Running header: DIVERSITY PROJECT REFLECTION

Honors Diversity Project Reflection: Waccamaw Elementary School

Caitlyn Hinnerschitz

Professor Hollis

Coastal Carolina University

Education 215
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Waccamaw Elementary School: A Diversity Study

When thinking of the Wild Cat mascot, one often refers to the Disney movie High School

Musical, in which the high school promotes a positive and uplifting school setting that embraces

all – they were all in it together. Little do people know that there is another school with the same

mascot, where they embrace diversity the Wild Cat Way. Waccamaw Elementary School is

home to the Wild Cats and is a Title 1 school in the Horry County School district. If I could

describe the school in four words the school would be called a melting pot of learning, because

there are so many students and teachers who have come together from different cultures, races,

ethnicities, and backgrounds who have created a positive learning setting that meets the needs of

the diversities housed inside the school.

School Data

To start the analyzation process of diversity in the school, I collected various data

regarding school population, gender and race breakdown, number of students on free or reduced

lunch, number of students in the special education program, and the number of English Language

Learners at Waccamaw Elementary School. It is important to note that the information from this

section came from the South Carolina Department of Education’s Report Card and interviews

conducted with Melynda Duncan, Haley Seasor, and Leslie Huggins. There is a total of 852

students in the school and approximately 48% are male and 52% are female. There are also five

different races represented in the school data. According to the South Carolina Department of

Education’s Report, the students at Waccamaw are primarily white, which is 50% of the school,

African American is 26%, Hispanic/Latino are 18%, American Indian or Alaska Native are 1%,

and there are 5% of students who are two of more races (SCDE). Out of the 852 students

approximately 76% of students receive free or reduced lunch, which is a characteristic of a Title
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1 School. According to the Principal of Waccamaw Elementary School, Leslie Huggins, there

are 159 students who participate in the special education program “because they qualify for

services”. English Language Learners are also prevalent at Waccamaw Elementary school with

118 students out of the 852 being ELL’s and are all Spanish speaking.

When completing the school data collection, it really did not occur to me just how diverse

the school was. I think it is because we can read all about the different diversities in the schools

around us, but not until we are encompassed by the diversity do we know it is there. This was the

first part of research that I conducted and even though it was just superficial data I was then

eager to see the numbers represented in the school and how the school met the diversities of all

the students from different cultural backgrounds.

Socioeconomic Status

The first section that will be analyzed are the different socioeconomic statuses

represented in the school and how the school addresses the different levels to make it an even

playing field for all. At Waccamaw Elementary School, all levels of socioeconomic status are

present: high through low; though most students are from a predominately low socioeconomic

status. Having more students from a lower SES is a common characteristic of a Title 1 school

because it is located in a poverty-stricken area. The school takes many steps to ensure that the

low-income students have the necessary tools needed for success. Every Friday the teachers send

students home with food and juices for the weekend so the students do not go hungry while not

receiving free lunches at the school. The program is called Back Pack Buddies and the

organization that supports and promotes the program is called Help4Kidz. Another way that

hunger is dealt with at school is by offering free or reduced lunches to certain students. At

Waccamaw, approximately 76% of students receive free or reduced lunches. These two
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initiatives help level the playing field between the different socioeconomic statuses represented

because it enables students from lower SES to focus on school and the content at hand instead of

how hungry they are or worrying how they will eat the following weekend.

Waccamaw Elementary School also equips every student with a personal learning device

while at school. However, the students are not allowed to take the device home, but at school

they have full access to a myriad of online resources that support equal and equitable learning

opportunities no matter socioeconomic status. The school compensates for the students not being

able to take their device home by offering students a free book to take home to keep or by

checking books out from the library to be returned. When I observed Mrs. Luse’s fourth grade

class on February 20th, the school gave all the teachers approximately thirty books to distribute to

the students in the class. Each student was allowed one book, and even though it was just a small

picture book the excitement in the room felt as if it were Christmas Eve.

I have also observed teachers providing students with clothes so that they did not have to

wear the same dirty outfits each day. This occurred in my cooperating classroom at the beginning

of the year and it was so disheartening to watch. Mrs. Luse noticed that the student would come

to school every day wearing the same ripped and ragged jeans and t-shirt. Finally, the student

confided in Mrs. Luse that they were the only clothes that he had and wish he had new ones to

wear. Mrs. Luse then reported it to the front office and the next day the school provided him with

a new pair of jeans and several new shirts. This evened the student’s playing field and gave him

tools for success in the classroom because now he was instilled with confidence and was able to

focus on the content instead of how dirty and smelly his clothes were or what his classmates

thought of him.
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Perhaps the biggest way that Waccamaw Elementary School tries to combat the uneven

playing field based off socioeconomic status is the implementation of small groups in each

classroom. Teachers attend professional developments regularly that focus on instructional

strategies to improve student achievement in small groups. I was given the opportunity to

participate in two of these professional developments while at Waccamaw- one on January 30th

and one on February 27th. In these meetings, the teachers learned how to incorporate all students

equally and how to pinpoint which students need the most help. The implementation of small

groups helps to provide an equal and equitable education for all students in the school by

meeting their individual needs, no matter their socioeconomic background.

Waccamaw is a school that wants students to feel like they are at home and to know that

they are welcomed. They want their children to know that this is their home away from home

and that while at school they are a family no matter what their different economic background.

The school makes this evident by the recognition of achievements and awards that they display

around the school. For example, each week every teacher nominates a student from his/her class

for showing a life skill such as integrity or honesty. When they are nominated they win a prize

and their picture is displayed on the TV monitors in the cafeteria for all to see. This instills a

sense of pride and hope in the students, while also encouraging them to do their best. Overall,

Waccamaw is a school that welcomes all and provides students with the tools and necessities

needed to succeed in their educational career, no matter their socioeconomic background.

Exceptionality

As stated previously, Waccamaw Elementary School has 159 students that are currently

participating in the special education program at the school, which is just under 20% of the

school population. The school has implemented specific programs housed in the school to
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address students’ individual special needs. I had the opportunity to interview Leslie Huggins,

principal of the school, in regard to the programs housed in the school. The school has two

different self-contained settings: one for moderate and/or severe students and one for students

with emotional disabilities. The school also has an early childhood special education program

and has other programs to address and help preschoolers with special needs. Waccamaw also

offers speech and language services to those who are lacking in those two areas. For example,

my mentee is placed in an intervention classroom for two hours each morning to work on speech

problems and reading comprehension. Self-contained and resource settings for academic services

are also offered to students in the school. Another program housed in the school is called consult

services, in which teachers consult to support specific students.

When inquiring about what types of instructional programs are utilized to meet the goals

of the special education program at the school, I was shocked to see how many are currently in

use. Mrs. Huggins informed me that they use five different instructional programs at Waccamaw

and they are: (1) Reading Mastery Signature Edition, (2) Connective Math Concepts, (3) Small

group instruction utilizing the NWEA, (4) Learning Continuum, and (5) SPIRE. According to the

National Institute for Direct Instruction, Reading Mastery Signature Edition is a “direct

instruction method to help students master essential decoding and comprehension skills”

(NIFDI). Connective Math Concepts is a program that the provides “highly explicit and

systematic” math instruction and introduces new concepts in a timely manner that makes it easier

for the students to connect them together (NIFDI). NWEA stands for the Northwest Evaluation

Association, so the school follows the beliefs that this organization has for students. The

organization has developed RIT scales which “requires a consistent, precise tool that would

provide accurate measurement of each student’s academic growth”, by using the organizations
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tools of assessments in small groups the school is enhancing the students’ cognitive and learning

development (NWEA). The Learning Continuum instructional program simply translates the

students MAP scores to see how the student is performing, which enables the teachers to know

what they need to work on. In class view it is “organized by what each student should be

working on” while on test view it is organized by all “RIT bands so you can see what to

reinforce or introduce” (NWEA-Map). The final instructional program in use at the school is

called SPIRE, which is a reading intervention program to help low preforming students develop

reading skills.

It is important to note that at my time in the school I observed a few structural

frameworks that could be enhanced or put in place for students with special needs. For example,

there are no lunch tables that are meant for students in wheelchairs to use and eat at. The halls

are wide enough for all students, but many door frames are not wide enough to make it easily

accessible for students in wheel chairs. I have also not observed any ramps housed in the school.

Besides the few suggestions, Waccamaw is meeting the goal or mission for every exceptional

student. The Horry County Mission Statement for special education that every school in the

district must comply to is:

“to provide the highest quality educational services to students with disabilities by implementing
individualized, research and standards-based interventions, instruction and assessments, as we
prepare them to become productive, responsible, members of their communities” (Horry County
Schools).

In regard to meeting the needs of the special education students, I believe that

Waccamaw is meeting them instructionally and academically, but is falling ever so short to

meeting them structurally throughout the building. I think that the school should be able to find

ways to make the building more accessible for exceptional students. I believe that the program is

meeting the needs instructionally and academically because I have seen the success through my
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mentee. For example, my mentee is pulled out of his general education classroom to a reading

intervention classroom for two hours each morning, which has correlated to his recent high

achievement of his MAP reading scores (his score increased by ten points). When observing the

interactions between special education teachers and general education teachers to children in the

special education program, I can tell that there is a genuine sense of encouragement and care for

each other. It is also important to note that at the school they have a thriving gifted and talented

program as well, where accelerated students are pulled to different GT classrooms for math and

english/reading. Overall, Waccamaw Elementary School is meeting the needs of students housed

in the school with exceptionalities and is striving to provide equal and equitable education for all

students.

English Language Learners

As discussed at the beginning of this paper, there are 118 students who participate in the

ELL program at Waccamaw Elementary School. All of the English Language learners are

Spanish speakers. There are only two ESOL teachers housed in the school for all of the 118

students: Mrs. Melynda Duncan and Mrs. Maria Zeballos. I took the initiative to converse with

Mrs. Melynda Duncan over this past semester about the ELL program at Waccamaw. She said

that she has 67 students on her case load, which she said is a little overwhelming at times. She

informed me that next year the school hopes to gain another ESOL teacher to lighten the

caseloads already in place. The two teachers pull students out throughout the day and when they

do, the only room they have available is a portable located adjacent to the main building of the

school.

The program used to facilitate English language acquisition among the English Language

Learners is called “Reach”. The program is through the organization called National Geographic
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and is designed specifically to enhance the learning of ELL’s. The program focuses on the

expansion of Academic Language in ELL students and aligns with the state standards. The

school also implements the idea of pull-out or inclusion classrooms. For example, in Mrs. Luse’s

class she has seven ELL students come in and participate during the science portion of the day.

Waccamaw also has two different programs that are in place to communicate with the parents

who do not speak English. Mrs. Duncan stated that as a country, “we have a system called

Pacific Interpreters”, which is used to translate for parents during conferences or when

conversing over the phone. The second system in use at the school is called TransAct. This

system enables paperwork to be translated into different languages, therefore, facilitating better

communication between parents and teachers at the school.

Now the even bigger question: what does the school do to educate the regular classroom

teachers in regard to better assisting the English Language Learners? At the beginning of each

school year, there is an informational staff development held at each school in the district that is

led by the school’s ESOL teachers. Mrs. Duncan stated that “the meeting is held to help provide

the classroom teachers with information on each individual student and also differentiation

techniques”. Additionally, Waccamaw requires each teacher to take a course online entitled

“ESOL Sheltered Instruction”. This course gives the classroom teachers ideas on how to assist

English Language Learners when they are in their classroom. Professional development days for

Horry County School staff offer the teachers with different courses that are designed to provide

assistance with ESOL students as well.

Through this section of the study of Waccamaw Elementary school, I have learned just

how diverse the students are linguistically. When walking into the school the first day of the

process, I would have never have known that roughly 20% of the students in the school are
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English Language Learners. I believe that the needs of the ELL students are being met, but they

could be improved upon. The school needs to offer more resources such as additional ESOL

teachers housed in the school. Two teachers for 118 students is not effective in my opinion, when

other schools in the district have four teachers dedicated specifically to the English Language

Learners. I also believe that the school should focus on cultivating the students’ native languages

instead of tearing it away from them, by making them speak solely English in the school.

Gender

At Waccamaw Elementary School, there is pretty even ratio between females and males

housed in the school. The school’s population is made up of approximately 52% females and

48% males. In the classroom that I am in, the boys and the girls are often segregated. At the

beginning of the semester, the boys were grouped together into two pods on the left side of the

room and the girls were grouped on the right side. As the semester progressed, I observed that

the boys and the girls seating arrangements were beginning to intertwine and disperse within

each other. Boys were the ones who normally got called on because they were more outgoing

about answering certain questions, even if their answers were not always right. I also began to

notice that when called upon, girls were often timid, and boys were more confident. These

observations can be supported by research found in a textbook entitled Educational Pyschology

written by Paul Eggen.

During specials the participation of different genders would differ depending on what the

special was for that certain day. For example, when I would attend PE with the class, boys were

mostly the ones who would get called on to demonstrate, while girls were often the first ones

called to participate. During art and music, girls became more confident and were the ones to

answer the questions, with the exception of one male that was outgoing in every special and
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subject area. I found this very interesting and what made me ponder even more is that the

teachers in classroom conformed to these gender roles.

At recess, children of different sexes often intermingle and play together, except for on

the football field. On February 6th, I saw the only girl play football with the boys. Girls who play

this sport with the boys are often bullied or treated differently at recess. The female was the last

one to be chosen for a team and the boys were whispering telling the team captains not to pick

the girl because she would make them lose. I observed that the ball was never passed to the

female and she was often ignored. This was the only trend of bullying I observed in regard to

gender at the school. The teacher I was placed with did not conform to gender roles, in fact, she

would often ask the girls to move desks and the boys to help clean.

When thinking of a school prior to this case study, I always assumed that there was a

substantially higher number of females in the school compared to males. I was surprised to learn

that there was only a difference of 45 between males and females attending the school. I was

excited to learn that there was a high number of diversity when comparing the two genders. In

regard to gender, I believe that Waccamaw Elementary School is successfully meeting the needs

of the students by the variety of activities and specials that they provide for the students. To meet

the needs even more, I believe that there should be more male teachers at the school. While at

Waccamaw, I only saw a total of four male teachers. If the school was to hire more male

teachers, it would greatly decrease the societal gender roles imposed.

Parental and Community Connections

The Parent Teach Organization (PTO) that has been established at Waccamaw

Elementary School is by far one of the most elaborate and accomplished ones I have seen. The

PTO meets regularly and sponsors various events throughout the year such as the Fall Fest, I
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Love the Arts Night, talent shows, and the Child Development Tea Party. This is a direct way

that parents can be involved in their child’s education. Waccamaw Elementary School also hosts

events throughout the academic year that invites the parents into the school to interact with the

teachers and their child. Some of the parent participation events held annually are Doughnuts for

Dads, Muffins for Moms, Goodies for Grandparents, award programs each quarter, Fall Festival,

book fairs, and the spring concert. All of these events encourage parental involvement at

Waccamaw. It is also important to note that at the school 100% of parents are attending the

teacher conferences held throughout the year.

In addition to programs and activities in place to increase the parental involvement there

are also a variety of events that increase community involvement. Some of the ongoing programs

or activities in place at Waccamaw Elementary School are the CCU Mentoring Program, Fall

Festival, the Spring Concert, Jump Rope for Heart, March of Dimes, I Love the Arts, and Relay

for life. All of these events are meant to show school pride and thank the community for all it

does for the school and its students; they enable the school to form a wide range of connections

within the community while showing off what their students have to offer.

Even though Waccamaw Elementary School is considered a Title 1 School, they do not

fail to offer various programs and activities established to incorporate relationships between the

parents and the community. The school has even established a School Improvement Council that

meets regularly to discuss how the parents and the community could be even further involved.

Although there are many diversities and advertises faced within the community and among the

school’s families, it has not failed to make the school a home and a safe place for all.
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Conclusion

Anyone can look at statistics about a school that reports the diversity of its students, but

not until placed and immersed in the setting does one fully know and accept just how much

diversity is present. Each student at Waccamaw has their own unique story that attributes to the

amount of diversity at the school. This comparative study has enabled me to get a grasp on just

how diverse our schools are, especially at Waccamaw Elementary School. I have learned how

diversity can be intertwined and connected in a school setting once embraced, which creates a

beautiful melting pot in the educational setting that is inclusive and accepting of all.

Even with the high levels of diversity represented at the school, Waccamaw strives to

successfully meet the needs of its students. The school has implemented various programs and

organizations that enable the students to feel supported and welcomed, from the ESOL program

housed in the school to the number of actions being placed to level the playing field for all

students. When the administration asks what team its teachers are on, they all answer “Wild

Cats” and they all definitely have their head in the game in regard to embracing diversity.
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References

HCS. (n.d.). Horry County Schools: Special Education. Retrieved March 12, 2018, from

http://www.edline.net/pages/Horry_County_Schools/Ac2/Special_Education

NIFDI, & Cox, C. (n.d.). National Institute for Direct Instruction. Retrieved March 12, 2018,

from https://www.nifdi.org/programs/reading/reading-mastery

NWEA. (n.d.). Advancing growth for all students. Retrieved March 12, 2018, from

https://www.nwea.org/about/

NWEA-Map. (n.d.). Learning Continuum. Retrieved March 12, 2018, from

https://teach.mapnwea.org/impl/maphelp/Content/Data/SampleReports/LearningContinuu

mRef.htm

SCDOE. (n.d.). South Carolina Department of Education. Retrieved March 12, 2018, from

https://ed.sc.gov/data/report-cards/state-report-

cards/2017/view/?y=2017&t=E&d=2601&s=042