Cool School: Greeleyville Primary School

It’s a school that serves as the hub for their close-knit Williamsburg community. Greeleyville Primary School has a rich history of family and community outreach, as well as parental support and collaboration. They’re the News 2 Cool School of the week. Students are soaring with significant academic gains, and are painting a picture of success.

Once blank walls at Greeleyville Primary School, now paint a story of success. Principal Jennifer Murray says, “We are a small school in size, but we have done some amazing things. We want to continue to have an impact that goes beyond this zip code. We want everyone to know we are a school striving to be the best. Greeleyville Primary School experienced tremendous gains from the fall to winter. We’ve been recognized recently at the last board meeting for our academic achievement, so we’re trending in the right direction as far as our data and we’re making strides to be the best.”

Principal Murray attributes their success to rigorous instruction, strong parental support, and their popular after-school program. GPS has 180 students in pre-k through third grade and the Eagles continue to soar. Murray describes a mural depicting the life stages of an eagle’s nest ascending a mountain. She says, “This was painted by our art teacher Mr. Malik Hayward. This is how we are tracking our scholars’ progress with their I-ready lessons, also allows them to see the lifecycle of the eagle. As you can see here, we are soaring off the charts.”

The motivating mural is just one of the many works of art that cover every inch of the walls of GPS. The murals painted by Atlanta artists, serve as a learning canvas, with motivational sayings and grade-level content students can reference up and down the hallways. Third-grade student and Mr. Greeleyville Primary School Wyatt Mcpherson says, “Well I think we have a Cool School because the painters painted the walls great, and the teachers teach us great.”

While the school is making academic gains, the focus is on, the whole child. Principal Jennifer Murray once walked the halls as a student at GPS. She is in her third year as the school’s leader. She says Greeleyville Primary School is committed to providing all students with positive, life-changing learning opportunities designed to meet their individual educational needs, in school and beyond, taking care of physical, social, and emotional needs as well at the rural community.

“We’re going to take care of your physical needs. We’re going to take care of your social-emotional needs first. I don’t know what kind of school we would be if we valued education over children, and just being human. We understand that life happens, and every family has a different socioeconomic status. We can’t concern ourselves with what happens outside these walls, but once you get in these walls in this building, we’re going to take care of our kids. Holistically we take care of our students,” says Murray.

Greeleyville Primary School has a clothes closet and food pantry for scholars and their families. Parent Liaison Joanne Edwards runs both. The pantry is stocked by the Lowcountry Food Bank, and the clothes are donated. “We are the hub of the community. We are a community school, and the community knows we are open to serve them. It is very important. It is important to this area because we do not have a grocery store that has fresh fruits and vegetables, and we are able to provide that. It comes once a month, fruits, vegetables, meats, all kinds of staples, and we just don’t have the resources. The pantry is very important. I have people calling me all the time about the food pantry.”

First-grade student Emree Chestnut says, “My school is the best. We’re supposed to care about the community and it is good to care about the community.”

In addition, the school has a mentoring program called Dads on Duty. Murray says, “We have our local clergy. We have fathers who have time available. Business partners who come in are males and they mentor our young men. GPS offers parent workshops, and a successful 21st-century after-school program with nearly one hundred students, provides support with reading and math, and instruction in small groups that provides hot meals for students as well.

Kindergarten teacher Sharon McKnight says, “We are a prime example that cool things and great things come out of Williamsburg County.  In the midst of us doing the productive struggle, we’re walking and operating in excellence as a Cool School.”

Principal Murray says, “We are a Cool School because we have the best scholars, and the best staff, the best community. I am a product of this school. The parents are amazing. I feel blessed and honored to be able to come here and serve in this capacity. The kids here are just amazing. The parents are amazing. We take a holistic approach, and we care about every last one of our babies here, and we know that at the end of the year, we’re going to have the best scores because we have the best scholars.”

Principal Murray says local business partners, churches, and C.E. Murray alumni play an essential role in helping to provide incentives, services, and resources for student achievements, support of student clubs, and other school-related activities.

If you would like to nominate a Cool School or educator, send an email to Octavia Mitchell at omitchell@wcbd.com

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