Today, our school principals, assistant principals, and Superintendent’s Cabinet members came together for a leadership retreat to kick off the new school year. As the sun rose over our transportation department’s beautiful new training facility (which opens next week!), a palpable excitement was in the air. Each year is a new opportunity, a fresh start, a beacon of hope, and an opportunity to grow–not only for our students, but also for our D7 Family of faculty and staff.

Our day included:

• A deep dive into Spartanburg’s growth and development from OneSpartanburg CEO Allen Smith

• A window into the unique perspective and wisdom of three of South Carolina’s strongest school district superintendents through a moderated panel discussion

• A reflection on leading school communities through change and a look at the successes resulting from our new blended schedule model at Spartanburg High School by Dr. Andrew McMillan

• A journey through the results of our recent teacher survey on instructional technology and digital device use across D7, along with several exciting new developments to realign and rebalance our approach to best serve students (look for details coming soon)

• The reveal of our D7 theme for the 2026-2027 school year (STAY TUNED for the public reveal next Monday following our Opening Convocation celebration)

• And much more!

It was a day of fellowship, connection, growth, and recommitting ourselves to District 7’s mission “To inspire and equip our students for lives of leadership and service as world citizens.”

We can’t wait to welcome teachers back later this week and students next week!

Our student leaders are working during the summer too! Our Student Council met over lunch this week to discuss their plans for the year. From fundraising to community service to encouraging their teachers, this group is taking action on what matters to them and we're here for it! #CarverCulture #ChampionshipCulture

As we get ever nearer to welcoming students into our classrooms, we take time to vision, plan, and improve our craft just a bit more. Our teachers spent two days this week at Carver Summer Institute collaborating on what it means to be an AVID school with a clear vision . . . and a little line dancing too! It's going to be a great school year. GO WILDCATS!!' #CarverCulture #ChampionshipCulture #AVIDLearning

Professional learning has been rich this summer! A team of leaders attended the Innovative Schools Summit. They heard from leading national experts in school culture, parent engagement, instruction, brain science and more! The learning prompted deep reflections and questions to help us on our continuous improvement journey. The conference added to greatly to the professional tool bag used to do this wonderful work. The school year is coming in hot and Carver is ready for it! #CarverCulture #OurStory #OurVoice #OurExcellence

Along with dropping off documents, leave the date for our orientations and schedule pick up! #CarverCulture

A great group of 8th graders just had a wonderful experience combining leadership development, connecting with students across the country, and the magic of Disney World! They had a great time and intentionally added to their leadership toolkit as they develop into tomorrow's leaders. We're grateful for former Carver Wildcats, Justin Fox, for his partnership in making this trip a reality for Carver students for the past 3 years! #CarverCulture #OurStory #OurVoice #OurExcellence

District 7 schools and offices will be closed Thursday, July 2 in observance of Independence Day. We hope our D7 family enjoys celebrating our great nation on this special anniversary year!

🇺🇸 Happy 250th birthday, America! 🇺🇸

First Look Inside the NEW Little Vikings Employee Childcare Center

As finishing touches are being made, we’re excited to give our community a first look inside the new District 7 Little Vikings Employee Childcare Center—opening just in time for the new school year! Watch at spartanburg7.org/LittleVikings.

In this preview video, center director Moira Scheel takes you on a tour of our beautiful new facility and shares how the thoughtfully designed curriculum, spaces, and furnishings will support the growth, learning, and well-being of children in our care.

Made possible through the support of our community in the recent referendum, Little Vikings will play a vital role in helping Spartanburg School District 7 recruit and retain outstanding educators. Access to affordable, high-quality childcare is a priority for our community—especially for teachers and staff with young families. We’re proud to take this important step toward supporting them, which in turn will strengthen our schools.

Enrollment is now open for children of District 7 employees, with limited space still available for all age groups from infants through 4K! Learn more and secure your child’s spot at spartanburg7.org/littlevikings.

Take a look inside and see what’s ahead for our Little Vikings!

Our AVID Journey continued this week with this GREAT team of teachers attending AVID Summer Institute in Orlando! Besides soaking up the Florida sunshine, this team was inspired to fulfill our mission and they will bring back actionable strategies to close the opportunity gap for ALL students! We're excited to continue growing as an AVID National Demonstration Site! #AVIDforALL #CarverCulture #OurStory #OurVoice #OurExcellence

Our Carver Chapter of the Stop the Violence Coalition has been hard at work this school yeah and they kept it going right into the summer! The work and voice of these student leaders has been so powerful. These young advocates care deeply about their community and are showing it with action. Their slogan for this summer is No Bullets in the Burg! They meet with their advisors and mentors, have engaged with Mayor Rice, and participated in a Proclamation in front of the Courthouse. Their leadership makes us better. #OurStory #OurVoice #OurExcellence

Our Wildcat Cheerleaders just finished hosting their first ever Kiddie Camp! What a great experience for these campers! Their day was filled with crafts, games, and learning cheer routines! Their camp finished with a showcase of what they learned for family and friends! Great job Carver Cheer!!! #OurStory #OurVoice #OurExcellence

High School Diplomas, Bachelor's Degrees, Master's Degrees and Careers! We loved seeing all of great achievements of our former Wildcats! You can come to Carver and go anywhere! Keep winning Wildcats! We're watching and we're proud! #OurStory #OurVoice #OurExcellence

Our PALS Club girls mentoring group closed their year of development out with tons of fun. Team building on a ropes course and making their own lip gloss! These experiences and the time together makes a meaningful difference in these girl's lives. Thank you to Dr. Barrett and Mrs. Jones for facilitating this group!! #OurStory #OurVoice #OurExcellence

Yep, starting to feel like summer. A great evening at the ballpark for these Wildcats watching the Spartanburgers! #OurStory #OurVoice #OurExcellence

Practice for Girl Basketball will be held June 4, 11, 18, and 25 from 5-6 p.m. in Carver's gym. Athletes must have a physcial on file dated after April 1.

Practice for girls basketball will be held June 4, 11, 18, and 25 from 5-6. Athletes must have a physical on file dated after April 1.

Macbook Roll Up is complete! A huge shout out to our student helpers who helped us box and sort all the tech today.

Volleyball practice will be held every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday in June from 3:30-5. Athletes must have a physical on file dated after April 1.