Welding students at the Center for Advanced Technical Studies (The Center) recently participated in the annual Arclabs Welding Competition at the Arclabs Columbia campus and earned numerous awards. Chloe Coleman (Spring Hill High School) earned first place and a $22,500 scholarship. Boone Pinkstaff (Dutch Fork High School) placed fourth, andContinue Reading
District Five student Jayden Won has earned a National Merit Scholarship. Jayden Won (Dutch Fork High, Boeing Scholarship) was named a winner of this year’s National Merit Corporate-Sponsored Scholarships. These scholarships were financed by about 115 corporations, company foundations, and other business organizations. Also included in this category are awardsContinue Reading
Lexington-Richland School District Five is recognizing dozens of students for achieving high scores on the PSAT and SAT examinations. The highest score possible on the PSAT is 1520, and the highest score possible on the SAT is 1600. In 2025, 48.9 percent of SC graduating seniors took the SAT. InContinue Reading
School District Five has named finalists for its 2026-2027 Teacher of the Year award. The finalists are: Anna Maria Hinson, a Spring Hill High School English teacher; Kathryn Meetze, a Reading Interventionist at H. E. Corley Elementary School; and Patrick Smallwood, a Biomedical Technology teacher at the Center for AdvancedContinue Reading
District Five has named finalists for its 2026-2027 Support Employee of the Year award. The finalists are: Jessica Catalano, a special education assistant at H. E. Corley Elementary School; Jeanette Farr, a literacy lab assistant at CrossRoads Intermediate School; and Dina LaBarca, a school secretary/bookkeeper at Ballentine Elementary School. CatalanoContinue Reading
IRMO – Lexington-Richland School District Five Superintendent Dr. Akil E. Ross, Sr. was surprised April 20 at the School District Five School Board meeting with the prestigious South Carolina National School Public Relations Association (SC/NSPRA) Administrator of the Year Award. The announcement was made by Toni Chewning, President of SC/NSPRA.Continue Reading
Photo by Chapinsports.com – Chapin senior players Sydney Stoner (6) and Lila Bowers (10) in group shot. By Thomas Grant Jr. Despite suffering the first loss in Region 4-5A to co-leader Lexington, Chapin boys’ soccer remains in position to take the top seed into the post-season. The Eagles still hold theContinue Reading
District Five high schools have made the list of the 2025-2026 U.S. News & World Report Best High Schools rankings. All four high schools are among the top high schools in the Columbia metro area and the state according to the new rankings. Spring Hill High is ranked the bestContinue Reading
Wingard’s Market has announced they received the most votes across the country and have been named the winner for the USA TODAY 10BEST Readers’ Choice Awards for #1 Best Plant Nursery; earning national recognition as one of the top garden centers in the United States. The honor follows a processContinue Reading
J. Kenneth “Kenny” Mullis Jr., chairman of the Richland Soil and Water Conservation District, has received the 2025 Hugh Hammond Bennett Southeast Regional Producer Award from the National Conservation Planning Partnership. The award recognizes Mullis’ leadership and commitment to the development and implementation of effective conservation practices. Mullis owns andContinue Reading
One Columbia for Arts and Culture has announced Larry Andrew Hembree as the 2026 recipient of the Stephen G. Morrison Visionary Award, recognizing his leadership, creativity, and lasting contributions to the region’s arts community. The award ceremony will take place March 20 from 6:30–8 p.m. at the Koger Center forContinue Reading
Keith Vitali becomes the second Vitali brother to receive the Order of the Palmetto By Chris Carter Keith Vitali, world-champion martial artist, Hollywood martial-arts movie star, former #1-ranked U.S. karate champion, and one of BLACK BELT magazine’s top 10 fighters of all time, received the Order of the Palmetto duringContinue Reading
Media Personality Curtis Wilson honored with Order of the Palmetto By W. Thomas Smith Jr. Richland County Sheriff’s Department (RCSD) Deputy Curtis Wilson, an anchor and law-enforcement analyst for On Patrol: LIVE and news anchor for ABC Columbia (WOLO-TV), recently received the Order of the Palmetto, South Carolina’s highest award,Continue Reading
Dutch Fork Elementary Academy of Environmental Sciences has officially been recognized as a 2025 Nationally Certified Magnet School by Magnet Schools of America (MSA). “I am incredibly proud of the hard work and dedication shown by all Dutch Fork Elementary School teachers, staff, and students,” Dutch Fork Elementary School PrincipalContinue Reading
Two educators from Irmo Middle School have been recognized by the South Carolina Association for Middle Level Educators for their excellence in middle-level education. Dawson Tate, a geometry teacher, received the 2026 Innovation in Practice Award, while eighth-grade math teacher Gracie Bradley was named a Promising Educator to Watch. TheContinue Reading
The Chapin High School and Dutch Fork High School jazz bands earned Superior Ratings at the South Carolina Band Directors Association Jazz Performance Assessment, held March 7 at Newberry College. Chapin High School’s Bryson Couto was recognized as Best Soloist for his performance on the baritone saxophone. Dutch Fork HighContinue Reading