Perhaps you read the morning paper and discovered that Wando’s own, Lucy Beckham, was named National High School Principal of the Year! Quite an honor for her and for Wando! I had the pleasure of working with Lucy for three years as a member of the Wando School Improvement Council and she is truly an amazing woman. Here’s a clip:
Beckham will be recognized during an awards banquet next month in Washington, D.C., and she will receive $5,000 for school-based projects or training for staff.
Beckham has been an educator for more than 33 years, an administrator for 15 years and principal of Wando, the state’s largest high school, since 1998. She oversaw the school’s move into its new building in 2004, and she helped create four career-related schools of study and a ninth-grade academy to ensure students have more opportunities for personal connections. Students meet weekly with faculty advisers and, as upperclassmen, with an administrator or counselor who monitors and supports them through graduation.
Under Beckham’s leadership, Wando has been the recipient of numerous statewide and national accolades. The school was named one of the best in the country by U.S. News & World Report, its band was recognized as best in the nation, and both its newspaper and culinary arts programs have garnered national honors.
Related Articles
2 users responded in this post
Very cool. Brought something to mind. I have a geeky confession to make. I was in marching band in high school and competed against Wando’s band a couple of times. I will say that if the discipline demonstrated by that band is anything like the rest of the student body, those kids must be phenomenal. I’ve never seen high schoolers conduct themselves so professionally.
I am so proud of our educational system with Lucy Beckham at Wando and Jane Davis at Mt. Pleasant Academy- New schools, awesome leaders, with many teachers that believe the Good News! These leaders raise the bar in South Carolina!