Superintendent Doctor Witherspoon told the Richland 1 School Board on May 29 that Hyatt Park Elementary School has been named a Visible Learning Plus certified school — the district’s first and one of the first in South Carolina to earn that highest level designation.

"Being named a Visible Plus certified school is the highest of the 3 awards a school can obtain," Doctor Witherspoon said on the record. The superintendent said the designation recognizes the school’s work to embed evidence‑based instructional methods and to use data to drive classroom practice.

Witherspoon also reminded the board that summer school and camp programs begin Monday, June 2, and run through July 17; children age 18 and younger can receive free meals through the federally funded Summer Break Cafe program at designated sites. He noted yesterday, May 28, was the last student day of the 2024–25 year and today was the last teacher day.

The superintendent highlighted district employee awards, noting Zacy Jones tapped as the 2025–26 Richland 1 Teacher of the Year and Keith Wilder named the classified employee of the year. A procurement director retiring with 38 years of service was also recognized.

Superintendent Witherspoon closed by reminding the public of a district career fair for certified and classified positions on June 5 and said the district will post additional details about summer programming on richlandone.org.