D. W. Daniel High School
November 2026 Newsletter
Principal's Message
The days are long, but the years are short. It seems like just yesterday October was starting. Where did it go? In October, our school swimming team competed at state and represented us well, with multiple individual and relay state championships. We announced six seniors as National Merit Semifinalists. Our girls golf team showed resilience, overcame a 9-stroke deficit, and finished as state runners-up. The school earned multiple region titles in sports. The Lions Pride Marching Band continued the annual rite of claiming the state championship. This marks the band's fifth consecutive state title. Finally, the State of South Carolina released the school report cards. D.W. Daniel earned the best score in school and district history with a 75. Put into context, this score is in the top 5% of all schools in the state. The number is based upon metrics such as graduation rate, college and career readiness, End of Course Exam scores, and climate surveys. These statistics are not possible without the incredible work done by the kids, a faculty who loves your children, and a supportive community.
We are excited to turn the calendar to November with playoff football and tennis, state championship cheer, and the finals for cross country. November also means the celebration of Veterans Day, which will be celebrated on November 10th with a schoolwide assembly led by the Flying Lions AFJROTC Unit. Our area has a proud tradition of service to our country. Recently, we hung plaques in our school to recognize the four Congressional Medal of Honor recipients from Pickens County. Amazingly, three of the recipients are from Six Mile. We understand that Six Mile has produced more Congressional Medal of Honor recipients, per capita, than any other municipality in the United States. Veterans Day is an important opportunity to celebrate the service of the few to the many.
November also means it is a time of Thanksgiving. So much in our world is intensely focused on the individual. It is important to recognize how incredibly thankful we are for each other and our community. The Daniel Foundation consistently shows up and shows its thanks for our school. The soup and sandwich lunch in October was so appreciated. Thank you to everyone who donated and showed their thanks! Thanksgiving is also a time to recognize that there are many of our neighbors who are unable to donate and may have difficulty providing for their families. Once again, the Daniel Foundation fills a need by operating the Dandelion Closet, providing clothes and essentials for our students in need. Thank you to the Daniel Foundation for all you do! Click here for more information about the Daniel Foundation.
Serve EACH Student; Take Care of People!
Adam Russell
Yearbook
Click HERE to purchase your 2027 Yearbook NOW for the best deals!
Submit SENIOR Yearbook QUOTES
Seniors, submit your favorite quote for the 2027 yearbook! Keep it short, school-appropriate, and within the provided guidelines, as all quotes are subject to administrative review. Submit your quote by Friday, November 20th, 2026!
Senior Ads
Celebrate your senior with a special ad in the back of the 2027 Daniel yearbook! Show them some love and make their senior year extra memorable by purchasing your ad before the holiday rush.
Deadline: January 15, 2027! Don’t wait until the last minute!
Daniel Foundation
If you are interested in volunteering and helping with the many activities that the board takes on during the academic year, please reach out to Kevin McKenzie at pappy@clemson.edu or Mary Ann Jolliffe our volunteer coordinator at mjolliff4@gmail.com
Donations to the Foundation are always welcomed and necessary to facilitate all of the activities that we provide for the faculty, staff and students. You may donate at any time by going to our site at https://linktr.ee/dwdanielfoundation
Foundation Faculty & Staff Breakfast
This month’s faculty and staff meal will be a breakfast on Tuesday, November 17th! If you’d like to help show your child’s teachers a little extra appreciation by donating food, utensils, or a monetary contribution, please visit the link here.
THANK YOU
Daniel Foundation would also like to thank Red White & Brew for donating coffee for teachers & staff!
Athletic Booster Club
It is never too late or out of season to support our student athletes and their coaches. It takes all of us to achieve the high level of accomplishments that our athletic programs have been doing for some time now. You can join booster club by going to https://danielathletics.net
Once you have joined booster club, you will be eligible to purchase Pride Cards.
Looking for Daniel swag….stop by the apparel booth at any home football game and pick up some gear. All proceeds go directly to the booster club to support all athletes.
Lion Time Announcement
Please review this FLEX time update.
Wi-Fi Announcement
Please review this Wi-Fi update.
Mark Your Calendars!
Student Council Announcements
Check out these upcoming events!
Donations Needed
Please consider donating cooler weather items to our Dandelion Closet!
Manestage Players Announcement
Review information below!
Testing Dates
Fall testing season is upon us. Be sure to add these important dates to your agenda!
Join Principal Russell for "Coffee with Mr. Russell"
Parents and community members are invited to grab a cup of coffee, connect, and spend some time with our school community.
10th Grade Parents!
IGP Meetings are beginning for 10th grade students. Read the following flyer below.
Career Cafe
Students, join us for an exciting Career Cafe on Thursday, November 19th (B-day) during your lunch period to hear from David Broderdorflop about a career as a professional airline pilot. David enjoyed a 37.5-year career with United Airlines. YOU MUST SIGN UP to attend and enjoy a Mellow Mushroom pizza lunch. https://signup.com/go/nZoUtvc
Big Thursday
Show your team pride and fuel up like a champion!
Daniel Highlights
Student Accolades
By Suzanne Rushing
The Clemson Rotary Club met and provided lunch for several Daniel students, including the leadership of Daniel's Interact Club. They also heard from students sponsored by Rotary to attend an event over the summer.
The Senior Leadership Team: Lilly Tidwell, Emily Russell, Lizah Williams, Laurel Garst, Cooper Hallo, and Caton Tsao.
Attendees to Palmetto Girls State: Lilly Tidwell and Anna Davidson
Attendees to RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Academy): Ashlyn Akers and Mims Catherine McTigue
Junior and Sophomore Leaders: Ashlyn Akers, Mary Greene, and Callie Tang
Daniel High School Mountain Bike Team wins 2026 State Championship!
The Daniel Mtn Bike Team secured the State Championship Title this weekend at the final point series race at Harbison State Forest. The team was led by Mae Anderson, Varsity Girls, who won a tightly contested series overall title in a field sprint with 2 other riders. Whoever took the win won the series overall! After 20 miles in 1hr 32min, it all ended with a sprint to the line, with Anderson on top for the Lions.
Next for the Lions was senior Nic Fonseca in Varsity Boys. Nic finished 3rd securing 3rd overall for the season. In 3rd place for the Lions was sophomore, Josephine Snape, racing in JV Girls. Josephine secured the 3rd Place overall against a tough field of seasoned riders. In 4th place for the Lions was senior Brady Leatham, racing JV Boys. Brady went all out for his final points race for the year, finishing just off the podium in 6th place! Comeback story, Brooks Batt, took second place in Sophomore Boys, just 8 seconds behind the winner after 15 miles and 1hr 1min.
Rounding out team finishes were:
Ellen Breed, 2nd place, 1st place season overall Sophomore Girls.
Anand Venayagamorthy, 6th place, 5th place season overall
Newcomer, Hailey Lovejoy, 4th place Freshman Girls
Grant Anderson, 5th place season overall Varsity Boys
For the season, the Daniel HS team (including middle school) took the highest number of podium positions at 43 podiums out of 65 race starts. The Lions also had the highest percentage of all podiums awarded for the season.
The team will be awarded the Championship banner at the last race November 1st
Interact Club - Memorial Garden
17 Interact Club volunteers gave their time on October 28th to clean and maintain the Memorial Garden. Students pulled weeds and trimmed overgrown plants, helping keep the garden a welcoming place to remember past students and faculty.
SNHS
by Nicolas Fonseca Borda, Senior SNHS Officer
We had the pleasure of hosting Dr. Faust at our SNHS meeting last October. His presentation provided a unique perspective on the role of STEM in Plant and Environmental sciences beyond traditional approaches, spanning scientific research to industrial and field applications. He introduced our students to the field of industrial horticulture, walking us through the scientific process behind quality control and timing management for the production of seasonal ornamental flowers and plants. We are thankful to Dr. Faust for sharing his expertise, and we hope our students enjoyed this opportunity.
Members presenting research at the 8th Annual SNHS Research Symposium in February of 2027 need to have their projects approved before collecting data. There is additional paperwork for anyone interested in participating in the SC Region 1 Science Fair at Clemson University in March. See Ms. Tidwell or an SNHS Officer for more details, or check out the SNHS Schoology groups' Resources tab.
Our next meeting will be November 11th at 5:30 PM in Mrs. Tidwell’s room (339). Follow us on Instagram @dhs_science.snhs to keep up with events.
Girls in STEM
by Lilly Tidwell, GiS President
On Friday, October 30th, the Girls in STEM Club met during Lion Time for a Halloween round of “Trick or Trivia” science games.
The first game was Science Would You Rather, and some of the choices were tough. Would you rather explore the deep ocean or outer space? Would you rather be able to photosynthesize your own food or never need to sleep again? Would you rather see the microscopic world of atoms and bacteria, or see the electromagnetic spectrum, including Wi-Fi, X-rays, and UV light? Members took sides. There was no consensus on the best option!
Then members played a science trivia Kahoot to see who knew the most, and the 9th grade team won!!
See an Officer or Ms. Tidwell in Room 339 if you are interested in joining Girls in STEM, and follow us on Instagram @dhs_girls.in.stem.
DHS Research Club
By Lou Kaye & Callie Tang, Research Officers
At our last Research Club meeting, officers discussed their personal research projects, how to find mentors, and topics to explore. Officers provided members with helpful tips and guidance for getting started with their own research. Members split into groups to brainstorm new research ideas, develop research questions, and share interests. To wrap up the meeting, we played a trivia game about famous researchers and inventors.
Whether you're interested in starting a research project or learning more about the research process, we encourage you to check out Research Club. Our next Lion Time meeting is scheduled for November 13th. See Ms. Tidwell in Room 339 for more information about joining, and follow us on Instagram @dhs_research.club for updates!
RiSE Environmental Club
by Lilly Tidwell, RiSE President
The RiSE Environmental Club is excited to announce a new partnership with the Town of Six Mile and its Bryson Children’s Nature Walk! The site sits on 63 acres of donated land that is permanently protected from development. It has a 1.5-mile nature trail, a boardwalk and pond overlook, community garden plots, and a learning center focused on conservation and local agriculture.
On October 17th and October 24th, RiSE members helped get the site ready for its grand opening. They picked up trash, cleared debris from the trails, weeded the garden beds, and watered the plants, shrubs, and trees. We look forward to regularly helping to keep this greenspace beautiful. A big thank you to Anastasia Bandera, Laela Richter (and her grandfather!), Piper Finneran, and Tony Tidwell for giving their time and pitching in!
The ribbon cutting is on Thursday, November 5th, from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM at 565 N Main St in Six Mile. You can learn more about the project at sixmilesc.org.
See a RiSE Officer or Ms. Tidwell in Room 339 if you’d like to join and follow us on Instagram @dhs_rise.environmental.
2026 Clemson University Poetry Declamation Winners
The following students participated in the 53rd annual Clemson University Poetry Declamation:
Fabiana Stoicea-Ghita( 1st place Winner for German 3)
Dawson Blair Crum (2nd Place Winner for German 4)
Calab Murphy and Lennox Holman also participated.