(posted January 15, 2009)

Loris High School is one of 16 South Carolina schools to be named a finalist for the 2009 Carolina First Palmetto’s Finest Schools Awards after extensive evaluations by fellow educators and previous Palmetto’s Finest winners. The application process includes elements on student achievement, faculty training, program goals and delivery systems, office practices, and community involvement.

Last fall, 25 South Carolina schools submitted a 20-page application and received an onsite examination visit by a review committee. The 16 finalists are now undergoing a second onsite evaluation.

The finalist schools will gather in Columbia on March 9 at the Koger Center for the Performing Arts at 6:30 p.m. to learn which four or five of them will win top honors. The awards are presented each year to two elementary schools, one middle school, one high school, and possibly one special category school. Loris High School is in competition for the award with Camden High School of Kershaw County, Spring Valley High School of Richland School District Two, and Wade Hampton High School of Greenville County.

The Carolina First Palmetto’s Finest Award is sponsored through a partnership between Carolina First Bank and SCASA.  The award is based on extensive evaluations by colleagues and educators, and the school and community share the honor.