District Names Principal of the Year Finalists

Several local administrators up for top honors.

The Berkeley County Board of Education recently announced it's finalists for principal and assistant principal of the year, including several local administrators. Here are our local nominees and a brief bio provided by the Berkeley County School District: BCSD Principal of the Year Finalists: Jim Spencer, Marrington Middle School of the Arts   In 1990, Spencer began his tenure with Berkeley County School District, for which he has served as principal of Hanahan High, Stratford High and Marrington Middle  School of the Arts. Under his leadership, Marrington Middle recently became the state’s first middle school in ten years to win the prestigious National Blue Ribbon Award.  A student says that Spencer encourages everyone to do his or her …

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Westview Middle Hosts Young Writers Conference

Event brings students from across the district to Goose Creek.

The Young Writers' Conference was held on Saturday, Nov. 17, at Westview Middle School. Students from across Berkeley County honed their writing and literacy skills for a dynamic day of learning and sharing. The Young Writers’ Conference has become the only event of its kind in the Lowcountry.   It is an annual opportunity—deeply rooted to the district’s emphasis on literacy — that touches hundreds of students representing all of the district’s 41 schools.   This year, hundreds students convened to share their passions for writing and participate in experiences designed to improve their skills and foster a love for writing. Read more school notes from across the Goose Creek/Hanahan area.

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Westview Speller Falls Short at Nationals

Bongalonta spells well in preliminary rounds, but misses semifinals mark.

Westview Middle School's Ian Bongalonta did a fine job representing Goose Creek on Wednesday at the 2012 Scripps National Spelling Bee, but didn't quality for the semifinal competition. More than 278 students began spelling words earlier this week as the event kicked off. The first round had students take a computerized spelling test with 50 words, of which only 25 would be scored. Then, in the two live rounds, each speller had two chances to test their skills in front of a crowd of 500 audience members. A correctly spelled word in this round earned the contestants three points. Each contestant could earn up to 31 points. Once the preliminary rounds were over, spelling bee officials tallied and announced the results to the nervous children…

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Westview Spelling Bee Wiz at Nationals This Week

Ian Bongalonta representing Lowcountry.

Westview Middle School's Ian Bongalonta will be stepping to the microphone this week in Washington, D.C., for 2012 Scripps National Spelling Bee. More than 275 students from across the country gathered this week for the 2012 Scripps National Spelling Bee. Round one of the preliminaries involved a test, followed by  A week of events for the more than 275 finalists began Sunday and continue through the week. Round one of the preliminaries began Tuesday morning. The next two rounds will appear live on ESPN3.com on Wednesday, beginning at 8 a.m. Don't miss a headline. Like Goose Creek Patch on Facebook! Bongalonta finished 8th in the Berkeley County School District spelling bee, good enough for a shot at the regional bee in March. The local …

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Westview Middle Student Wins Regional Bee

Early exit in the county bee doesn't stop Ian Bongalonta.

Westview Middle student Ian Bongalonta won the regional spelling bee on Thursday night with "suggestible." "The irony is I spelled all those words correctly, but I can't think of a word to describe this," he said a few minutes later as he held the trophy. Bongalonta will head to Washington, D.C., for the Scripps National Spelling Bee. The preliminaries are May 30. In the county bee in January, Bongalonta was confident and careful with his spelling, but he tripped up on "dearth" and finished eighth. The Post and Courier has more, including reaction from Bongalonta's parents. Other qualifiers for the regional bee included: 

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Westview Students Hear From Trumpet Talent

"Nobody should ever tell them they can't do something."

Students Pass Cocktail Around at Westview Middle

One student charged after teacher finds water bottle with red liquor.

A 14-year-old girl has been charged with possession of alcohol after a teacher confiscated a water bottle with liquor that was being passed around the class. The principal contacted Goose Creek Police on Friday morning after the teacher turned over the water bottle that contained a red liquor with a strong odor, according to the initial report. The girl allegedly responsible for the bottle told police that she mixed the drink at home before bringing it to school. She allegedly let two other students drink from the bottle during class before putting it back in her book bag. She said she did not know who pulled the bottle back out of her bag and handed it around the classroom. The girl was released to her parents, with her case forwarded to …

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