West Columbus

Here are some reminders for this week at West Columbus High School. A Senior Meeting and Senior group picture will take place on Monday. Southeastern Community College will host a Career Expo on Wednesday for all 11th and 12th grade students. An FFA Officer Meeting will take place on Friday. On Tuesday, our Baseball, Softball, and Women's Soccer teams close out the regular season with conference games at North Duplin High School. On Wednesday, our Track and Field team competes in the Carolina 1A/2A Conference Championship Meet at Mount Olive University. WCHS Cheer tryouts will be held on Thursday. Thank you for your continued support of West Columbus High School!

We’re excited to support our students during this important testing season! Please help ensure students are well-rested, on time, and ready to do their best each day.

5/14
CCCA EOC Testing

5/15
CCCA EOC Testing

5/18
CCCA EOC Testing

5/19
CCCA EOC Testing

5/20
CCCA EOC Testing

5/22
3–8 Math EOG
CCCA EOC Testing

5/25
Memorial Day Holiday

5/27
3–8 Reading EOG

5/29
5th & 8th Science EOG Testing

6/1
HS EOCs & CTE Exams

6/2
HS EOCs & CTE Exams
3–8 EOG Retesting

6/3
HS EOCs & CTE Exams
3–8 EOG Retesting

6/4
3–8 EOG Retesting
HS EOC Retesting

6/5
Last Day of School

Join us for an evening celebrating student creativity at the Celebrate the Arts Show and Reception!

This special event will honor high school Gold Key winners and all 6 middle school Best of Show winners from the 2026 Celebrate the Arts.

Thursday, April 16
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Southeastern Community College
Wyche Gallery, A-Building

The work will be up through the middle of May.
Come out and support these talented students and enjoy an inspiring showcase of their work!

Columbus County Schools invites our families, staff, and community to share feedback on our draft Strategic Plan, which outlines our vision, priorities, and goals for the next several years.

Your input matters. This plan represents our shared commitment to academic excellence, student success, and community partnership. Please take a few minutes to review the draft plan and complete the brief survey below.

🔗 View the draft plan: https://canva.link/5ebk0eg0ldfp18c
📝 Share your feedback: https://forms.gle/YXmMgA2s1evNyHCg9
Together, we’re building the future of Columbus County Schools—one voice at a time.

Monday, March 16, will be an optional teacher workday for all schools except Columbus Career & College Academy (CCCA). There will be no school for students.

Due to expected inclement weather tomorrow, CCCA will operate on a remote instruction schedule.

There will be no afternoon or evening activities at any school tomorrow due to the weather.

As part of our March Madness Challenge, this week, students turned learning time into MOVEMENT time—combining rigorous thinking with relay races, partner games, math manipulatives and lots of smiles as they showed what they know. Thank you to our teachers for designing engaging, standards-based activities that get bodies AND brains moving, and to our students for giving their best effort on every play. Columbus County Schools is all in on making learning active, joyful, and challenging—on and off the court! Check out the video: https://youtu.be/3WZen5ASBW0

Week 3 tip-off is HERE, Columbus County! 🏀 This week in our Rigor Rebound: March Madness Challenge, our Elite 8 will go head to head as we zero in on the 8 Qualities of Authentic Engagement in our classrooms. Check out our Elite 8 Match-ups here: https://youtu.be/nWMpLOUPtms

Columbus County Health Department will be visiting Columbus County Schools to offer Tetanus, Diphtheria, and Pertussis (Tdap) and Meningococcal vaccines to rising 7th and 12th graders. This is an excellent opportunity for students to receive their state-required vaccines. If you are interested in your child receiving these vaccines while at school, please contact your child’s school or a school nurse to obtain the required forms. Completed consent forms must be returned to your child’s school by March 31, 2026.

See dates and locations here -https://aptg.co/__v-xD

Vaccine Information Sheets will be provided. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your child’s school or speak with a school nurse.

Wondering how schools move through the challenge... from Rankings → Sweet 12 → Elite 8 → Final 4 → Champion? 🏀

Here’s the game plan:
Week 1: Rankings based on lesson plans, student learning tasks and classroom walkthrough data.
Week 2: Sweet “12” – schools compete in pools with a focus on RIGOR.
Week 3: Elite 8 – competition focus shifts to ENGAGEMENT.
Week 4: Final 4 – schools must show BOTH rigor and engagement across classrooms.
Week 5: Championship game and celebrations before Spring Break.

Every task submitted and every walkthrough completed is a “possession” that can earn points.
Play hard, learn hard, have fun!

What are we really “rebounding” toward?
Rigor = tasks that push students to analyze, justify, create, and problem‑solve – not just recall.
Engagement = students talking, collaborating, making choices, and caring about the work.

During Rigor Rebound we’re asking:
1. Does the learning task cross the Rigor Divide?
2. Do we see multiple qualities of engagement in each lesson?

Every redesign, every walkthrough, every conversation is about giving students a more powerful learning experience — and having fun while we do it.

Comment below: Which do you want to grow more this month – rigor or engagement?