Dr. Pool's Backyard Brief 12-31-2021

Hello Wildcats!  This is Ryan Pool, principal at Lexington High School!

I have received several questions about attendance for Monday and Tuesday. To clarify, school will operate on a regular schedule both days. Attendance will be taken in every class. Instruction will focus on individualized support for students rather than introducing new material or new assessments. As always, I am available to talk through questions you may have about your child's attendance.

Our football team travels to Fort Dorchester Friday night for the third round of the 5A State Playoffs! We are so proud of the players and coaches. For students and families traveling to support the team, cheer loudly and be safe! Students under age 18, are required to either show a current Lexington High School ID or be accompanied by an adult to be admitted into the stadium.

Our state champion Varsity cheer team will defend their title on Saturday afternoon at the Colonial Life Arena. Our LHS Athletic Booster Club has provided a limited number of tickets for students who wish to attend the competition and support the team. Check with Ms. Wise for information about tickets. We are so proud of these athletes!

Congratulations to all of our new National Honor Society inductees. We look forward to celebrating with you on Sunday afternoon in the Lexington One Performing Arts Center!

Juniors and families of current juniors, we will be sending more reminders and details about our Pinning and Class Ring Ceremony that will take place on Sunday, December 12.

Thanksgiving is a perfect LHS holiday because we have so much to be grateful for. Our students, staff, and community make our school a great place every day. I hope next week provides each of you with rest, laughter, and a time to reflect on those things for which you are thankful!

Hello Wildcats!

Our Varsity Football team will host Conway in the first round of playoffs tonight! Tickets must be purchased online and no passes other than high school league passes will be accepted. We want a big, spirited crowd, so we hope to see you there. The theme is Black Out.

Our Wildcat Marching Band competes Saturday in the 5A State Championship at Irmo High School. We know they are the best in the state and are excited to cheer them on this weekend. Congratulations on a great competition season!

Congratulations to all of our students who have represented LHS so well this fall. There are several important state championships coming up in the next few weeks, and we know our kids will shine. Senior golfer Isabella Rawl is the first Wildcat state champion this year, winning her second individual state 5A golf title. Way to go Isabella! 

Current juniors, check your mailbox for a Save the Date postcard for our Ring and Pinning ceremony. This is a family event and we want to honor each of you as you begin to prepare for your senior year.

Have a wonderful, chilly weekend.

Go Wildcats!

First, congratulations to our 2021 Homecoming Queen Amara King, and runners-up Saylor Koon and Dani Wolan.  Thanks to all of the participants in this year's homecoming court.  It was a great night!

Congratulations to the Varsity Football team for their big Homecoming win Friday night against Airport High School on senior night.  We are so proud of your efforts.  It was great to have our Cat Band on the field and in the stands, and thanks to our amazing student section for showing up in force.  Congratulations to our senior football players and families, along with our senior athletic trainers.  Thank you for all you have given to our programs!

We were excited to meet Wiley the Wildcat last night, the newest member of the Wildcat mascot family!  Wiley will be around town at many events representing the Wildcats.  Be sure to find a photo opp with him and get your Wiley the Wildcat T-shirt through the athletic office!  If you want to book Wiley for an event, let us know!

At the beginning of the third quarter, Wildcat announcer Mark Zona recognized all first responders in an important moment of gratitude for those who continue to sacrifice and serve our country.  We will never forget.  Today we celebrate that twenty years ago our nation showed the world that courage and love are always stronger than hate and fear.  Thank you to all who serve.

Underclassmen will take school pictures Monday and Tuesday with their Empower classes.  I have copied a schedule below so our students know which day to wear their favorite picture outfits.  Students received information about purchasing pictures in their Empower classes.  Check your bookbag for picture packets!

We continue to work hard to monitor the rate of positive COVID cases among our students and staff.  It is more important than ever for students who are experiencing symptoms to let a nurse, parent, or teacher know.  We want to stay in school with our students and we want them all to be safe!  Masking and distancing help keep us in school at LHS.

Thanks to all of our students for their great spirit during Homecoming week.  It was a blast to watch you all celebrate our awesome school.  You are THE BEST!

Dear Parents and Guardians:

This week in all classes, Lexington High School teachers will be walking through the procedures we would use if we needed to hold a virtual learning day.  Over the next two weeks, all Lexington One schools will conduct similar practices.

At LHS, our students will learn and practice the procedures we would use, including how to access learning for each class and participation expectations. They will also practice locating digital resources and engaging in some simulations of what e-learning could look like in each course.

We want to make sure your student is comfortable and prepared to successfully learn if a temporary shift to e-learning is necessary at any point during the school year. 

Though we know this news may make you a bit nervous, please know this decision isn’t based solely on COVID-19. There are other reasons why schools could shift to e-learning for a day or more such as severe weather. For this reason, we plan to practice e-learning with all of our students each year.

From time to time, severe weather – from tropical storms to snow and ice – leads us to shift instructional models. With hurricane season upon us, the threat of inclement weather increases this time of year. E-learning allows us to continue instruction during these days without forcing us to use a weather make-up day. 

Whatever the reason may be, we believe giving your student and our teachers the opportunity to practice how e-learning will work will help us deliver smooth, high-quality virtual instruction if needed temporarily at any point throughout the year. 

Thanks for your support.

Ryan Pool

Principal, Lexington High School

Important points to remember:

• Traffic during the first week is really heavy.  Please be patient and give yourself a little more time for arrival and dismissal.  We want everyone here, but we want everyone to be safe.  Expect long traffic lines.  The Lexington County Police Department will be assisting us with our traffic flow.

• We will also have schedules printed out for all students in their first block class, along with a short video that helps students read their schedule and understand all of the transition times so they can get where they need to be throughout the day.  Our staff will look up first block classes and guide students in the mornings in case they aren't sure where to go.  If students have questions about their schedules, our counselors will be available throughout the day next to the Stronger Together mural.  Watch the 5 minute schedule video HERE.  A couple of helpful documents are attached to this email!

• Lunch and breakfast are provided at no cost to students this year.  We will be teaching or reteaching all students how to manage the lunch line effectively and we will make sure all of our students have a chance to eat their lunch.

• Like last year, Lexington One High Schools will not accept lunch drop-offs for students. We're sorry but at this point, that is one way we can minimize traffic in and out of our building throughout the day.  

• Class starts at 8:35 and our school day ends at 3:45.  Before 8:20, students will go to the cafeteria.  After 8:20, students will report to their first block class.

• If you have questions about bus transportation, please check the information posted on our school district website or contact our district's transportation office.  The phone number for LHS transportation is (803) 821-1340.

• We will have a printed copy of new passwords for students on Day 1.  If you have not yet accessed your new password, we will have it here for you when you arrive.  Ninth graders and new students who don't have your macbooks will be able to pick them when they arrive Tuesday morning.  Our technology specialists will be set up in the commons area to hand these out.

• If you are a student driver, we will make sure you have what you need during the first week to get a parking pass for the year.

There is probably more you want to know, but this message is too long already!  We will be here to help throughout the week.  Rest and enjoy the weekend!  We can't wait to see you on Tuesday!

* Check out the Spirit Store QR Code Flyer.pdf  for Wildcat Gear!

** Check out LexingtonWildcats.com/photos to see great pics from Wildcat Welcome!  Did you know our school site is the second most viewed in the nation? It is because of Mr. Larry James and his amazing photos!  

*** Our first home football game is Friday, August 20 against West Florence!  Students - the theme will be Hawaiian Tropic!  Be there and be loud!

Go Wildcats!

Schedule Guide 

Sample Schedule 

July 1, 2021

Dear Wildcat students and families,

I hope your summer has been amazing so far! Even though we have a few weeks left, I want to welcome you to the start of the 2021-2022 school year. Our summer staff has been working really hard to get everything ready for a great start to the year. I can’t wait to see all of our returning students and I’m looking forward to meeting our amazing new ninth-grade class and new Wildcats.

The 2020-2021 school year was a bit of a blur, with many changes and unexpected pivots as we navigated unprecedented events and challenges. Even though some parts of the year were scary and uncertain, our students and school community continued to focus on positives, like school pride, excellence in academics, athletics, and the arts, as well as service to others. Over 83 percent of our senior class qualified for life scholarships and as a class, they earned nearly $60 million in scholarships towards two or four-year colleges. Our students earned superior recognition and all-state honors in our performing and visual arts, and claimed several team and individual state titles in athletics.

Throughout it all, our students focused on protecting and supporting each other, best represented by the Unity Mural, painted by all of our student body to show that we are indeed stronger together. As you can tell, I am a super proud principal of our awesome student body, our faculty, staff, and all of the families that make LHS an amazing place!

As we enter the 2021-2022 school year, there is still uncertainty and there will be obstacles to face. More than ever, I am convinced that we have what it takes to face any challenge head-on, and come out stronger on the other side. As we have done over the past year and a half, we will take care of each other and take pride in being part of the 110 years of Wildcat excellence. I can’t wait to get started!

I will try to always keep you informed throughout the year through a variety of communication. I’m planning to start up my Backyard Briefs videos in the next couple of weeks, and of course, we are always excited to hear from you over the summer.

We will officially welcome in the new year on Wednesday, August 4 with our Cats Kickoff. Our campus will be open from 10:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. for tours, meet and greet stations, photo opportunities, Wildcat Spirit Store, club sign-up, and more. We will have help stations to complete Online Registration for those who need assistance or have questions. We hope to see a lot of you throughout the day! We will also have self-guided tour options throughout the summer to allow you to explore and learn more about our school. We will push out information about those tour options in the next few weeks.

Also on August 4, from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m., we invite all new students and incoming freshmen to our Wildcat Welcome for team building, orientation to high school, MacBook pick up, and lots of fun! Starting LHS is an exciting transition but can cause some nervousness. We want to set all of our students up for success and answer a lot of questions before the first day of school. No worries if you can’t make it - we will still make the transition easy for everyone. We have created a Wildcat Welcome website with useful tips, modules, and messages to help all of our new Wildcats get ready for the year. Check it out: https://tinyurl.com/WildcatWelcome2021. Your success is our goal!

We proved that our school is agile and adaptable to find ways to succeed despite unexpected challenges. As we come back to school, we will continue to rise to the challenge of meeting all of our students’ needs under all circumstances. We plan to use what we have learned to continue growing and improving.

We are thankful for all of our students and families. As we approach the school year, I promise to share updates and important information with you. Be sure to check our school website and follow us on social media for the latest news. I know 2021-2022 is going to be an amazing year.

At Lexington High School, we will continue to empower our students to design the future!

Hail to Thee!

Ryan Pool

Principal

Lexington High School

Summer 2021 Letter

Hello, This is Ryan Pool, principal at Lexington High School!

On behalf of the faculty and staff of Lexington High School, I would like to thank you for a fantastic school year. Despite the unusual circumstances we faced together throughout the year, our students, faculty, and community came together to find solutions and find success. I already miss the kids!  

We are ready to celebrate the Class of 2021 on Friday morning at Wildcat Stadium at 8 a.m. Gates open at 6:45 and a ticket is required to attend. We are so proud of the Class of 2021. We know you are going to be amazing on the next part of your journey.

Our office hours over the summer will be 7:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m., Monday through Thursday. Our front office staff is available to help with any questions.  

For students returning to LHS, be sure to check your school email periodically throughout the summer for important messages about next year. Parents, we will send out information about online registration as soon as possible and we will work hard to make everything very easy for a good start to the 21-22 school year.

We hope all of our Wildcat students and families have a wonderful summer. We see amazing talents and potential in our kids everyday and can't wait to hear about their great summer adventures. Thanks for an great school year and we’ll see you soon. Be safe and be awesome everyday.

Go Wildcats!

Hello! This is Ryan Pool, Principal at Lexington High School, calling with a few important reminders.

Tomorrow, Friday, May 28, is the last school day for our graduating seniors.  For those of you who are still working to improve grades or make up missed assignments, please stay in touch with your teachers to make plans so that we can see you walk across the stage on June 11.  For those who have completed all of their course requirements, we are incredibly proud of you and can't wait to celebrate you at graduation.  You have truly made our school special this year and left a strong legacy for those who will come after you.  Thank you for being awesome.

Graduates and parents, we will continue to try to communicate graduation information through multiple formats so that you stay informed.  Everything we send out is also found on our school website.  Many of our seniors have opportunities to be honored at their elementary schools tomorrow morning or next week.  Students should have received the information they need through their email and through social media announcements.  Be sure to tag Lexington High School in your pictures from these events.

As in the fall, final exams this year will give underclassmen an opportunity to improve their overall grades, but will not negatively impact their final average.  We want our students to study and take advantage of this opportunity in all of their courses.  Our exam schedule will be available on our school website next week.  If you plan to sign out on exam days, we can not disrupt students in the middle of the block.  Students can be signed out between exam periods, but not during the instructional block.  Thank you for helping us preserve the testing environment for all students.

Remember that Monday is the Memorial Day holiday.  There is no school for students and our offices will be closed.  As we enjoy a wonderful warm long weekend, our faculty and staff want to thank all who have served and made the ultimate sacrifice for our country to protect our freedoms.  We hope you all stay safe and have a wonderful break.  

We are ready to finish strong.  Thank you for all you do to make LHS a great place every day!  Go Wildcats!

Hello! This is Ryan Pool, principal at Lexington High School, checking in before an exciting weekend!

First, I want to thank all of our students and families for your patience and understanding as we navigated changes at school.  Our teachers and staff have tried this week to make quick adjustments based on new guidance, and I am very proud of their efforts.  This year has not always been the easiest to figure out, but I hope you all know that we want all of our students to be safe, comfortable, and successful every day.  Our students have modeled kindness and respect for each other this week, which makes me a very proud principal.

We celebrated St. Baldrick's Week all week long to support research in the fight against pediatric cancer.  Our student-led activities raised thousands of dollars and awareness across our student body.  Service became a focus for our students this week, and they did not get distracted from reaching their goals!

I want to wish our baseball and softball teams good luck this weekend as they begin their playoff run.  We have many track athletes looking to qualify for state this weekend.  Our boys' golf team has already won the Lower State title and they will compete for the state championship on Monday and Tuesday, and our boys' soccer team will be competing against Riverside High School tonight for the 5A state championship, held at the Irmo High School Stadium!  We have sold hundreds of tickets and it is going to be an exciting atmosphere.  If you still need a ticket, click this link.

As we close out the year, I hope you all see the amazing things our students can do when we come together.  We are going to finish strong!  

Our students and families continue to be great models for what it means to have school spirit, kindness, empathy, and a truly strong community.  Thank you Lexington High for always providing a great example for our state, especially during challenging times.  You are all appreciated and valued!

Help our School Counseling Department with your feedback: Parent Survey

Have a great weekend and GO WILDCATS!