October is National Principals Month and we couldn’t be prouder to celebrate the incredible leaders we have here in Lex3! Our principals go above and beyond each day to create a warm, inspiring, and supportive environment where both students and staff can thrive. They lead with passion, vision, and an unwavering commitment to excellence.
Please join us in honoring these exceptional individuals who make our schools so special:
🌟 Mary Anne Tillman – Principal of B-L Primary School
🌟 Matt Velasquez – Principal of B-L Elementary School
🌟 Sharah Clark – Principal of B-L Middle School
🌟 Will McGinty – Principal of B-L High School.
We are so grateful for their dedication to our Panther family! There truly isn’t a team anywhere that loves and uplifts their school communities quite like they do. Let’s give them the recognition they deserve this month!
A special thanks to Mid-Carolina Electric Cooperative for honoring three of our staff members today at its Bright Ideas luncheon. Corey Bedenbaugh, Laura Bishop, and Ivey Zimmerman, all staff members at B-L Middle School, received grants this year through MCEC's Bright Ideas program. MCEC's Bright Ideas program is open to educators in kindergarten through 12th grades in Lexington County School Districts One, Two, Three and Five, and in the Saluda County School District. Each October, MCEC awards approximately $18,000 in grants to the winning teachers to help supplement resources for their creative classroom projects. We thank MCEC for its support!
As part of National School Bus Safety Week, students at B-L Middle School participated in a bus evacuation drill on Thursday. National School Bus Safety Week is an active and evolving public education program that is held the third full week of October each year and addresses the importance of school bus safety.
Congratulations to these outstanding second-grade students at B-L Primary School for being chosen as Panther Ambassadors! This new program, which required students to apply, recognizes those who show exceptional leadership, kindness, and a commitment to helping others. As Panther Ambassadors, they will take on important roles around the school, including assisting with the newly-launched PAWS mail delivery system (Panthers Achieve Writing Success). They’ll also help lead school tours for guests and serve on the safety patrol, showcasing their pride and responsibility. We’re so proud of these young Panthers for this well-deserved honor!
33 student athletes from B-L Middle and B-L High Schools took part in our Heart of the Panther event this week. The Heart of the Panther program offers free cardiovascular screenings through MUSC to student athletes ages 14 and older who are in the 8th through 12th grades. Pictured are members of the MUSC School of Cardiovascular Technology who performed the screenings. We thank them for helping to keep our students healthy and safe!
The spooky fun begins this evening at the Lexington Three Fine Arts Center as the Panther Players present "Little Shop of Horrors." Tickets will be sold at the door and are $12 for general admission and $8 for Lexington Three staff and students (please have ID available).
Can't make it tonight? No worries! Other showtimes are Saturday, October 26th at 7 pm and Sunday, October 27th at 2 pm. **Please be aware that this play is intended for older students and adults and may be too frightening for younger children. Parental discretion is recommended.** Come support the arts in Lexington Three!
If you plan to attend the Varsity football game this Friday, October 25th at B-L High School's Panther Stadium, please consider bringing a donation for our neighbors in North Carolina who were recently devastated by Hurricane Helene. A list of needed items can be found in the graphic below. A special thanks to JRA Exterminating and Saluda County EMS for organizing this supply drive.
Make plans now to support the Batesburg-Leesville High School Panther Players as they present "Little Shop of Horrors" at the Lexington Three Fine Arts Center! 🎬🤩 Production dates and times are as follows: Thursday, October 24th at 7 pm; Saturday, October 26th at 7 pm; and Sunday, October 27th at 2 pm. Tickets will be available at the door and are $8 for Lexington Three students and staff (please have ID available) and $12 for members of the general public. **Please be aware that this play is intended for older students and adults and may be too frightening for younger children. Parental discretion is recommended.**
Students throughout Lexington County School District Three took part in the Great ShakeOut Earthquake Drill today! Held every third Thursday in October, International ShakeOut Day saw millions of participants worldwide, making it the largest earthquake drill ever organized. The event aims to raise awareness and prepare people across the globe for how to respond in the event of an earthquake.
Homecoming 2024 celebrations are already underway at B-L High School! This year's theme is "Decades: From decades past to a Panther future (where every decade roars)" and students have had the best time participating in our dress-up days! Visit our Facebook pages for more great pictures!
This Friday, October 18th is Homecoming at Batesburg-Leesville High School. The Varsity Panther football team will face off against the American Leadership Academy Patriots beginning at 7:30 pm in Panther Stadium. 🏈 Prior to the game, alumni of Batesburg-Leesville High School are invited to attend a special Homecoming tailgate. The tailgate will be held just outside of Panther Stadium in the area to the side of the new Panther Walk. Each decade of alumni is being allotted a section of the space for cooking and mingling. Please see the graphic for additional information. Each decade has already completed the planning for cooking, etc. so anyone who wants to participate is invited to simply stop by on Friday! We can't wait to welcome all of our Panthers home!
Our community is simply the best! We had a terrific turnout last night at B-L Elementary School for our "Escape Room Literacy Night" and we are so grateful for the support we received from our Panther families. The evening’s events followed a mystery night theme where students and their families visited classrooms on their grade level hall to solve reading-centered mysteries. As families cracked each of the codes, they received a puzzle piece and after receiving all of the parts to the puzzle, students were given their very own mystery book to take home. Students also got to show off their artwork and browse the Book Character Pumpkin Patch in the media center.
B-L Elementary School's School Resource Officer Al Wilson is leading a new group this year that's aimed at helping students develop life skills. The group meets on Tuesdays before school, participants wear ties (hence the name Tie Tuesdays), and yesterday Officer Wilson showed them how to change the tire on a car!
Congratulations to Lexington County School District Three Superintendent Dr. Ashley Atkinson on receiving the Patriot Award from the Office of the Secretary of Defense last night at the monthly Board of Trustees meeting. The Patriot Award reflects the efforts made by supervisors to support citizen warriors through a wide-range of measures including flexible schedules, time off prior to and after deployment, caring for families, and granting leaves of absence if needed. Randall Price, Director of Lexington Three's Lifelong Learning Center and member of the Army Reserves, nominated Dr. Atkinson for the award.
Students and staff at B-L Elementary School hosted members of our Board of Trustees this morning for a special breakfast and informational session about the school's new Critter Coin positive behavior reward system. They did a terrific job with their presentation!
Support our Panther athletes tomorrow evening (Tuesday, September 10th) by visiting Groucho's Deli at 139 North Oak Street in Batesburg. 10% of all proceeds from 4 pm until closing will come back to the B-L Panther Athletic Booster Club for athletic scholarships, awards, equipment and supplies! We appreciate your support!
Meet the B-L Elementary School Honors Choir! 🎼This year's choir is composed of 64 third, fourth and fifth grade students who auditioned to be part of the prestigious group led by BLES music teacher Kristen Pugh. The group meets weekly to practice and performs at various events throughout the year including BLES music programs, Christmas community events and at the Poultry Festival.
We had two wonderful mornings at B-L Primary School for our "Grits for Grands" events! We LOVE the support that we always receive from our community. We wish everyone a happy Grandparents Day this Sunday, September 8th! Thanks to our BLPS PTO for sponsoring these great events. Be sure to follow their Facebook page to see the individual pictures that were taken by Shoot for a Celebration photography.
On Thursday, September 5th, three esteemed judges visited the classrooms of our Teachers of the Year from across the district to conduct observations and interviews, evaluating the finalists to determine who will be named the 2024-2025 Lexington County School District Three overall Teacher of the Year. Judges pictured from left to right are: Stephanie Wallace, Director of Curriculum and Instruction for Edgefield County School District; Toni Chewning, Director of Association Activities for the Palmetto State Teachers Association; and Debbie Simpson, retired educator with 31 years of experience from Laurens County School District 55.
Lexington Three's entire transportation team recently completed training and received their CPR, First Aid and AED certifications! This is actually the second time that the group has completed such a training with the first one being held in 2022. Great job!
