BOILING SPRINGS, SC - As athletes participate in signing days all over the area, on a rainy Thursday morning at Boiling Springs High School a different kind of signing day was taking place and it's a commitment that goes beyond the playing field as they'll be helping to lead the next great group of students and athletes in the classroom.
On this morning the Bulldogs Class of 2023 had seven students sign commitments to become teachers when their college careers are over with along with announcing the colleges they'd be attending for the next four years. The seven signees were Andie Alexander, Graham Blackwood, Samantha Condrey, Vanessa Luipold, Kylie McGinnis, Abigail Robertson, and Jaqairia Rogers. All seven are a member of the Boiling Springs Teacher Cadet program at Boiling Springs High School and the signing day was put on by their teacher Ms. Lauren Atkins. "This is a very special day because they get to show that they're going to commit to the field of education and hopefully return to Spartanburg District Two to teach," said Atkins. "The idea for this come from CERRA (Center for Education, Recruitment, Retention, and Advancement) but very few schools in the state that do this, we may be one of five schools that hold this type of ceremony." Atkins said that seeing these kids that she teaches making the commitment to go back to teach is special. "It's awesome to see them commit to a profession that is more of a passion-based occupation than a money driven occupation," said Atkins. "Seeing them working in the classrooms and their caring nature for students I know they're going to do well and be successful." Boiling Springs principal Zach McQuigg echoed the opinion of Atkins saying it was great seeing kids commit to something they're passionate about and he's always happy seeing that from all of the students at Boiling Springs. "It means a lot to celebrate all of our kids," said McQuigg. "The athletic signings are great and gets a lot of press but it's important for us to celebrate all of our kids that are going to do exceptional things at the next level. We have a group of seven students here that are making that commitment to go off to college before giving back as teachers and hopefully coming back to their community at home in Boiling Springs. I love this group of kids and know they're going to do a great job, I'm just glad to be a small part of their journey." He also added that it says a lot about the character of the seven students on the stage that they understand the value of giving back because they're going to affect a lot of lives as teachers. "I think it says a lot about them as people along with their character and their upbringing," said McQuigg. "These kids all understand the value of giving back and depending on what grade level they teach at, if you do the math, they're going to affect the lives of thousands of students and it's special they're willing to take on that type of responsibility." Andie Alexander, one of the students that signed on Thursday, said that the opportunity to have a signing day was special to her because it shined a light on people going into a profession that often doesn't get the recognition it deserves. "I think it's really important for people going into the teaching field to get something like this because I feel like teachers don't get the recognition they deserve," said Alexander. "A signing day for educators I think brings great attention to the field and something that needs to happen more often." When asked what made her choose to go into the teaching field, Alexander said that during the Covid lockdown she realized the impact that teachers have on students and wanted to do the same thing for the next generation. "I think what made me make the decision to go into the teaching field was during Covid not having that interaction with the teachers," said Alexander. "Being deprived of that interaction really showed me how important teachers truly were and showed me that it was a field I wanted to go into so that I could help influence the next generation myself." |
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