Millwood Elementary School in Sumter is finalist for state award

Various efforts at increasing community involvement and student support has Millwood Elementary School as a finalist for a state award.

Millwood Principal Cornelius Leach spoke Wednesday on the school being named as a top-five finalist for the state School Improvement Council's annual Dick and Tunky Riley Award for School Improvement Council Excellence.

The award was created in 2002 to recognize significant contributions made to public education by SIC members who volunteer in the state's public schools, according to a news release.

Community groups that volunteer at Millwood, 24 Pinewood Road, include First Presbyterian Church of Sumter and the local Combat Veterans Group, among others, according to Leach.

The school's goals for community involvement and student support target and focus on academics, attendance and student behavior at Millwood, he added.

The other four finalists for this year's award include the SICs at Chapin Middle School (School District Five of Lexington and Richland Counties), Flowertown Elementary School (Dorchester District Two), Pontiac Elementary School (Richland District Two) and Round Top Elementary School (Richland District Two).

Last year, Millwood was an Honor Roll school for the award, finishing in the top 11 statewide, Leach said.

The winner of the 2020 Riley Award will be named April 4 at the state School Improvement Council's annual meeting in Columbia.

The Riley Award for School Improvement Council Excellence is named in honor of former Gov. and U.S. Education Secretary Dick Riley and his late wife, Tunky, and recognizes the couple's longstanding commitment to quality public education, according to the release.