The Aiken County Public School District was excited to welcome students back for another year of learning on Monday, July 22, under the leadership of new superintendent Corey Murphy.
Following the retirement of King Laurence, Murphy, who was formerly the school district’s chief officer of operations and student services, spent the first day of school visiting various elementary, middle and high schools to meet with different principals and teachers.
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Making it a priority to especially check-in with multiple newly promoted principals in the county, Murphy said he was going to make it a habit to visit different schools every week in order to develop long lasting relationships with students and staff.
“I’m enjoying my time and getting out to just really meet some of the students and teachers as well,” he said. “With kids, you got to see them more often than not, because it’s fun seeing them at first but it’s really fun when you start knowing their names … so I want to circulate enough so I know their name and they know mine.”
Although he spent a good amount of time taking stock of improvements and repairs schools needed for students and educators to comfortably and safely operate, Murphy said he most importantly wants people in the school system to think of him as “accessible.”
“I tried to make that clear as a chief officer and I want to make sure that I make that clear as a superintendent as well, because I do want to hear what issues and concerns they are having, and share their successes,” he said. “… I just want to make sure the teachers know I am here for them.”
Murphy also made sure that all 42 schools in the district heavily focused on safety protocols and expectations on day one to set the tone right for the academic year, and ensure every student felt informed on what to do in an emergency.
“We want to teach a common language across the district for when things are not going the way we expected them to go. If there’s any change in our school day, we want our kids not to be so anxious,” he said. “So, our standard protocol is going to be plastered in all our classrooms so whenever something does go out of norm, they’ll know what to do.”
From cafeteria protocols to fire and other safety procedures, teachers at every level made sure to communicate with students the importance of understanding the district’s emergency terminology.
“It just gives them a level of comfort and it gives our teachers a sense of ownership that we haven’t had in the past,” Murphy said.
Starting the district’s second year on a modified calendar, Elizer Badillo, North Augusta Elementary School’s newly appointed principal, said he was looking forward to interacting with families and connecting with his students as he planned exciting ways to keep education fun.
“We see the gaps at the secondary level, so it’s important that we’re having vertical and horizontal alignment within our individual building,” he said. “There’s gaps that we need to close on the elementary side that’s going to help them succeed later.”
With experience overseeing elementary, middle and high schoolers, Badillo shared that he was excited to return to his career roots at North Augusta.
“I was a kindergarten teacher my very first year of teaching, so coming back and seeing the little ones is pretty fun,” he said. “The work is the work, but what makes a greater impact is the relationships, because you need to connect for kids to be excited to be here. That’s what I like.”
Fellow new principal Jennifer Kolmar at Silver Bluff High School also shared great enthusiasm for establishing relationships with students, especially incoming freshmen, as she once again walked the school’s hallways.
“For me, this is a full-circle moment. This is where I did my student teaching and this is where I was first a teacher in this district … it’s been a while,” she said. “I told my freshmen at orientation that we are going to have a special bond, because they are going to be the very first class that goes all four years with me.”
Preparing the school since June, with some teachers ongoing summer training, Kolmar said her staff “hit the ground running” to get everything ready for students, including welcoming an all-new counseling team.
“They’ve been working around the clock … and we’re so excited to have the students come in today,” she said. “I have to especially give a shout-out to my custodians, because they have definitely worked the hardest this summer.”
After showing Murphy around the school and pointing out some minor repairs and improvements, Kolmar said was excited to be working with the new superintendent because of Murphy’s similar passion for improving students’ educational experiences.
“It’s his leadership that’s going to help guide my leadership,” she said. “He has a strong vision of everything … and it’s his role that helps us figure out how we make the community the best, and I need that vision to make sure that I’m not only serving all of my Silver Bluff students, but serving everyone who lives in Aiken County.”
Thurston Williams, a first year principal at New Ellenton STEAM Magnet Middle, said he was grateful to be starting out under Murphy and alongside so many other new principals because he feels it gives them all an immediate sense of camaraderie.
“It helped me see things in a wider lens, because at first I was so kind of narrow minded thinking ‘wow, I’m the only person going through newness, transition and change,’ but it’s not just me – it’s district-wide,” he said. “So there are people just like me, who are on this journey with me and I don’t have to work in a vacuum.”
For Williams, the first half of the academic year is all about building relationships to develop a positive culture, which he believes is very crucial when educating middle schoolers.
“The first couple of days is the honeymoon period and that’s the best time to plant those seeds, because it pays off later … kids don’t care what you know until they know that you care,” he said. “Investing that time now pays off in February, once everyone is comfortable and used to school, because that’s when you want to rely on that culture to help see you through the year.”
With relationships being developed all throughout the district, Thurston said Murphy’s leadership will have all schools progressing at “full speed ahead.”
Pleased with educators and principals excitement, Murphy said he could not be more impressed with the district’s first day back, and was looking forward to seeing how so many “fresh pairs of eyes” would improve students’ learning experiences.
“What I am doing right now is evaluating the entire district as a whole and removing barriers,” he said. “I think this is a period of renewal for AIken County schools.”
Within the next 90 days, Murphy expects his staff will soon publish a plan for how the school district will proceed forward in the following nine months.
