Berkeley Leader

Berkeley County Middle College High School issued the following announcement on March 22.

The new Berkeley County K-8 school under construction in the Carnes Crossroads area has yet to be named, but it has a principal.

At Tuesday, March 22nd’s  regular meeting of the Berkeley County Board of Education, 38-year BCSD employee Margaret “Sissy” Day was unanimously approved as the administrator to open the school in the fall of 2023.

Mrs. Day is currently the principal at Sangaree Middle, where she has been the principal since 2010. She came to Berkeley County School District in 1984 and, prior to becoming a principal was a reading teacher, teacher evaluator and an assistant principal at College Park Middle.

District-level administrators and board members agreed that Mrs. Day’s leadership will be a great resource at the new school, looking to immediately establish a focus on student-driven and focused learning, positivity and kindness and innovative learning practices.

In a 2009 interview with The Post and Courier, College Park Middle Principal Ingrid Dukes described Mrs. Day as “an exceptional person and administrator.” In that year, Mrs. Day was a finalist for BCSD Principal of the Year. It was one of several years in which her leadership has been recognized by the district – having been named BCSD Principal of the Year in 2013; BCSD Assistant Principal of the Year while at College Park Middle and Teacher of the Year at College Park Middle.

“Mrs. Day is one of those leaders that everyone admires,” Superintendent Deon Jackson said. “She’s the type of person that people want to follow. As we think about building a culture at a new school, having that type of leader is important. There’s no doubt that she will provide the foundation needed at the Carnes school that will allow its teachers and staff to make a positive difference in the lives of Berkeley County children.”

While Mrs. Day admits that thoughts of leaving Sangaree Middle make her a bit emotional, she’s excited about the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to open a new school and building a foundation on which everything else will grow.

“It will be really important to do it right,” she said. “It has to be done with care. Learning about the community to be served will be important. Understanding the expectations of parents in the community will be important.”

Something else that Mrs. Day says will be important will be establishing a culture of inclusiveness.

“We would want people on our staff to fill those ideals,” she said.

That culture of inclusiveness is something Mrs. Day finds pride in at Sangaree Middle. Her message to students, employees and community members is to keep it going.

“We have worked hard together to build a very strong culture in our building (SRM),” she said. “I care deeply about each and everyone one of them. I look for great things ahead for SRM. We have so much more to come. We have assembled such an amazing staff – kind and compassionate. I know that they will continue to work hard to develop outstanding young people.”

Mrs. Day will officially begin her role as the principal of the K-8 Carnes area school on July 1, 2022.

Original source can be found here.