D. W. Daniel High School

If I had to pick one word to describe the start of the 2026-2027 school year, it would be JOY. As an alumnus of Clemson University, we like to say there is “Something in These Hills.” While we do live in the same hills referred to in that poem, the important part is that there are defining characteristics for many institutions, especially schools, that create a special feeling. At D.W. Daniel High School, you can feel the joy in the halls. You can hear the joy, even during class change as twelve hundred teenagers move from one room to another in less than 5 minutes. Our school is indeed a very special place, and I know the faculty is proud to serve this community.

E Tribus Unum, “Out of three One” is our motto. I love getting to know our community through faith and civic organizations, at the grocery store, and at sporting events. The Daniel Foundation serves our school so very well. This organization is open to anyone who wants to help serve our students. In addition, athletics and the performing arts are the “front porch of the school.” These are two great ways to get involved with D.W. Daniel, and of course, once involved, you may want to wear some Columbia Blue. See the QR Codes below to learn more about these opportunities for our community.

On a daily basis, the faculty and staff at D.W. Daniel are working to deliver the very best for your students. Education is more of a calling than an occupation, and our faculty very much represents that mindset. This year, our faculty is concentrated on two areas: Co-teaching and Feedback. We have a few classrooms around the school where two certified teachers are working in one classroom to help our students learn. We are excited about the impact of co-teaching on your student. We are also working hard to create the opportunities and assessments that allow our teachers to provide timely, specific feedback to students. I am highly impressed with the growth mindset of your student’s teachers.

Most importantly, the kids. Your kids are simply incredible. You are sending your child to a school full of hard-working people who are trying to build mentoring relationships and open up new horizons for the future. I love to see your children walking into school, in the halls, cafeteria, and classrooms. To see their joy when competing, singing, dancing, and marching and playing an instrument brings joy to us all. We are so very excited for this school year. I hope to see you all at a game or performance very soon!

Serve EACH Student; Take Care of People!

Adam Russell

Jill Roy, MSN, RN (864-397-2907)

Jennifer Perdue, MSN, RN (864-397-2931)

🩺 Over-the-Counter Medications

The Health Room stocks Ibuprofen and Acetaminophen to help students feel better during the school day. However, these over the counter (OTC) medications require a separate medication authorization form completed by a parent. Please note that the general OTC permission in Final Forms does not cover these medications. Medication forms are available in the Health Room—please have your student stop by to pick one up if needed.

⚡ A Note About Energy Drinks

We are seeing an increase in students visiting the Health Room with shakiness, racing heart rates, dizziness, nausea, headaches, and anxiety after consuming energy drinks.

Many energy drinks contain high levels of caffeine and other stimulants that can cause these effects, particularly when consumed on an empty stomach or in combination with other caffeinated products. We encourage parents to talk with their students about energy drink use, check caffeine amounts on labels, and encourage healthy alternatives such as water, balanced meals, and adequate sleep.

🚨 Dismissal When Sick

For the safety and well-being of your student, please remember that Daniel High School’s policy requires students to see the nurse if they are feeling ill. Students should not use their phones to call or text home to request dismissal.
Please encourage your child to visit the Health Room if they feel unwell.

💙 Health Room Donations

The Health Room would greatly appreciate donations to help keep our student snack supply stocked. We welcome peanut butter or cheese crackers, granola bars, fruit snacks, and other healthy, individually packaged snacks. We would also gladly accept donations of feminine hygiene products for students who may need them during the school day.

Click HERE to purchase your 2027 Yearbook EARLY for the best deals!

Did you miss picture day? This is your last chance! If you don’t take your photo, your portrait will not be in the yearbook. Don’t miss out!

Seniors – It’s Time to Book Your Senior Portraits!

Don’t miss your chance to capture this milestone! Senior portraits are more than just yearbook photos—they’re a celebration of YOU.

✅ Visit cady.com/schedule to select your session and book your spot.

✅ Be sure to schedule early—appointments fill up fast!
✅ Remember: Your portrait must be taken before the deadline to be included in the yearbook. If you have any questions, please contact Ivy Chastain (Yearbook Advisor) ivychastain@pickens.k12.sc.us

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

Build Daniel High's Legacy Brick by Brick: Paving the Way to Pride

The D. W. Daniel Foundation and That's My Brick!® have joined forces to raise money for our project! Leave a mark and help continue the legacy of excellence in education at Daniel High School. The mission of the Daniel Foundation is to increase funding to allow teachers and staff additional resources to assure an exemplary education for the students of Daniel High School.

The brick walkway leads up to and will wrap around the flagpole and be a visual reminder of your contribution to DWD. This site automatically keeps track of our orders. If you choose to pay by check, please contact us as soon as possible to submit your donation.

How to Order:

Just follow the simple step-by-step process below to place your order. Be sure you are happy with your brick design as it will look very similar to the image on your computer when completed.

Order Deadline : March 1st, 2027

Payment Options:

Pay online with a major credit card (VISA/MC/AMEX/DISC).
Pay by check or money order.
Follow the on-screen directions during checkout.

If you have any questions, please contact:
Jeannie Davis at danielhighfoundation@gmail.com

CLICK HERE

Design and Personalize Your Brick

This month’s faculty and staff meal will be breakfast on Tuesday, September 15! 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.

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.

Fall testing season is upon us. Be sure to add these important dates to your agenda!

Parents and community members are invited to grab a cup of coffee, connect, and spend some time with our school community.

These are our upcoming dates for Student Council! More information on themes and times will be out on social media soon!

Join Schoology to keep up with important events & announcements!

Join Interact to Serve. First Meeting is September 18th in the auditorium during Lion Time!

Students,

If you're interested in learning about a career in law, specifically personal injury, sign-up to attend our September Career Cafe on Friday, Sept 18 (A-Day) during your lunch period. Mellow Mushroom pizza will be served. Must sign-up to attend: bit.ly/c-cafe24-25

Seniors and Parents,

Save the dates for Senior College App Parent Night on October 7th 5:30 P.M.-6:30 P.M. AND College App Day for students on October 8th 9:00 A.M. -2:00 P.M.

Calling all 11th & 12th graders! Join us for a college fair at SWU and connect with representatives from 50+ colleges and universities across the Southeast.

📍 Where: SWU
🚌 Students attending must ride the bus from Daniel to SWU.
📝 Pick up a permission slip and field trip form in Guidance.

Don’t miss this opportunity to explore your college options and make connections with schools that could be part of your future! 🎓

We have a great opportunity for you to attend a Career Programming Event at the Career Center on September 17 from 9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.

✨ All seniors are welcome to attend! Explore career opportunities, learn about different pathways, and connect with resources to help you plan for life after high school.

📝 Sign up to attend: bit.ly/SupportTasselSDPC27

D.W. Daniel High School's premier choral ensemble, Leo Voces, has been named as one of the featured performing ensembles at the 2027 South Carolina Music Educators Association Professional Development Conference.

This honor is one of the highest distinctions a performing ensemble can achieve in the state of South Carolina. Eighteen choirs applied to perform at this year's conference, and Leo Voces was one of eight who were selected to perform. Judges for the selection noted the great precision, beautiful, sensitive singing, exciting programming, and hard work from the recordings of last year's performances that were submitted.

This is the first time in recent memory that a choral ensemble from D.W. Daniel has been selected to perform at the SCMEA Professional Development Conference. This is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the Director of Choirs, Laura Morris, and all the students who perform in Leo Voces.

It is also a testament to the standard of excellence that resonates in our performing arts department. The D.W. Daniel High School Jazz Orchestra was selected to perform at last year's conference.

Leo Voces will perform in the University of South Carolina School of Music Recital Hall on Saturday, February 6th at 3:00 PM.

Our mountain bike team kicked off the season with a strong showing at "The Palmetto Punisher," the South Carolina Interscholastic Cycling League race held on Sunday, 8/23, at Poinsett State Park in Wedgefield, SC. Riders tackled the unique, scenic terrain of the park, showing off their endurance, skill, and teamwork.

Congratulations to our student-athletes who earned podium finishes at Poinsett State Park:

• 10th Grade: Ellen Breed (1st Place)

• 10th Grade: Brooks Batt (2nd Place)

• Junior Varsity: Josephine Snape (2nd Place)

• Varsity: Mae Anderson (2nd Place)

• Varsity: Nicolas Fonseca (4th Place), Grant Anderson (5th Place)

Way to represent our school, team! Thank you to the coaches, volunteers, and supporters who helped make the race weekend a success.

Our D. W. Daniel High School Mountain Bike Team had an incredible showing at Race 2 in Moncks Corner this past Sunday, bringing home multiple medals despite extreme conditions (Saturday pre-rides were canceled due to a 114°F heat index)!

Please join us in celebrating our top-5 medalists:

• Mae Anderson – 1st Place, Varsity Girls

• Ellen Breed – 1st Place, Sophomore Girls

• Josephine Snape – 3rd Place, JV Girls

• Nicolas Fonseca – 3rd Place, Varsity Boys

• Brooks Batt – 3rd Place, Sophomore Boys

• Grant Anderson – 5th Place, Varsity Boys

• Anand Venayagamoorthy – 5th Place, Sophomore Boys

Josephine Snape is a sophomore at Daniel High School and an active member of our Mountain Bike Team. The other week, Josephine competed in the National Water Ski Championships, where she earned 3rd place and 5th place finishes.

Additional details about Josephine’s accomplishments are included in the attached document. The document also includes a link to the YouTube webcast featuring Josephine’s trick skiing. She can be seen competing at approximately 2:00:35 in the broadcast.

Students in Mrs. Rushing's chemistry class excited electrons and identified the unknown using the flame test.

AP Chemistry conducted their first of many titrations this year—and no one forgot the indicator, well, almost no one! IFYKYK.

Ms. Elrod’s and Ms. Tidwell’s AP Research classes were fortunate to have Dr. Heather Ringeisen Ray, Vice President of Surveillance and Survey Science at RTI International, as a guest speaker. Drawing on several nationwide studies she has led, Dr. Ringeisen Ray walked students through the decisions that shape social science research. She also asked students about their research topics and connected the choices professional researchers face to the ones students are making in their own work.

Her visit covered the essentials of ethical data collection: writing informed consent in plain language that explains how the data will—and will not be—used, aggregating responses so individuals cannot be identified, and making consent and contact information available for participants to revisit. She helped students think about aligning method to purpose, explaining how qualitative work captures nuance, stories, and anecdotes; how quantitative work works suits estimates and correlations; and how mixed-methods can serve both. Her guidance on survey design, such as when to use forced-choice questions versus Likert scales, gave students things to consider for their own instruments.

Dr. Ringeisen Ray has a gift for making complex research accessible. Students left feeling enlightened and motivated as they move ahead with their own studies. We are so grateful that she continues to share her expertise with our students!

If you are interested in research, consider taking AP Seminar then AP Research and joining the DHS Research Club!

Our very own Charles Taylor, Teacher of the Year, and Jessica Nalley, Support Employee of the Year, were honored at the School District of Pickens County’s Annual Banquet, celebrating their outstanding contributions and commitment to excellence in our school community. We are so proud of you both! 💙