Lexington 2 teachers care about their students. And not just while they are at school.

To get a better understanding of the child’s perspective, teachers from BC Grammar School No. 1, took a bus tour of the school’s surrounding community, Friday morning.

The purpose is to familiarize the staff with the community it serves up close, and to positively engage with students and parents in the neighborhoods where they live.

The bus ride comes as Lexington 2 teachers go back to their classrooms to prepare for the return of students next Thursday (Aug. 18.) Teachers’ first day of the 2016-17 School Year was Thursday (Aug. 11.)

“We want to know more about where the student is living,” said new BC Grammar Principal Christopher Dickey in explaining the tour. “And we want to let the people in the community know we are out there to learn.”

Sally Brown, BC Grammar’s parent liaison, spoke to BC Grammar’s teachers before departure, Friday.

She said in addition to going out into the community, physically, the school offers a tutoring program on Wednesdays, as well as stressing the importance of strong community involvement through a partnership. As partners, Brown said one of the goals is to encourage reading and explain its importance. The same with more complex challenges in math.

Kathryn Meetze is a fifth-year BC Grammar teacher who was on the bus tour. She said it is the first time the teachers- as a unit- have toured the school’s zoning area.

“So many times our community members are coming to us at school. So for us to go to them, it really strengthens that relationship,” Meetze said. “We want to show them that we are here for them, just as much as they are for us.”

She also said if there are deficits, it helps teachers to better understand them if they know where the students are coming from.

In a press release, Dickey said: “The bus tour included four stops. Those were: Greenhill Baptist Church, Cayce/West Columbia Library, Turner Memorial AME Church and B-C Grammar School No. 1.

Dickey also said when he leaves the school at the end of the day, he makes it a point to drive through the neighborhoods surrounding the school to get a flavor for the people who make up the BC Grammar community.

BC Grammar was named a Palmetto’s Finest school in March, one of only four in the state for the year.

The school also became a member of the National Network of Partnership Schools, in June.

And with the help of Francis Marion University’s Center of Excellence, BC Grammar has formed an Action Team for the 2016-17 school year.  The Action Team is a small group that includes the school principal, assistant principal, parent liaison, PTO president, teachers, staff and parents.