McCracken Middle School -

Everyone loves a parade! Today may be dreary, but the sun is right around the corner and our Vikings are preparing to celebrate Homecoming Week from September 30 - October 4! Spartanburg High School invites our entire District 7 family and the Spartanburg community to enjoy the Homecoming Parade next Wednesday, October 2 at 7 PM. Arrive early to stake out your spot and enjoy snacks and drinks sold by student council for $1 each! Let's cheer on our Vikings as they prepare to take on Wade Hampton High for the Homecoming game in Viking Stadium on Friday, October 4. See the parade map for parking areas and the route. Go Vikings!

After-School Activities Canceled and eLearning Day Announced for Friday In light of the potential impact from Hurricane Helene, we are taking proactive measures to prioritize the safety of our students, staff and families. District 7 will hold a regular school day on Thursday but has canceled all after-school and evening activities for Thursday. We will also hold an eLearning Day on Friday, September 27. Cherokee County will continue to monitor the storm's timing and impact in hopes that our Viking football team will still travel to compete in Gaffney Friday night. All other after-school programs and activities for District 7 are canceled for both Thursday and Friday. Teachers will communicate with students on Thursday regarding any eLearning assignments for Friday. More information on District 7’s eLearning procedures is available at spartanburg7.org/elearning. The National Weather Service is forecasting strong winds, flooding, and severe weather conditions as this storm moves through our area. As a reminder, SC Bus Safety Regulations restrict the operation of school buses if sustained winds reach 30 mph or gusts of 40 mph. We will continue to monitor this storm and communicate any updates. Thank you for your understanding, as safety is always our top priority!

Today, D7 students and staff showcased their school spirit in style, rocking colors from every corner of the collegiate world! Whether they were representing the SoCon, Ivy League, SEC, ACC, Big Ten, Pac-12, or any other league, the vibrant display of school spirit truly made our schools shine! ✨ From classic crimson and orange to bold navy and gold, our halls were alive with a rainbow of collegiate pride. It was a joyous reminder of the diverse paths our students can take and the shared love of learning that unites us all. Now it's your turn to join the celebration! Share your favorite college team in the comments or post a pic from your College Colors Day! 📸👇 We’d love to see how you showed your spirit! And for those craving some thrilling football action, don’t miss out on tonight’s SHS game as they face off against Dutch Fork under the lights at Viking Stadium, kicking off at 7:30 p.m. 🏈🔥 https://www.spartanburgvikings.org/ We’ll see everyone back at school on Tuesday, September 6. Until then, have a fantastic and safe Labor Day weekend! #d7isgoingforgreat #ToInspireAndEquip #CollegeColorsDay

College Colors Day - Friday, August 30 This Friday, District 7 will join other school districts across the country in celebrating National College Colors Day. We hope you will participate by wearing your favorite college t-shirt, team jersey, or colors. As D7 focuses on our mission to inspire and equip, and grows a culture of college readiness, we embrace this annual celebration by encouraging students, parents, employees, and community partners to participate. Whether our students choose to attend college or travel a different pathway to success, we all love cheering for our favorite team and we are ALL Going for Great! We can’t wait to see College Colors Day in action on Friday!

WE DID IT, SPARTANBURG! NEW Jesse Boyd Elementary School and NEW Mary H. Wright Elementary early-childhood wing anticipated Fall 2027! The unofficial result of the referendum vote is 73% YES – Thank you, Spartanburg! “Today, residents of District 7 chose to create a brighter future for students, teachers, staff, and families. They chose to invest in a thriving community by ensuring District 7’s long-standing commitment to providing excellence in education continues. And for that, we are deeply grateful,” said Superintendent Jeff Stevens. “It has been incredibly rewarding to meet with District 7 residents about these projects through our community info meetings over the summer. Our conversations reflected the shared commitment to the future of our children and schools that has long been a hallmark of this community. Investing in these developments will not only enhance our educational facilities and our students’ learning experience, it will also help fill a critical need for lower-cost childcare to ensure education remains a viable and rewarding career for teachers and staff. This is about securing a brighter future for our students and creating an environment where our educators can thrive both professionally and personally. Spartanburg answered the call to make it all possible – thank you and let’s GO!”

The District 7 Referendum vote is TODAY, Tuesday, August 20 from 7 AM - 7 PM at your regular polling location! Get all the details on the projects on your ballot here: spartanburg7.org/referendum2024

🍎 We're beyond excited to welcome our students back tomorrow, D7! Monday marks the beginning of the 2024-2025 school year, and we can't wait to see all your smiling faces as we kick things off together. 📸 Help us capture the excitement by tagging us in your first day photos with #d7isgoingforgreat on Facebook or Instagram. Let's celebrate the start of an amazing year! #D7isGoingforGreat #ToInspireAndEquip #OurD7story

District 7's schools and offices will open at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, August 7th so our employees can gather for our annual Opening Convocation. This special kick-off for the new school year is a celebration of the important role each member of our D7 faculty and staff plays in the lives of our students and families. Please note that all District 7 facilities will be closed until 11 a.m. Wednesday and thank you for your understanding.

Tax Free Weekend is here! Through Sunday, you can save when you buy school supplies, computers, clothes, bedding, and more, in-store and online as eligible purchases will be tax free! Items include clothes, bedding, and school supplies, plus big-ticket purchases like computers and band instruments. Here’s some last-minute tips for making the most of this weekend https://dor.sc.gov/taxfreeweekend

Our next Referendum Community Info Meeting is coming up next Tuesday at 6 pm at the District 7 Fine Arts Center on the Spartanburg High School campus. Please join us! As a reminder, we will also have meetings at noon and 6 pm on August 13 at Mount Moriah Baptist Church and at 6 pm on August 19 at the District 7 Fine Arts Center at SHS. The complete meeting schedule is below along with the information about our July 30th meeting. You can watch the presentation Superintendent Jeff Stevens is giving at our community meetings on our spartanburg7.org/referendum2024 webpage as well as read through many other details about the need for these projects and their cost.

The Spartanburg County Health Department will host an immunization blitz clinic ahead of the new school year. The event will be held on August 5 at the Spartanburg County Health Department located at 120 Dillon Drive from 9 a.m. to 3;30 p.m. Traditional appointments are encouraged. You can make an appointment by calling 1-855-472-3432. Walk-ins are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. You can visit SC/DHEC for this school year’s vaccine requirements: https://scdhec.gov/health/vaccinations/childcare-school-vaccine-requirements

District 7 schools and offices will be closed in observance of Independence Day on July 4th. As we celebrate and enjoy time spent with loved ones, we honor the values that unite us as a community and nation. Together, let's continue to strive for a future where knowledge, understanding, and compassion prevail. Wishing everyone a safe and joyous Independence Day!

District 7 extends a warm invitation to families in Spartanburg to participate in our summer meal program for 2024. We're providing free individual meals served at various community sites and as part of summer school and other structured programs at our school sites. Please note that meals must be enjoyed on-site, per Federal program regulations. While our school sites are exclusively serving enrolled summer school students, some community sites are open to anyone aged 18 and under. This initiative is made possible thanks to the United States Department of Agriculture's Summer Meals Program. We anticipate serving over 6,500 free meals to students this summer, thanks to our wonderful partners. Find out more and check the schedule on our website:[https://www.spartanburg7.org/summermeals.

D7 is holding a series of community forums in June, July, and August to inform residents about our capital plan and the August 20th referendum, and to give everyone the opportunity to ask questions. We hope you attend one or more of these meetings! The schedule is below and also on our “Referendum 2024” webpage, which contains quite a bit of detail on the projects, costs, referendum vote, etc.: http://spartanburg7.org/referendum2024 Referendum 2024 Community Information Forums Monday, June 10 – City Council presentation, 5:30 p.m. Thursday, June 20 – District 7 Fine Arts Center at Spartanburg High School, 6 p.m. Monday, July 15 – Drayton Mills Elementary School, 6 p.m. Tuesday July 30 – District 7 Fine Arts Center at Spartanburg High School, 6 p.m. Tuesday, August 13 – Mt. Moriah Baptist Church, noon and 6 p.m. (two sessions) Monday, August 19 – District 7 Fine Arts Center at Spartanburg High School, 6 p.m. We will share this information via our D7 social media outlets, local news media, and several other efforts to communicate with the community. Please help spread the word by sharing our posts and any other avenues of communication you have within the community!

Congratulations to 33 8th graders from Carver and McCracken Middle Schools who were named South Carolina Junior Scholars based on their PSAT scores. These students represent the highest achievers in the state and are among 231 Spartanburg County students who qualified out of nearly 3,900 8th graders across our seven school districts! The SC Department of Education set the qualifying score of 550 on the Evidence-Based Reading and Writing portion of the test or score a 530 on the Mathematics portion. Our SC Junior Scholars have taken their first step towards competing in the National Merit Scholarship competition, which is based on their 11th grade PSAT score. Students can be recognized as a National Merit commended student, semifinalist, finalist, or a scholarship recipient. Commended students represent the top 3% of Seniors in the United States, while becoming a semifinalist represents the top 1% of all Seniors. District 7 has a rich tradition of producing national merit award winners and we look forward to these 8th graders continuing this legacy of academic excellence. During the ceremony, Superintendent Jeff Stevens commented, "It is truly a family commitment to earn such an academic distinction, and we are thankful for the partnership of our parents along with our teachers and staff as we propel our students to the highest levels of achievement." In addition to recognizing each D7 qualifier, we celebrated two students who earned the highest scores in the district - Pierce Dickerson for math and Joseph Brown for reading/writing and overall highest score. Please help us congratulate all of our Junior Scholars on their tremendous accomplishment: Anna House, Ahmed Janah, Ayden Blalock, Averi Jefferson, Bennett Salley, Cannon Mitchell, Charlotte Franke, Caison Jaynes, Dianalisa Baller, Dixon Barre, Dishaanth Shanmugam, Everett Stone, Evangeline Crosland, Graysen Voeller, Ian Miller, Jane Colbath, Jillian Seay, Joseph Brown, Kaese Boucher, Liza Baisygnavong, Ma'Shya Ferguson, Mackie Clayton, Meredith Barnhill, Micah Woodall, Nala Vongsay, Noah Kastner, Pierce Dickerson, Rayonna Hibbard, Rob Metts, Samuel Strickland, Summer Cash, Wallace Lynch, Zoe O'Brien

Happy School Bus Driver Appreciation Day! Today, we are excited to celebrate the amazing men and women who help our children get to school safely every day. We thank you for your tireless dedication and commitment to our students and families, and we have produced a special video to express our appreciation for all that you do. From double-checking safety measures to assisting students with special needs, you make our mornings brighter and our afternoons smoother. We are so grateful for the important contributions you make to our community. Here's to all the school bus drivers out there that keep our students safe and positioned for success! ❤️🚌 Watch here: https://fb.watch/qn8_17PaNb/ #SchoolBusDriverAppreciationDay #ThankYouBusDrivers #GratefulParents #TEAM7

January is National School Board Appreciation Month and we invite our D7 Family to join us in honoring our Trustees! We celebrate the contributions they make to further our district-wide commitment to excellence and to help ensure every student has the resources, opportunities, and support they need to reach their full potential. Thank you to our District 7 Board of Trustees (pictured from left): Clay Mahaffey (Board Vice Chair), James Jones, Jeff Mason, Hallie Hurst, Sharon Porter (Board Chair), Griffin Lynch, Meg Clayton, Rick Gray, and Vernon Beatty (Board Secretary)