Principal's Message

BMS celebrated many Points of Pride during the 2017-2018 school year, and I am proud to share with you some of those things that made us #gryphonproud:

  • Beaufort Middle School is an Arts in the Basic Curriculum School with a Distinguished Arts Program and receives grant funding to support the arts because of these designations.
  • It was the third year of the Veterans History Project class. Students have interviewed 22 veterans in our area. The Library of Congress has added these interviews to their Library of Congress Veterans History Collection.
  • Parent Action Council continued to beautify our courtyard with the addition of an outdoor science classroom.
  • BMS Cafeteria staff was named Staff of the Year for 2017, and Ms. Singleton was named the Cafeteria Manager of the Year.
  • Nineteen 7th Grade artists and authors were published in the anthology River of Words 2018; A BMS student’s artwork was chosen for the cover
  • You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown was the BMS fall musical and included 60 students in the cast and crew.
  • Sixty-two 8th grade students took the PSAT, and 8 of them were named Junior Scholars.
  • 7th Grade Duke Scholars who received State Recognition: 4
  • Girls basketball & Boys baseball won the District Championship
  • 45 Students were members of the Tri-M Musical Honor Society
  • 184 different students participated in interscholastic sports
  • 28% of BMS students enrolled in high school credit classes
  • 26% of students receive gifted and talented services (academically and artistically)
  • National Junior Honor Society collected 700 cans for HELP of Beaufort
  • Fellowship of Christian Athletes raised $565.00 for the BMS Angel Tree
  • Student Council promoted Red Ribbon Week; served as ambassadors for school visitors; served as the Cafeteria Council with school district staff, and collected soup for local foodbanks for the Super Bowl
  • BMS Cheerleaders visited Morningside Assisted Living residence to bring holiday cheer and assist them in decking the halls.
  • Students logged 2,520 community service hours
  • First place 6th and 7th Grade eCybermissions Teams at the state level for the past 3 years; 4 state and potential regional winners
  • Project Unify supports Special Olympics, sponsors the school recycling program, and has created little lending libraries for the BMS community
  • 6th Grade Arts Integrated students painted BMS rocks and placed them through the community
  • The BMS virtual Literary Magazine, Palmetto Arts, is created by a student-led, student-run staff: https://bms.beaufortschools.net/UserFiles/Servers/Server_171805/File/LIT%20MAG%202017%20Volume%204.pdf
  • 2018 Teacher of the Year: Kelly Hall; 2018 Support Staff Member of the Year: Mary Winburn
  • We held a Smarter, Safer, Stronger: Together assembly as a show of school unity in March in memory of the of the victims of the Parkland school shooting
  • BMS was voted favorite middle school through Eat, Sleep, Play Beaufort and The Island News
  • Mrs. Compton, 6th grade ELA & Social Studies teacher, was recognized by Winning Smiles Orthodontics as Teacher of the Month.
  • Math teacher Mrs. Hines received a $750 grant from the Beaufort County Foundation for Educational Excellence for curriculum in Personal Finance for her students.
  • Mr. Krepps and Project Unify were recipients of a Tanger Outlet Grant to implement rainwater harvesting barrels.

Community is involved and engaged at Beaufort Middle School:

  • Archaeologist Dr. Poplin taught 8th grade seminars about the Yemassee Indians.
  • Former pilot, captain, and tour guide for Charleston walking tours, Skip Evans, taught 8th graders about S.C. history.
  • Joe Odhiambo, previous basketball player for the Phoenix Suns and motivational speaker, engaged our 7th & 8th grade students during an assembly.
  • BMS hosted the state-wide Arts in the Basic Curriculum (ABC) Fall Meeting. 60-75 teachers, administrators, district staff, and state department representatives visited BMS and enjoyed arts integration in action.
  • The Pat Conroy Literary Society held its annual conference at BMS that included tours of the building where Pat Conroy was a student and teacher. Students were involved in creating media arts posters, displays, and serving as guides for the tours.
  • Dance Artist Martha Connerton completed a three-day residency integrating dance with 6th grade social studies.
  • Set Design Artist Greg Rawls worked with the for our fall musical creating sets for the play.
  • Sketch artist in residence Jennifer Kassing-Bradley provided a residency with science students to integrate visual arts in creating models.
  • Visual artist in residence, Paula Bellamy worked with 7th grade students on their River of Words projects that combined science, poetry, and visual arts.
  • Authors Elizabeth Robin and Miho Kinnas with the Pat Conroy Literary Foundation taught students poetry writing skills and shared their personal poetry.
  • Artists in residence Leanne Coulter and Rhonda Davis taught our 8th grade students about harvesting indigo and then guided them in using indigo for an artistic creation.
  • SC Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities staff member, Ms. Wright, shared the opportunities available at SCGSAH with 8th grade students.
  • Love House Ministries, Thumbs Up, and YMCA tutor BMS students after school.
  • Beaufort Soil and Water Conservation District taught an Environmental Studies class to Mrs. Dehlinger’s students.
  • Hopeful Horizons sponsors two groups (for boys; for girls) in their WISE and MOST clubs.
  • Friends of Caroline Hospice provide grief counseling to our students.
  • Young Leaders of Beaufort meet with the mayor and other key community members each month, focusing on leadership and learning about our community.
  • Talent Search meets with a group of students regularly to support career exploration and mentoring activities.
  • Beaufort Police Officer Hebrard and Investigator Raley led students in observance of The Day of National Concern About Young People and Gun Violence.
  • 30 eighth grade students participated in a Mentoring Summit with residence of Belfair Plantation.
  • College students who were former BMS students visited with 8th graders to share “what’s ahead” in high school and beyond.
  • Students learn from local history field trips in the Beaufort community: Parris Island museum and graduation, National Cemetery, Lowcountry Discovery Museum, downtown Beaufort, Technical College of the Lowcountry, Penn Center, USCB.