By D. Todd Helms
Director of Communications and Governmental Affairs

Henry David Thoreau once said, “Things do not change; we change.” This quote fits perfectly for the inspiring and progressive changes taking place at Gray Collegiate Academy, a public charter high school, conveniently located near the major interstate highways in West Columbia, SC. GCA is a 9-12th grade high school which focuses on Dual Enrollment courses–giving students an exceptional opportunity to receive up to sixty (60) hours of college credit throughout their high school years; who would not desire such an immense financial savings on “jump-starting” college?

The changes that are most impactful include academic success, and that is being noticed throughout GCA. PSAT results arrived this week, and we have great news to share. Gray had a mean value score of 1033 for all Juniors, compared to the 1006 district and 1025 state scores, respectively. Our Juniors also had 50% of students meet both benchmarks, compared to 40% for the school district and 46% for the state, respectively. Also, Sophomores could not be overshadowed, as they had 33% meet both benchmarks, compared to 29% for the district and 31% for the state, respectively. These are excellent results and demonstrate that academic development is happening at GCA.

Dr. Brian Newsome, Principal at GCA, stated, “I was excited to hear the wonderful results from our PSAT. This is only one testament of the dedication that is demonstrated daily from our teacher-certified faculty, college staff, school staff, students, and parents. We are focused on improving student achievement daily at GCA, and we will continue to provide a rigorous curriculum in a quality-learning environment. We have implemented other positive changes that are impactful for our school, including peer tutoring, free teacher tutoring, a focus on high-academic standards, and quality instruction– delivered daily. Truly I am proud to serve as Principal at Gray.”

Concluding, it is wonderful to share with you these student successes at our school. The faculty, staff, and administration invite anyone interested in learning more about Gray and its unique and beneficial high-school program to visit the website (www.graycollegiateacademy.org), to stop by for a visit, or to call 803.951.3321. You will truly see a family-like environment focused on students’ successes.