30pm in Room 339. See Mrs. Tidwell for more information.
Fall Sports Summaries
Girls' Tennis
- 12-4 overall, 6-2 in region
- Finished 2nd in Region
- Advanced to Upper State Finals
- 3rd year in a row in final four
- All Region: Julia Blouin, Madison Holtzclaw, Annabel Kleinfeldt, Margaret Wang
- North-South All Star: Madison Holtzclaw
Swim Team
- Girls finished 11th overall
- Boys finished 10th overall
- Top 10 Places at State Championship: 2nd in the 100 yard freestyle- Ethan Culler, 4th in the 100 yard backstroke- Ethan Culler, 7th in girls 400 free style relay, 8th in boys 400 freestyle relay, 9th in girls 500 yard freestyle relay- Alexa Emerson
- Qualified for State Meet: Alexa Emerson, Ally Emerson, Ashley Choi, Cady Kurz, Caitlin Pardue, Elyse Hollingsworth, Ethan Culler, Garrett Arwood, Hannah Buckner, Lindsey Lui, Sam Ogle, Taylor Rouse
- All-Region Girls: Ashley Choi, Alexa Emerson, Elyse Hollingsworth, Hannah Buckner
- All-Region Boys: Ethan Culler, Garrett Arwood, Sam Ogle
Football
- 2-9 overall, 1-3 conference
- 4th place Region I-4A
- Lost in first round of the playoffs at Greer
- All-Region:
- 1st Team-Jake Venables, Palmer Story, Jaylen Reese, Chris Barnes
- 2nd Team-Michael Becker, Max May, Justin Olvera, Bryson Smith, Drew Swinney
- Shrine Bowl All Star Team: Jake Venables
Girls' Golf
- Season Record 86-12
- Team Broke school records in 9 hole matches, 18 hole matches, and 36 hole matches this year
- Team scoring average: 9 hole matches 158.22...18 hole matches 319.88
- Region 1-AAAA Champs
- All-Region Players: Katie Whitfield-Player of the Year, Emileigh Swords, Gillian O'Brien, Adrienne O'Brien
- Upper State champs...3 years in a row
- State AAAA Runner-Up
- All-State Players: Katie Whitfield #2, Emileigh Swords #7, Gillian O'Brien #8
- The team finished 1st in five tournaments: JL Mann Lady Patriot, Wren Lady Hurricane, Greenwood Lady Eagle, Region 1-AAAA Tournament, and Upper State Tournament
Competition Cheer
- Won 1st place at the Green Wave Invitational and placed in the Top 2 ALL SEASON!
- Finished 2nd in Region
- Finished Top 8 in the State for 4A Competitive Cheerleading! #TheNewDaniel2017
Volleyball
- Season Record 10-6
- Region Play 4-4
- Lost in the first round of the playoffs to Blue Ridge HS (3-1)
- All-Region Players: Julianne Merck. Sydney Thomas
- All FCA Tournament: Julianne Merck, Megan Wanner
Cross Country
- Girls Cross Country TEAM
Region 1 AAAA Pre-Region Champions
Tri-County Champions
Region 1 AAAA Champions
State AAAA Champions
Top Team at all levels at State Meet
- Boys Cross Country TEAM
Region 1 AAAA Pre-Region Champions
Region 1 AAA Champions
7th at State AAAA Championships
- Individual Region 1 AAAA Champion: Mari Cagle Lockhart
- All-Region: Mari Cagle Lockhart, Eliza Sorber, Ally Wilson, Julia Blouin
- Region 1 AAAA Runner of the Year: Mari Cagle Lockhart
- Individual State AAAA Champion: Mari Cagle Lockhart
- State AAAA Runner-up: Ally Wilson
- All-State: Mari Cagle Lockhart, Ally Wilson, Eliza Sorber, Maren Sorber
- MileSplitUSA National Ranking of Number 85 for the Class of 2020: Mari Cagle Lockhart
- MileSplitUSA National Ranking of Number 65 for the Class of 2021: Ally Wilson
- In dividual Region 1 AAAA Champion:Mismeh Balawi
- All-Region: Mismeh Balawi, Xander Smiley, Adam Balawi, Nate Lockhart
- Region 1 AAAA Runner of the Year: Mismeh Balawi
- All-State: Mismeh Balawi (9th place)
Winter Semi-Formal
The DWD Student Council is hosting a Winter Semi-Formal Dance for Daniel students on Saturday, December 9, from 7:00-10:00 p.m. at Daniel High School. Tickets will be sold the week before the dance. Tickets will be $11 through December 8 at tinyurl.com/dwdsemi17 . $1 from each ticket sale will be donated to Clemson Community Care.
Tickets will not be sold at the door, and this dance is only open to Daniel students. Students will need to present their IDs and tickets at the dance for entry. There will be no re-entry. Tickets bought the day of the dance may only be paid for online and will cost $25.
Finally, semi-formal means that boys will need to wear a shirt, tie and non-denim pants. Girls may wear dresses or dressy pants. Dresses should fall to finger-tip length.
Miss Summit
Registration for the Miss Summit pageant is officially open. Register online at http://tinyurl.com/DWDMissSummit2018. The pageant will be held on Saturday, January 20.
The pageant entry fee is $25 and is payable at myschoolbucks.com. The fee includes the cost of the t-shirt that the contestants will wear instead of theme wear this year. The paid entry fee and the completed Google form are due by 3:15 pm on Friday, December 15, 2017.
Girls will participate in an interview with community judges on day of the pageant. During the pageant they will wear the official pageant shirts for the introduction round. They will only need one formal dress for the evening wear portion of the night.
Please contact Mrs. Henry (laurahenry@pickens.k12.sc.us) with any questions about the content of your entry or the pageant.
Please contact Mrs. Howard (danahoward@pickens.k12.sc.us) if you have any technical questions about filling out the registration form.
Senior Video
Parents, it's time to start gathering pictures for the Class of 2018 Senior Video. We strongly encourage you to submit the photos online. You will have to log into your student's PCSD account (18studentname@pickens.k12.sc.us) in order to submit the pictures using the following link: http://tinyurl.com/DWDSV2018. There is no fee for including your pictures in the video. The pictures that are collected are compiled into a video the that the seniors watch on Awards Day. If your child would like to buy a copy, they are available for $15.
Parents of Seniors:
Pictures for the Senior Video will be collected during the month of January. If pictures are not turned in by January 31, your child will probably not be included in the video. Senior video pictures should NOT be the same as the yearbook's senior ad pictures.
The best pictures are the ones that reflect your child's personality or include a number of seniors - particularly when they were in elementary school and middle school.
Digital submissions:
- Pictures should be labeled with the name of your student.
- They should be submitted digitally and must be submitted as .jpg or .tiff files.
- The resolution should be at least 100 kB. DO NOT EMAIL PICTURES.
- They should be submitted at the following link: http://tinyurl.com/DWDSV2018.
- Please abide by the picture limits listed below.
Hard copy submissions:
Hard copies of pictures may also be submitted.
- Pictures should be grouped by section and be labeled.
- Pictures must be brought directly to Mrs. Howard in Room 357. DO NOT leave them with Mrs. Staaf in the office unless you have made prior arrangements to do so with Mrs. Howard.
- Pictures will be returned in the graduation packet at graduation practice in May.
- A combination of hard copy and digital photos may be submitted.
- Please abide by the picture limits listed below.
- Please do not send the only copy of precious photos that you may have. We do our best to take good care of your pictures, but accidents do happen.
Picture Sections and Limits
- Baby (0-4 years): 2 pictures
- Elementary School (Kindergarten-5th grade): 2 pictures
- Middle School (6-8th grade): 2 pictures
- High School (9-11th grade): 2 pictures
- Senior Year: 2 pictures (Avoid using the formal senior portrait that will be in the yearbook.)
- Group shots of Daniel students from any time period: 3 pictures
Please email Mrs. Howard with any questions at danahoward@pickens.k12.sc.us.
Interact Club
The Interact Club packaged food bags for local families the week before Thanksgiving. Students in this organization are learning to serve our neighbors both at school and in the community.
The next “All-Interact” meeting will be on January 18 in the cafeteria starting at 3:15pm.
AP Environmental Science
AP Environmental Science students completed their Eco-Column projects and deconstructed the systems. Students were able to discover organisms that survived the experiment; data was collected over two months as the systems equalized and life adapted.
All State Chorus
Mark Your Calendars
December 7...............................................................................................................Strings Concert
December 9.......................................................................................................Winter Semi-Formal
December 10...............................................................................German Club's Trip to Helen, GA
December 11...........................................................Deadline for Career Center Course Requests
December 12................................................................................................................Band Concert
December 14.............................................................................................................Chorus Concert
December 14-19.............................................................................................First Semester ExamsDecember 15...............................................................................Deadline for Miss Summit Forms
December 20.....................................................................................................Winter Break Begins
Contact Us
Website: http://dhs.pickens.k12.sc.us/
Location: 140 Blue and Gold Boulevard, Central, SC, United States
Phone: 864-397-2900
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DWDanielHighSchool/
Twitter: @DWDanielHigh