May Newsletter
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.
2017-2018 Final Exam Schedule
Senior Information
Important Senior Information posted to our website:
Senior Information and Dates
Graduation/Awards Day Information
Frequently Asked Questions
Upcoming: Inclement Weather Plan for Graduation
Upcoming: Instructions for Remote Viewing
Important Senior Dates:
- May 3- Awards Day Practice/ Field Trip to Elementary Schools (bring your cap and gown)
- May 4- Senior Breakfast/ Senior Picture/ Awards Day (wear cap, gown and proper attire)/ Lip Dub/ Senior Video/ Yearbook Distribution/Senior Fest
- May 15-18- Senior Exams
- May 21- All course work must be completed in Odysseyware/ All seat time must be completed for graduation
- May 25- Graduation Practice (Mandatory)
- May 26- Graduation
**Please contact Mrs. Travis or Mr. Lazear if you have any questions.**
A Message from Our School Nurse: Jill Roy, LPN
Per SDPC policy, ALL medications must be picked up from the Health Room no later than the last day of school for students – June 1 at 11:30 a.m. No medication is allowed on the bus. Any medications not picked up by this time will be destroyed.
Please notify Nurse Roy of any significant changes in your child’s health status.
Accurate information on your child's overall health is imperative. This may include any diagnosis of allergies, asthma, seizures, recent surgeries, etc. that may affect your child during this school year. Being aware of a specific condition may save valuable time in the case of an illness or injury at school. Please contact the Nurse Roy if your child has a change in their health condition. Also, please provide updated contact phone numbers if changes are made.
If you have any questions, please contact Nurse Roy at JillRoy@pickens.k12.sc.us or 864-397-2907.
Students visit the Health Room daily for a number of reasons. Any donations of the following items will be greatly appreciated: deodorant, tampons, sanitary pads, peanut butter crackers, granola bars, and peppermints.
A Message from the Daniel Foundation
As we near the end of the school year, the D.W. Daniel Foundation continues to strive for great things and we thank you for your continued support! We couldn’t do what we do without your memberships, contributions, and time spent volunteering. Our school benefits immensely from it all!
The D. W. Daniel Foundation has been busy with events and plans for our students and faculty! During the month of April, we were thrilled to introduce our “One Daniel Sports Week” initiative which allowed any current student with a valid DWD ID to attend all home spring sports events for the week of April 16-20! We saw lots of school spirit, and it was great having more fans for our student athletes, especially on their respective Senior Nights! We are planning to continue “One Daniel Sports Week” next school year during the fall, winter, and spring seasons.
Additionally, the Foundation provided our monthly faculty lunch. We have special plans for Faculty Appreciation Week in early May, culminating in a faculty grill-out. Our DandeLION shop continued its mission to serve students by confidentially assisting with needs of clothing, shoes, hygiene products, snacks, and school supplies. We were also honored to assist students attending the 2018 Jr/Sr Prom on April 21 with gowns, dress shoes (for both men and women), and other formal wear generously donated by M.H. Frank. The DandeLION shop has also been helping students at RCE who need items for their 8th grade Semi-Formal on May 5. If you would like to donate to the DandeLION Shop, please contact Maggie Bandy or Maggie Lane to see what is needed (monetary donations are always accepted).
Thank you all for supporting the D.W. Daniel Foundation! #OneDaniel #GoLions
A Record Crowd Attends the 2018 Prom
The 2018 Prom, Glitz and Glam, was a huge success. Four hundred students celebrated and danced the night away while enjoying the bling filled, candle-lit Anderson Civic Center.
Free photographs are available to download by visiting Ms. Molly Preisch’s website: http://mollypreischphotography.smugmug.com
A parent-sponsored After Prom Party held at Clemson University Underground rounded out the evening. Free food, bowling, pool, and other games were available to every Daniel student. Many thanks to all those parents who made the After Prom Party possible.
All prom attendees arrived safely back to school on Monday, April 28 with fond memories of their 2018 Prom. Mark your calendar for next year’s prom - April 2019.
Environmental Science
Coach Burk’s environmental science classes recently spent a day at Table Rock as a wrap up to their DNR/Trout Unlimited sponsored Trout in the Classroom program. While the class did not have any trout to release at Table Rock this year, everyone enjoyed a great day of fun, outdoor education. The students took part in an Outdoor Survival Skills Training session where they learned how to use maps and compasses to navigate in the wilderness. Students also learned about proper planning and safety when going on an outdoor expedition. The highlight of the trip, though, seemed to be the Fishing Clinic and opportunity to fish. For some students this was their first time fishing. Many students caught bream, largemouth bass, and rainbow trout. A few even kissed their fish since they were the very first ones that they ever caught.
Men of Color Summit at Clemson University
Members of the Daniel High Tiger Alliance had a very eventful month of April. They had the privilege of attending the two day Men of Color National Summit on April 12-13, 2018. The Summit was held at the TD Convention Center in Greenville, and it featured renowned speakers from across the nation. Our young men were able to listen to and interact with speakers that included Chris Howard, President of Robert Morris University; Brian Heat, Brian Heat Worldwide; Juan Williams, political analyst; and Dabo Swinney, just to name a few. Throughout the event, the students were challenged to push past obstacles, set their goals high, to work hard on a daily basis to achieve those goals, and to surround themselves with people who will lift them up, inspire them, and help them to achieve great things. They were challenged to not only reach goals for themselves, but to always strive to influence those around them to excel.
On Friday, April 20th, the Tiger Alliance members were treated to a trip to Fluor Field where they watched a baseball game and learned more about Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) that were featured during the event. The students were joined by their Tiger Alliance mentors from Clemson University and enjoyed an opportunity to get to know the mentors better.
Thank you to Clemson University for investing in our young men’s lives and for inspiring them through the Tiger Alliance program.
SDPC Healthy Sandwich Competition
Five Daniel High School students competed in the School District of Pickens County's Healthy Sandwich Recipe competition: Hanna Hyatt, Anai Cabrera, Bayleigh Ellenburg, Elyse Hollingsworth, and K'lynn Bell. Congratulations to senior K'lynn Bell who won the competition with her "Roasted Red Pepper and Turkey Panini" sandwich. K'Lynn's recipe will be featured on lunch menus across the district for the 2018-2019 school year! Each contestant received a certificate of participation and a white chef's coat and hat!
Congratulations to all of our students!
Clemson Calculus Challenge
The Clemson University Department of Mathematical Sciences hosted the Clemson Calculus Challenge on Friday, April 20. The Clemson Calculus Challenge is a one day calculus contest for high school students that consists of two components. In the morning, students take an individual 90 minute calculus test consisting of 40 multiple-choice questions. The 40 questions range in difficulty from "fairly routine" for the first 10, to "very challenging" for the last 10. The afternoon competition is team oriented. Teams of three to four students compete in a six-round, free-response question tournament. Each round lasts ten minutes, and a team's score is determined by accuracy and time needed to solve the problem. The morning exam and the afternoon problems are designed to test students' knowledge of the topics that roughly parallel the Advanced Placement Calculus AB syllabus.
Daniel completed with two teams. The Calcoholics team members were Sam Smith, Matt Becker, Ian Ruohoniemi, and Jonathan Dong. The Limit Does Not Exist team members were Jennifer Gao, Emily Zhang, Kevin Feng, and Mallory Swedberg.
Ian Ruohoniemi won 1st place on the individual exam.The Calcoholics won 1st place and The Limit Does Not Exist won 2nd place in the Division 2 team competition.
Daniel High School won 1st place for the school competition in Division 2. In the first picture, from left to right, are Jonathan Dong, Jennifer Gao, Jim Coykendall (Director of CCC), Ian Ruohoniemi, Emily Zhang, and Sam Smith.
SDPC Art Exhibition Awards
The SDPC All-County Juried Student Art Exhibition awards ceremony for the middle and high school students was held at the Pickens County Performing Arts Center. Daniel High School had winners in the four categories possible. See the students' names and pictures of their works below:
Community Awards Night
SC-941 AFJROTC AWARDS NIGHT
State Championship Drill Meet
D. W. Daniel AFJROTC competed on April 28th in The South Carolina State Championship Drill Meet, also known as the “TOP GUN DRILL MEET." SC-941 cadets performed in eight events during the annual Top Gun Drill Meet at McEntire Joint National Guard Base, South Carolina. Twenty two different High Schools across the state competed in drill and ceremony events sponsored by the South Carolina Air National Guard. Anna Pilgrim and Caitlynn Holder won 1st place in exhibition duet rifle team, Kaici Smith and her exhibition drill team won 3rd overall, and Kaylin LeCroy led her color guard team to win 4th overall. Congratulations to these cadets!
AFJROTC Senior Cadets
A record four senior cadets from D. W. Daniel High School’s Air Force Junior ROTC Unit SC-941 have received appointments to United States military academies. These cadets are Alexander Fitzgerald, Lauren Hazlett, Daniel Perry, and Ellen Harcum. Cadet Fitzgerald, Cadet Hazlett, and Cadet Perry will be attending The United States Air Force Academy. This is a military academy for officer cadets of the United States Air Force. Its campus is located in the western United States in Colorado, immediately north of Colorado Springs in El Paso County. Cadet Harcum will be attending The United States Naval Academy coeducational federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland commissioning primarily into the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps. “The depth, talent, and leadership skills of this senior class was like none I’ve ever seen,” said Chief Master Sergeant Todd Preisch, aerospace science instructor for SC-941. “This unprecedented cadet accomplishment is also a testament to the excellence of Daniel High School and the quality education and preparation the faculty here provides to students.” The appointments to these academies are worth an estimated $2 million. “That’s one-fifth of my senior class,” said Major Tom Childress, Senior Aerospace Science Instructor at D. W. Daniel High. “You could tell this class was special when they started with us four years ago. They were outstanding students from the very beginning, and have remained focused throughout their time with us. Last year, their work played a crucial role in our unit earning the Air Force Association Outstanding Air Force Junior ROTC Unit Award for South Carolina – the Sword of Excellence.” Cadets Fitzgerald, Hazlett, Perry and Harcum will report to their academies at various times this summer, with best wishes from all of Daniel High School's faculty, staff and students.
AFJROTC Raider Team
What does Raider mean? Raider Competition or "Raider" as it is more commonly known, is a very popular athletic competition held within Junior ROTC programs around the United States. The exact Raider events differ depending on where you are competing. Generally, no matter where you compete, there will be some type of personal fitness/individual strength test (i.e., push-ups, curl-ups, tire drag, obstacle course, etc.) There will also be a distance team running event, along with some type of obstacle type event that goes through the woods. There is some form of rescue/first aid event (rescuing a body from the woods on a liter). Lastly, almost every Raider event has some form of Rope Bridge construction/transport component. Other events can include a first aid test and land navigation. The general idea is that this is a mental and physical test of strength and endurance that takes a committed group of youngsters willing to train hard to prepare to be safe and successful. On April 21st, 2018 the SC-941 AFJROTC competed in the West Oak Trail of Tears Raider Event. Our team consisted of twelve determined cadets.
SNHS Officers
Chess Champions
Recently, Daniel students Alexis Williams and Fannie Xuan competed in the state high school chess championship. They were among only nine female participants in a field of fifty six. Both girls were among the top finishers as Daniel took third place overall. Fannie was the top female scorer and qualified for a major national tournament in Wisconsin this summer. Alexis was voted as the Whatley GRIT award winner and has been invited to play in the prestigious Susan Polgar Girls Invitational tournament in St. Louis.
Both Alexis and Fannie are currently sophomores at Daniel. Alexis hopes to eventually study architecture and Fanny plans to major in food science upon graduation. Congratulations to both of these young ladies!
Daniel Boys' Tennis
The Daniel Boys' Tennis team became undefeated Region Champions by defeating Greenville 6-1 for an overall record of 11-0, 6-0 in region. We are very proud of these amazing young men and what they accomplished during this season both on and off the court. Go Lions!!!
Region Champions
Congratulations to our girls' and boys' track teams for winning region titles.
Additionally, Ally Wilson and Mismeh Balawi were both named Athlete of the Year, and Coach Griffin and Coach Ayers were both named Coach of the Year! Good luck to our athletes participating in the state meet this weekend!
D.W. Daniel Anglers Return
The D.W. Daniel Anglers will be back for the 2018-2019 school year with Mrs. Jones and Mrs. Rushing at the helm (not literally). We will hold an interest meeting for parents, captains, and anglers on May 9 at 6PM in Room 239.
Interested students, please bring your charged Chromebooks.Captains, please bring proof of $300,000 liability boat insurance. Parents, please bring pens!
Spring Game
Spring practice for football begins today, May 1. The Spring game will be held on May 17. Please come out and support our Lions!
Varsity Soccer
The Lady Lions won the 1st round home playoff game last night 2-0 over Blue Ridge. Adrienne O'Brien scored both goals. Courtney Smith had one assist, and Gillian O'Brien had the other. Great job, ladies! The second round of playoffs will be on Wednesday at 6PM at York Comprehensive High School. Good luck!
The boys' team will play in the first round of playoffs here at Daniel tonight at 6PM. We would like to wish them luck! Come on out and get loud! Go, Lions!
Student Council News
April was another busy month for Student Council at DWD! On April 17, we partnered with Beta Club to put on a Trivia Night. It was a great success due to the significant amount of support from the student body and the community. The proceeds were split between Student Council and Beta Club. Beta donated their portion to The Make-a-Wish Foundation, and our portion was put towards an Early Learning Trail we are building with Pickens County First Steps as a part of the Chick-fil-a Leader Academy. Thank you to everyone who made the night a success, and we look forward to hosting it again next year!
On April 20, the election for the 2018-19 Student Council class was held. The results of the election are as follows:
Student Body Officers
Student Body President- Judy Miles
Student Body Vice President- Abigail Groomes
Student Body Activites Chair- Felder Fogle
Student Body Media Secretary- Mary Page Crouch
Senior Class
Senior Class President- Matthew Maloney
Senior Class Vice President- Mallory Vischer
Senior Class Senator- Emily Gaddis
Junior Class Officers
Junior Class President- Erica Balas
Junior Class Vice President- Marisa Swedberg
Junior Class Senators
Ian Fowler
Kelsey LeCroy
Louisa Mai
Case Redmond
Isis Watson
Sophomore Class Representatives
Karim Elmehdawi
Mary Evelyn Gaddis
Tyler Kellogg
Alora Livengood
Grace Nammouz
Sydney Weeks
On April 30, we hosted a Talent Show in the auditorium. Our goal was to find a way to allow Daniel Students to showcase their unique talents. Some of the acts included: singing, playing the guitar, rapping, and clogging. These acts along with many more allowed for a fun-filled night for everyone in attendance. A big thank you goes out to all of the students who volunteered to showcase their talents. Without you, the first DWD talent show could not have taken place!
May is going to be another busy month for Student Council as we wrap up the school year. On May 4, Awards Day, the student body will create a lip dub. This gives us an opportunity to showcase the many clubs and teams we have here at Daniel along with every single student who is a part of our student body! Also on Awards Day, we will show the senior video.
Later in May, the Student Council class will partner with Pickens County First Steps to help build an Early Learning Trail at the Rotary Park in Clemson as a part of Chick-fil-a Leader Academy. This trail will provide a way for parents to have meaningful and educational conversations with their children. Building this trail is a great way for us to give back to the local community!
Look for the Volunteer Opportunities Board that will be going up in the lobby of the school this month! This board will provide students with the contact information that they need to get involved with local organizations. We are very excited to help Daniel students give back to the community!
Mark Your Calendars
May 2- English I EOC (Writing); Virtual High School Exams
May 3- Awards Day Practice
May 4- Awards Day & Senior Fest; Students must have written permission to leave campus.
May 7- AP Chemistry Exam; AP Psychology Exam
May 8- AP Spanish Exam; AP Physics 1 Exam
May 9- AP English Literature Exam; English 1 EOC (Writing)
May 10- US History End of Course Test; AP US Government Exam; AP Environmental Science Exam
May 11- US History End of Course Test; AP German Exam; AP US History Exam; AP Art Portfolio; AP Computer Science Exam
May 14- Biology End of Course Test; AP Biology Exam; AP Music Theory Exam; AP Physics C Exam
May 15- Biology End of Course Test; Senior Exams 3B/4B; AP Calculus Exam
May 16- Algebra 1 End of Course Test; Senior Exams 3A/4A; AP English Language Exam; AP Macroeconomics Exam; English I End of Course (Writing)
May 17- Algebra 1 End of Course Test; Senior Exams 1B/2B; AP World History Exam; AP Statistics Exam; Student Council Induction
May 18- End of Course Makeup Testing; Senior Exams 1A/2A; AP Human Geography Exam
May 21- Senior Seat Time/Odysseyware Due by 4PM; Senior Grades due by 4PM
May 22- English I End of Course Test
May 23- English I End of Course Test
May 24- End of Course Makeup Testing
May 25- Graduation Practice
May 26- Graduation
May 28- Memorial Day- No School
May 29- Underclassmen Exams 3A/4A
May 30- Underclassmen Exams 3B/4B
May 31- Underclassmen Exams 1A/2A- Early Dismissal for students
Contact Us
Website: http://dhs.pickens.k12.sc.us/
Location: 140 Blue and Gold Boulevard, Central, SC, USA
Phone: (864)397-2900
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DWDanielHighSchool/
Twitter: @DWDanielHigh