Spring Valley Players Present A Variety Show

The Spring Valley Players will be presenting A Variety Show next week starting October 2nd, 3rd, 4th at 7:00 PM and October 5th for a  3:00 PM matinee. General Admission is $5.00 and student admission is $3.00.  We will be featuring musical numbers from well known productions such as Les Mis, Phantom of the Opera, Tangled, Grease and High School Musical. We'll perform scenes from The Diviners, Fools and Arsenic and Old Lace, as well as a Marx Brothers comedy sketch! Then we'll perform the hilarious one act This is a Test!!  Please come out and support the Spring Valley Players! 

Lance Murphy Selected to Attend Columbia Engineering Experience

Each fall, Columbia University Engineering offers a selective, three-day overnight program designed for high school seniors who are interested in engineering.  Spring Valley High senior Lance Murphy has been selected to attend. Highlights of Columbia Engineering Experience (CE2include: 100% funding by Columbia University, he will meet members of Columbia’s renowned faculty, and visit a world-class research center.  Click here for more details on this program.

Viking Sports Wrap

Varsity Football
The Spring Valley Varsity Football team defeated South Aiken 28-16 last Friday night running their record to 5-0 on the season. The Vikings were led on defense by Josh Harlan who had 19 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 fumble recovery and 1 caused fumble. Christian Miller had 9 tackles, 1 sack and 1 tackle for loss and Jordan Williams had 13 tackles and 1 tackle for loss. The Vikings were led on offense by QB Chris Adams who had 11 rushes for 115 yards and 1 TD and was 4-6 passing for 58 yards and 2 TD's. John Miller had 86 yards rushing and 2 TD's and Ryan Lee had 38 yards rushing. Alec Koon rushed for 69 yards. LJ Mealing had a 16 yard TD catch for the Vikings 4th TD. Cooper Gresham had 4 Ext. Pts and 3 Kick offs in the end zone. 

The Vikings travel to undefeated White Knoll Friday night in a battle of the only two undefeated AAAA teams in the midlands. This is a huge game for the Vikings, and White Knoll is expected to have a huge crowd. We need as many fans as possible to support our undefeated Vikings. The Vikings are now ranked 6th in the state in AAAA. 

Banned Book Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read

Spring Valley celebrates Banned Book Week, the 30th annual celebration of the freedom to read.   

Future Entrepreneurs

Mrs. Sandra Wells' entrepreneurship class presented their Lego projects. Team members were given the task of creating a new product, determining the time it would take to make the product, calculating the cost of supplies and labor, determining where will be product would be sold, the price of product, and the target market.  Management skills and strong team building abilities are often perceived as essential leadership attributes for successful entrepreneurs.  

WACH FOX 57 "The Right Stuff Player of the Week"


Spring Valley High School senior Julia Learmonth was awarded WACH FOX 57 "The Right Stuff Player of the Week" during lunch on Friday.  Julia plays tennis for Spring Valley.  Congratulations Julia!

Viking Sports Wrap

Boys Cross Country
The Boys Cross Country Team lost to Blythewood 28-27 yesterday. The rookie head coach got cocky and tried to beat them with our JV. Luckily this does not count towards Region Champions. The boys are 10-1 on the season, ranked 5th in the State and run this Saturday in Boone.

Girls Cross Country
The Lady Viking Cross Country team competed last night at home against Brooklyn Cayce, Wilson High, and Blythewood. We defeated all 3 teams and brought our season record to 11-0. The scoring is as follows:
SV 21                        SV 16                         SV 15
BW 47                       W 66                          BC-No Score

Many of our girls ran their personal best in this race. Amelia Edwards, Tuana Boatman, Samantha Goodman, Arianna Atkinson, Martina Novotny, and Irene Nicholson were some of the team members that ran their personal records this season. 

We look forward to competing in the High Country Invitational in Boone, NC this weekend.

Elementary 19 Information

In the fall of 2014, Richland School District Two will be opening its newest elementary school, Elementary 19, to downsize overcrowding at Lake Carolina Elementary, and to help manage future growth in this area. To find out more information about the opening of this school, please go to: https://www.richland2.org/Pages/elementary19.aspx

Yearbook Make-up Pictures

Yearbook make-up pictures for 9th, 10th and 11th graders will be taken in the Multi-Purpose Room Wednesday, October 9th throughout the day. This is will the last chance to be photographed for the 2014 yearbook.    
Seniors need to have their pictures taken with Prestige Portraits/Life Touch by the end of October if they want to be in the senior section of the yearbook. Appointment times are filling up quickly.  Seniors need to call 788-1620 to make an appointment. Please contact Lisa Brindel at lbrindel@richland2.org with questions.

Better Together 5K Run/Walk

Click here to register online.

How Should You Study for the PSAT?

The PSAT is just around the corner. This year the PSAT will be administered on October 16th. If you’re a student, or know one, here’s how to prep best for the upcoming test:

Don’t worry about memorizing – the PSAT is based off the knowledge you have right now from your high school classes. The PSAT wants to see you are working with right now.
Review class notes – Writing, critical reading and math problem-solving are all tested on the PSAT. Take some time to review your class notes for any relevant subjects to polish their skills. If it’s been a while since you worked on Geometry problems, for example, you may want to do a review of the basic formats. 
Polish test taking strategies – While the PSAT tests what you already know, there are specific strategies to taking the test that can help you focus, save time and score better during test day. 
These strategies are exactly what we’ll be covering in our free series of webinars during “PSAT Week” – October 10th through 17th.

Congratulations Bushra Islam and Kiran Ravindra


The Social Studies Department has chosen Bushra Islam and Kiran Ravindra to represent Spring Valley High School as the 2013-2014 James T. Otis scholars at the upcoming James T. Otis lecture series presented by the South Carolina Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates.   Click here for more information about the program.  

Congratulations Venesia Johnson


Mrs. Venesia Johnson, social worker at Spring Valley High School, has been named the  2013 Heart of the Region for Richland, Lexington and Kershaw! This means that she has done a phenomenal job both in applications and in her spirit and passion for helping the students and families she serves. Lauren Carswell, regional coordinator for The Benefit Bank of South Carolina, presented Mrs. Johnson with a silver pig on Wednesday at Spring Valley. Congratulations and thank you for all of your hard work!  


Congratulations to our National Achievement Semifinalist

Congratulations to Lance Murphy for being named a 2014 National Achievement Semifinalist. More than 160,000 high school juniors from all parts of the United States requested consideration in the 2014 National Achievement Scholarship Program when they took the 2012 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®). Semifinalists are designated within geographic regions and are the highest-scoring program entrants in the states that make up each region. To advance to the Finalist level in the competition, the Semifinalist and their high school must submit a detailed scholarship application in which they provide information about the student’s academic record, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, employment, and honors and awards received. Semifinalists must present a record of high academic performance throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by a high school official, write an essay, and earn SAT scores that confirm their PSAT/NMSQT performance.  Click here for press release.

Viking Sports Wrap

Varsity Football
The Spring Valley Vikings Varsity Football Team defeated rival Westwood HS 24-14 on homecoming last Friday night. The Vikings are now 4-0 and ranked #6 in the state. The Vikings were led on defense by several outstanding players. DeMarcus Muscove had 4 tackles, 2 pass break ups, 1 Interception and 1 fumble recovery. Josh Harlan had 12 tackles 2 tackles for loss and 1 pass break up. Donovan Palmer had 9 tackles and 2 tackles for loss. Christian Miller had 12 tackles 2 tackles for loss, and 2 sacks. Cooper Gresham was 1-2 on FG's and 3 for 3 on Ext. Pt's. He had 3 kick offs in the end zone. 

College Visits

The following colleges listed below will be at Spring Valley on the following dates.  We would love for students (11th or 12th graders) to attend one or more meetings. Students can log into Naviance or stop by CIC to see Mr. Staten for more details about these college visits.

September 25th:  Davidson College visits SV @ 12:30pm

September 26th:  Hollins University visits SV @ 8:30am 
  
September 26th:  Presbyterian College  visits SV @ 8:30am 

September 26th:  Massachusetts Institute of Technology visits SV @ 1:00pm                            and @ 7:00 in the Spring Valley Auditiorium

September 26th:  University of South Carolina visits SV @ 2:00pm

September 27th Barnard College visits SV @ 8:00am

Congratulations 2013 Homecoming Queen, Amina Gaines


Spring Valley High School senior Amina Gaines was crowned the 2013 Homecoming Queen on Friday night at halftime of the football game.  First runner-up was Morgan Osborne and 2nd runner-up was Talitha Cole. 

PSAT & PLAN

Reminder, it is now time to sign up for the PSAT (pre SAT) and the PLAN (pre ACT). The cost for the PSAT is $14 and the PLAN is $13, your student can sign up with Wanda Mujica in the School Counselor's office. The PSAT will be given on 10/16 and the PLAN will be given 10/29, both are excused activities. This is a great way to get a cheap prep for the SAT and ACT.

Spring Valley Go to 4-0

Spring Valley defeated in-district foe Westwood last night at Harry Parone, 24-14.  The Vikings were led by Senior John Miller, with 28 carries for 289 yards and a pair of touchdowns.  The Vikings play South Aiken next Friday at 7:30 PM at home.

Viking Sports Wrap

JV Football
Last night the JV defeated Westwood 23-14. It was a hard fought game that was only decided on the last possession. 

The scoring began with a 35 yard touchdown pass from Kevin Owens to Jaron Ricks. R.J Bacon got another field goal from 6 yards out on the next possession. Kristion Glover then scored later on a 10 TD run. After the Red Hawks scored on their next possession, they attempted an on sides kick. At that point, it was 17-14 SV. It was recovered by Alston Adams. The offense drove but were forced to punt and return the ball to Westwood. The defense held the Red Hawks late in the 4th as they were threatening again. Derek Green was equal to the task and came up with a critical interception to stop the drive. Two plays later on offense, Kristion Glover took it to the end zone from 70 yards out for the final touchdown of the night for the Vikings. 
Westwood was undefeated and had a very talented and physical JV football team. Last night's Captains were Jason Oree for defense and Derek Green on offense. 

Ahoy Matey, Today is Talk Like a Pirate Day!


The media center staff at Spring Valley High School celebrated national "Talk Like a Pirate Day".  Students who talked like a pirate and checked out a book got a share of the pirate's treasure. The media center staff wanted to create a little fun and excitement around book checkout! This gives the students who do not usually frequent the library a reason to come in and check it out.

Congratulations Matt Owens

The The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) has appointed Mr. Matthew Owens, Spring Valley Math Department Instructional Leader, to serve on the NAEP Mathematics Standing Committee. The National Center for Education Statistics in the U.S. Department of Education is responsible by law for carrying out the NAEP project, which is the largest nationally representative and continuing assessment of what America's students know and can do in various subject areas. Congratulations to Mr. Owens!

School Improvement Council

We cordially invite you to participate as a member of the School Improvement Council. The School Improvement Council serves as an advisory committee to our principal and faculty. Unlike PTOs and other voluntary school organizations, councils are mandated by law to exist in every public school in South Carolina. SICs play a key role in the education of our children, bringing together parents, educators and community stakeholders to work collectively to improve Spring Valley High School.
 
Key Functions of School Improvement Councils are to:
  • work with the school to develop and implement a five-year school improvement plan
  • monitor and evaluate success in reaching the plan's goals and objectives.
  • write an annual report to parents about the progress of the plan.
  • assist the principal in writing the narrative for the School Report Card.
  • advise on the use of school incentive awards and provide assistance as requested by the principal.
If you are interested in being a part of the School Improvement Council, please join us at our next SIC meeting on October 15th in the school’s Media Center.  We are excited about the upcoming school year and hope you will join us at Spring Valley High School!

Congratulations Christian Miller

Christian Miller has been selected to play in the 2014 Under Armour All- America High School Football Game this season. This all-star game will showcase the nation's best high school seniors.  Christian was presented with his game jersey Wednesday afternoon in the Spring Valley High School gym.  The seventh-annual all-star game will take place at 4 p.m. ET Jan. 2 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla., and will be televised on ESPN.  Way to go Christian!  Click here for WLTX News coverage.

Congratulations Yearbook Students

The 2013 Saga has been added to the Cover Gallery on  Walsworth Yearbooks website.  Only about 100 or so covers out of thousands nationwide were chosen. Unlike some schools that use the professional creative services for cover design, Spring Valley students, under the direction of  Mrs. Lisa Brindel, created their cover themselves. Cover Gallery is a display of unique covers designed by customers and Walsworth’s Creative Services Department. Yearbooks selected for Cover Gallery have an outstanding creative flair, an educational quality and are inspiration for students across the country. Cover Gallery is one of four galleries in the showcase area, where staffs across the country come to get great ideas.  Click here to see Cover Gallery.

Homecoming 2013 - Camo Day


Viking Sports Wrap

Swim
The Viking swimmers were in the pool again Tuesday against White Knoll. The Vikings swam very well bringing home a pair of victories.  The girls outpointed the Timberwolves 122 - 48 and the boy's won, as well, 135 - 33.  The Viking Swim Team will be back in the pool Thursday at Columbia Country Club for a dual meet against Blythewood HS at 5:30 pm.

Double winners include:
Tori Agostini - 200 and 400 Free
Kelsey Greene - 200 IM and 100 Breast
Abigail Harrison - 50 Free and 100 Back
Thomas Agostini - 200 and 400 Free
Matthew Greene - 200 IM and 100 Back
Carl Lobitz - 50 Free and 100 Fly

The Carolina Technology Conference Invitation

The Carolina Technology Conference is offering free admission for the first 100 students and educators to register. Click here to learn more and to register.  
The student discount code is: student

That gives the first 100 students, teachers, home school families, and staff at educational institutions FREE admission to the full day conference with ADVANCE REGISTRATION.  All tickets are $75 at the door.

Speakers Include:
Jim Stickley
Jim Stickley
CTO, VP Strategy & Solutions Co-Founder, TraceSecurity
Mr. Stickley is the author of The Truth about Identity Theft. He has been a consultant for 20/20, Network Associates, numerous magazines and newspapers and was featured in Time Magazine, BusinessWeek, Fortune Magazine, New York Times and other industry specific publications such asPC Magazine and Security Focus. He has also been showcased on NBC's "Nightly News," CNN's "NewsNight," CNBC's "The Big Idea" and a frequent guest on "the Today Show."

Spring Valley Weekly Sports Wrap 9-16-13

Varsity Football

The Varsity Football Team defeated Lexington 42-15 on Friday night. The boy's varsity football team defeated 2-0 Lexington HS by the score of 42-15. The Vikings have run their record to 3-0 on the season. The Vikings were led on defense by Christian Miller who had 11 tackles, 2 tackles for loss and two sacks, Jordan Williams had 17 tackles and Josh Harlan had 18 tackles. The Vikings also had a big interception by Tyler Frazier. 
On offense the Vikings had several outstanding performance. John Miller had 15 rushes for 162 yards and 2 TD's. QB Chris Adams was 5-6 passing for 107 yards. He also rushed 12 times for 95 yards and 2 TD's. Ryan Lee had 60 yards rushing and 51 yards in receptions. Alec Koon had 31 yards rushing and several great blocks and Jordan Williams had 52 yards rushing and 2 TD's. LJ Mealing had 31 yards in receptions and Jordan Foster had 1 catch for 25 yards. The Viking offensive line which helped the team to 505 total yards, 398 yards rushing, were led by Frank Ward and Sherard Coward.  Cooper Gresham was 6 -6 on Extra points and had 3 kick offs out of the end zone. 
The Vikings will play this Friday against rival Westwood HS at 7:30. This will be homecoming and the Class of 1988 will be having their 25th reunion. Click here to see full story in The State.

Girls Cross Country

The Lady Viking Cross Country team had an excellent showing at the Bob Jenkins Coaches Classic this past Saturday. Our varsity team placed 4th/50 teams and our JV team placed 16th/42. Of the 28 girls that ran, 26 of them ran their personal best at this race. Both Varsity and JV had stellar races as a team and as individual athletes.
1. Freshman Claudia Cannon placed 2nd of 355 runners.
2. JV runners Dekeja Solomon, Jessica Kibler, Angela Watts, Arianna Atkinson, and Brianna Prince all knocked off about 5 minutes from their time.
3. Seniors Shauntel Smullen & Kailyn Taylor, and Desharee Solomon ran their lifetime personal best.
4. Megan Huntley, Tori Agostini, Breanna Murrin, and Danielle Murrin ran the varsity race and contributed to overall placement by running a season's best. 
Our plan is to keep this momentum as we travel to Irmo on Wednesday.

Spring Valley's 'Think Tank' Classroom

Spring Valley students hard at work in the school's new "Think Tank" classroom.

Accounting Students Welcome Guest Speakers


Students in Accounting I and Accounting II classes welcomed two guest speakers Jessica Godwin and Britton All, current Assistant Solicitors at the South Carolina Fifth Judicial Circuit office,  to their classroom on Friday, September 13th.    Ms. Godwin and Ms. Britton shared their experiences and insight about white collar crime and financial fraud with the classes.  


Join Spring Valley's School Improvement Council

The School Improvement Council (SIC) will have its first meeting for the 2013-2014 school year Tuesday, September 17th at 5:30 in the Media Center. Parents are encouraged to join SIC to participate in a dialog with school officials about all things Spring Valley. Please come and support the school by joining SIC.

Congratulations to our National Merit Semifinalists

Top L to R:  Aakash Shingala, Linda Thomas, Gregory Rassolov
Bottom L to R:  Himabindu Vinnakota, Benjamin Fechter, Jedidiah Gist
National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) has announced the names of approximately 16,000 semifinalists in the 59th annual National Merit Scholarship Program. These academically talented high school seniors have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 8,000 National Merit Scholarships worth about $35 million that will be offered next spring.  To be considered for a Merit Scholarship® award, Semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the Finalist level of the competition.  About 90 percent of the Semifinalists are expected to attain Finalist standing, and more than half of the Finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar® title.  Six students from Spring Valley have been named National Merit Semifinalists:  Aakash Shingala, Linda Thomas, Gregory Rassolov, Himabindu Vinnakota, Benjamin Fechter, Jedidiah Gist.  Click here for press release.

Tech Night

MEBA and Colonial Life Insurance Company are having TECH NIGHT on Tuesday, December 10, 2013 from 3:30 - 7:00 PM at the Colonial Life Insurance Company.  TECH NIGHT is a chance for high school students to get a closer look at an IT career.  See Mrs. Morgan in E330 to sign up and sign release forms.  Very limited space available. Deadline to sign up is October 1, 2013.

Open House September 12th

Please join us for Open House, Thursday, September 12th from 5:00 - 7:00 PM, in the Spring Valley Commons. Meet your student's teachers, counselors, and administrators. Stop by room E 103 for questions about Chromebooks, help adding teacher calendars or the school's Calendar of Events or Athletics Calendar to your own, or to learn how to follow SVHS online.  We hope to see you there.

Educational Opportunities (Ed Ops) College Fair

Juniors and seniors had the opportunity to talk with representatives from over 70 colleges and universities, and receive information from the schools they may be interested in attending.  In addition to colleges and universities, representatives from various career schools and the different branches of the military were also in attendance.

Spring Valley Weekly Sports Wrap

Girls Golf
The lady Vikings girls golf team defeated Sumter in a 9 hole match at Woodlands Country Club.  Spring Valleywith a team score of 169, Sumter with a team score of 248.  Low score medalist for Spring Valley was Juliana Sebastian. Other players contributing with low scores were: Ebony Bennett, Bonnie Ayres, and Kamryn Beaman. 

JV Football
Last night the JV football team took on the Clover Blue Eagles at Clover. The captains for last night's game were Henry Brown and Matthew McQuilla. The Vikings won, 12-0.
 
On offense, Sophomore Derek Green scored two touchdowns at fullback for the Vikings on two dive option plays.
 
The entire defense gets the credit for the shut out, however, Ty'juan Fulton had a great play on defense late in the 3rd quarter. He forced a fumble on the 2 yard line by catching the clover fullback from behind. The Vikings recovered in the end zone for the touch back, preserving the shut out.

SVEF 14th Annual Viking Golf Tournament

The Spring Valley Education Foundation 14th Annual Viking Golf Tournament will be held at The Members Club at Woodcreek Farms on Wednesday September 25th.  For more information please visit their website at www.supportspringvalleyhigh.org.  Click here for registration form.

Congratulations to the Spring Valley High School Symphonic Band

Congratulations to the Spring Valley High School Symphonic Band, one of only two high school bands in SC to receive an invitation to perform at the State Music Educators Conference in Charleston.  Under the direction of Dave Allison, the Symphonic Band is routinely recognized as one of the top high school wind ensembles in the Southeast, regularly receiving superior ratings and critical acclaim wherever they perform. For more information about our band program please visit their website at www.springvalleybands.org.

Spring Valley Cruises Past Clover 49-14

The Vikings defeated the Clover Blue Eagles 49 to 14 at Harry Parone Stadium Friday night.  Senior John Miller had a stand out night,  running for 126 yards and four touchdowns, all in the first half.   QB Chris Adams had 87 yards on the ground and a TD.  Way to go Vikings!  You can check out the article in The State here.

Registration for Free SAT Prep Workshop

This year Spring Valley will be offering two fall SAT Workshops. The SAT workshops will be held on Saturday, September 14 or Saturday, September 28. Students may only sign up for one workshop. We will take the first 150 students who sign up for each date. The workshop will be held in the Spring Valley Auditorium from 8:00am-12:00pm. Students or parents need to complete the SAT Workshop Form to sign up for the workshop.  

Senior Days at Midlands Technical College


2013 Region IV AAAA Sportsmanship Award


Spring Valley was voted by our region members as the recipient of the 2013 Region IV AAAA Sportsmanship Award.  This is an athletic department award for excellence in character, ethics, and sportsmanship.  Congratulations Spring Valley Athletic Department!

College and Career Planning for Students and Parents


Homecoming T-Shirt Order Form

If you would like to order a Homecoming t-shirt, please choose the color and size you would like to order and return the order form and payment to Mrs. Ashford by Wednesday, September 11. If ordering multiple shirts, simply place the number of shirts beside each size. Click here for order form.

Homecoming Week "VALLEYWOOD" September 16-20

Click here to view schedule for homecoming week.

Congratulations Kara Luke

The South Carolina Art Education Association has named Kara Luke the 2013 South Carolina Secondary Art Educator of the Year.  The SCAEA Awards recognizes those who are the most quality educators who work to promote art education. They recognize excellence in the most outstanding individuals of art education in South Carolina and focus professional attention on quality art education and exemplary art educators. Way to go Kara!