Seniors Simmons deHoll and Raines Waggett have been selected as Carolina Scholars by the University of South Carolina. This scholarship is the most prestigious bestowed on South Carolina residents and only 25 students from the state receive this high honor. To be considered, Raines and Simmons completed an extensive application for USC’s Top Scholars competition. From this pool of applicants the university invited the top 50 scholar candidates, who have exceptional academic records and demonstrated leadership in their school and community, to the Columbia campus for an interview weekend. Last year the Carolina Scholars had an average SAT score of 1488 and an average weighted GPA of 4.86. The scholarship is valued at $40,000 and, when combined with their National Merit Scholarship and Palmetto Fellows Scholarship, would pay for the full cost of tuition, room and board for Raines and Simmons to attend USC.

As part of the curriculum, the 66 members of the junior class attended the eighth annual junior class retreat at the Kanuga Conference Center in Hendersonville, N.C., March 1-3. Coordinated by Mrs. Laura Barr and Mr. Glen Rector, the retreat provided rising seniors with a “beyond the classroom walls” experience with a focus on loyalty, leadership and legacy.

The retreat included group activities, structured discussions, and opportunities for enjoying the facilities of the conference center located in the mountains of North Carolina.  Activities included an obstacle course operated by the Mountain Trail Outdoor School, team-building exercises and cooperation games.

Dr. Milt Lowder, a licensed counseling psychologist in Greenville who graduated from Wilson Hall in 1990, delivered the keynote speech with the topic of “Defining Success.” There were also presentations given by Mr. Fred Moulton, headmaster, as well as from some of the twelve faculty members who attended the retreat.

Every member of the Class of 2016 had the opportunity to enjoy the significant benefits of a time set apart for community building and individual character development in a way that will not only benefit each student individually, but continue Wilson Hall’s strong tradition of effective preparation for college and beyond.

The lower school Battle of the Books team won the S.C. Independent School Assoc. State Championship. Advised by Mrs. Kathy Smith Coker and Mrs. Susie Herlong, the members of the team are fifth grade students Parker Archibald, Ivey Edwards, Lucy Li, Tyler Mahr and Derek Smith, fourth grade students Jackson Mahr and Erika Mattar, and third grade students Mary Margaret Griffin and Mary Parish Williams.

The middle school team placed second in the competition. Advised by Mrs. Susan Harvin and Mrs. Katie Pink, the team members are seventh grade student Jack Umbaugh and sixth grade students Jennie Fort, Colton Muszynski and Parker VanPatten.

America’s Battle of the Books is a reading incentive program for students in grades three through 12. Students read books and come together to demonstrate their reading comprehension abilities and to test their knowledge of the books they have read. The teams are given a list of 20 books to read prior to the competition, and then they are asked specific questions about the books to earn points.