Soaring to Even Higher Heights in 2024-25
Soaring to Even Higher Heights in 2024-25
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Call to Service on MLK Day
Call to Service on MLK Day
MLKDay2025.MP4On Martin Luther King Junior Day, January 18, 2025, our team answered the Call to Service by partnering with Family Promise of the Midlands, and several area churches to host a basketball for kids in the Midlands over the holidays.
a469674d6bfe468aa2a15d2b39067d9a.MP4Tonight we visited Coach Sellars Dad at the nursing home to present him with the 2nd Annual Ellen Sellars Memorial Consolation Championship trophy we won over Winter Break. This is the second year in a row we've won the consolation championship, and Mr. Sellars cherished getting last years trophy. Mr. Sellars suffers from Alzheimer's, so providing him with this experience brings much joy to his life! He has made the two trophies center pieces in his room.
db3099f229d549009fb92330c2faeb13.MP4Over the Winter Break, our boys basketball team partnered with The Columbia Urban League to pack 400 boxes of food for those in the Midlands. This was an incredible experience for our young men, and one we are truly grateful!
Tonight we remembered and celebrated Cancer Survivors through our Linking SC initiative. Our school raised over $500 to help support Cancer Survivors throughout Lexington County. In honor of all those battling cancer, we recognized two of our teachers, Dr. Christen Thomas, who is a Breast Cancer survivor, and Mrs. Stacey Gantt, who is a Leukemia survivor. Our basketball programs donated $200 in their honor to Linking SC.
153829a2746c46f8bbe6523b1ef58c40.MP4Tonight we celebrated our amazing teachers at Teacher Appreciation Night in the War Hawks Nest! We appreciate all our teachers and the work they do to support and motivate us on a daily basis to be our best both academically and behaviorally!
2022-2023 Year in Review
2022-2023 Year in Review
330d78a8db484fe4a10c96a2240a4eed.MP4In our final regular season game, we recognized our amazing 8th grade student athletes. These guys were able to win the most games in school history with 13, and play for the divisional championship for the third time out of four years. We appreciate their dedication, hard work, and commitment to our team. They surely will be missed! #RespectUpliftCompete
During the season we do a number of character education lessons directly afterschool, before we enter practice. This year, one of the biggest topics we dealt with is the responsibilities that come along with having a baby. We discussed not only the appropriate times there are in life to engage in such a responsibility, but also the topics of interacting with the opposite sex at the middle school age, how to be a good father at the right time in life, and each of the boys carried around baby simulators that scored their ability to take care of an infant. The highest possible number of points you could get was a 100, and I'm proud to say that no one recieved a score below 90. #RespectUpliftCompete
21017d926cc34a919253b333559ba5d5.MP4Each year in January instead of practicing on Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday, we gather for a Day of Service. This year, our act of service was giving thanks to those who have donated financially to our program in order for us to have the team gear, and shoes we need to look good and be successful on and off the court. Thank you so much to all of The War Hawk Network! #RespectUpliftCompete
abd123977474489587e066f492f3453a.MP4One of the most exciting nights of the year is Teacher Appreciation Night. Each of our student athletes select one teacher who has made a tremendous impact in their lives, and invites them to the game. We recognize them at halftime, and the players, both girls and boys, send them personalized videos telling them why they were selected. We also celebrate our entire teaching staff by reserving a teacher section, and calling them out through a tunnel of cheerleaders to the Chicago Bulls Intro theme song. #RespectUpliftCompete
58ab44dacdf7489b900de3702776e985.MP4On our #BeatCancer Night we recognized those who are currently battling cancer, beaten cancer, or unfortunately lost their lives to cancer. In addition, we celebrated one of our very own War Hawk Cancer survivors, Mrs. Deniece Todd (WKMS Cafeteria Manager). We surrounded her with the WKMS Linking Lexington Chain in which we collected over $300 for cancer patients here in Lexington County. We also presented her with a War Hawk apron in the teal color for her fight over Ovarian Cancer. #BeatCancer #RespectUpliftCompete
d260a028cccd47fda9de7ab679355aa1.MP4We were extremely grateful to Coach Gary Fulmer and the Chick-Fil-A Classic Committee on selecting us to participate in a CFA Halftime Challenge with other Lexington 1 County Schools. We had a lot of fun, and it was a great opportunity for the kids to see some great basketball! #RespectUpliftCompete
Proud of our team as we clinched the Consolation Championship of the Ellen Sellars Memorial Classic with a 60 - 45 win over a great Bamberg-Ehrhardt Team. #RespectUpliftCompete
1d93fba98ff840ccb25a673d3d03c26b.MP4It was a special moment having my guys present the championship trophy to my Daddy who lost Coach Sellars' Mama, Ellen Sellars, just a couple months earlier. Mr. Sellars has been suffering with Alzheimers for 5 years, but clearly understood the significance of the trophy and proudly hoist it in his room. #RespectUpliftCompete
Excited for our Silver Team as they got their first two wins on the season, and both Coach Nordone and Coach Bradford who were able to clinch their first wins of their basketball coaching careers.
f7134ef52dfd47bb9d0196a6df4e91e7.MP4Today was a special day as we welcomed DeWayne Johnson Jr. to the team. Due to his outstanding performance in the classroom, and on the court as our manager, DeWayne earned himself a jersey! It's moments like these that we cherish as a coaching staff! #RespectUpliftCompete
RPReplay_Final1657575606.mp4RPReplay_Final1657662663.mp4In July, the War Hawk girls and boys gave back to their community by hosting a youth summer camp for kids ages 7-13. It was completely player led, and our War Hawk student athletes did an incredible job working with our campers. A special thanks to David White and his team at Slingin' Ink for creating the drip for our parent/teacher volunteers, player volunteers, and campers. We'd also like to thank Manager, Brandon Miles, at Food Lion on Emanuel Church Road in Lexington for their canteen donations. It takes a village to support our young people, and I'm proud to say we came together and made it happen! #RespectUpliftCompete
RPReplay_Final1657764411.mp4
The War Hawk girls and boys kicked off the June Session with a bang! Players came in throughout the month to get better, and help us work toward another Lex10 Title Run. Thanks for Lakeside Middle, Pelion Middle, and Pine Ridge Middle for providing us competition over the summer to have a measuring stick on how much work we have left to do! A special thanks to David White and his team at Slingin' Ink for the amazing June Session practice jerseys and to The War Hawk Network for their donations to make this developmental month a success! #RespectUpliftCompete
June Session.mp42021-2022 Year in Review
2021-2022 Year in Review
The War Hawk Brotherhood joined our current players to fulfill a promise made back in January that we would get our MLK Jr. Service Project complete as soon as we had good weather. We painted the goals on our blacktop cardinal and silver. In the upcoming months we will add our logo to the center square. Proud of those who were able to make it in person and all our guys who would’ve made it, but are grindin’ on the court playing AAU, and/or on the baseball and football field. #RespectUpliftCompete
Team GPA Athletes of the Week.m4vIncredibly proud of our young men and their hard work in the classroom. Collectively, for the first semester, we maintained a 3.0 GPA. Our WKMS PTSA was generous enough to sponsor our scholar athletes. For each content area they showed growth, from the first nine weeks to the second, they were allowed to choose an item from the WKMS canteen. We appreciate their support of our STUDENT athletes. #RespectUpliftCompete #WKMSSoars
On March 12, a new tradition was formed within the War Hawk Boys Basketball Program called The War Hawk Brotherhood. Click on the link to learn more about this new tradition that will yearly be connected to our end of the season celebration and banquet. In addition to the induction of these student athletes into this prestigious membership, we also provided entertainment for the parents by hosting a Rising Stars, seventh grade, all star game, and a Brotherhood All Star Game that was made up of former players from 2019-21 and current rising ninth grade players from the 2021-22 season. Click on the link to see the highlights from those games. Overall, it was a successful event, and one we will look forward to for years to come! #RespectUpliftCompete
8th Grade Recognition Night is always a great moment to celebrate the amazing accomplishments and efforts our student athletes have put in during their two years here at WKMS on and off the court! On this particular night we celebrated 6 8th grade student athletes, and our two managers for all the hard work and dedication they've put in over the course of the season! The best is yet to come!
On our #BeatCancer Night we recognized those who are currently battling cancer, beaten cancer, or unfortunately lost their lives to cancer. In addition, we celebrated being the top middle school in the district to raise the most money for Linking Lexington. In order to raise money for Linking Lexington, students and staff bought links to represent the various people in their lives that have had cancer. The money raised goes towards families that are currently dealing with cancer in its many forms. Together, our school raised $871, beating our total from last year by over $200. Awesome job, WarHawks. Let's continue to lift others with our words and actions! #WKMSSoars
Cultural Diversity Night.m4vWe place a huge emphasis in our program on the importance of building relationships, and appreciating one another's differences. Celebrating Cultural Diversity Night takes this emphasis a step further by involving our student body, and their work to learn more about the diversity throughout our country and the world. Take a look at this video to see the amazing artwork produced by our talented students.
Success, culture, and school pride cannot be developed alone. Thanks to our War Hawk Network of community, state, and nation wide donors, our student athletes were able to receive free team shoes. Having team shoes relieves the financial strain athletic teams can have on parents, it provides a sense of team unity and connection, as well as, instills pride in each player. We have a firm belief that when you look good, you play well. Thank you to our donors and all they do to support White Knoll Athletics!
Teacher Appreciation Night - Standing In the Hall of Fame.movOne of our most favorite games of the year is our Teacher Appreciation Night! We invite all of the teachers at WKMS to attend. In addition our student athletes and managers also invite one special educator to attend who they say impacted them in a tremendous way during their educational career. The educator can be from any grade, any school, any district, and/or any state. Inevitably they always show up, and it makes our student athletes beam with pride. We appreciate all of the educators out there who commit their time, money, and talents to student leaders across the country!
Mission Lexington is a tremendous resource for those in need throughout Lexington County. Leading up to Thanksgiving, our student body accepted the challenge of raising nonperishable items to contribute to Mission Lexington in an effort to help those in need over Thanksgiving and into Christmas. We were pleased to present to Mr. Sheldon Sundell 393 pounds of food! We appreciate our partnership with Mission Lexington and all that they do for our surrounding community!
2020-2021 Year In Review
2020-2021 Year In Review
On February 06, 2021 we clinched our second divisional title in school history and won our first every Lex10 Conference Championship with a win over the Meadow Glen Gators 42-32.
On January 30, 2021 we were honored to have Coach De'Angelo Bryant former Orange Bowl Champion for the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, former Defensive Coordinator for the White Knoll Timberwolves, and current Head Football Coach at Silver Bluff High School join us to talk about NCAA Eligibility Criteria. He shared with us valuable information that each student athlete can take with them into high school as they pursue their dreams of playing intercollegiate sports.
On January 19, 2021 against Carolina Springs Middle School, we celebrated the magnificent work that our teachers do for us on a daily basis. Not only did we celebrate those at White Knoll Middle School, but each of our student athletes chose one educator who has impacted their lives in a powerful way over the academic careers thus far. Click here to hear how these amazing teachers touched the lives of our student athletes, and have challenged them to be the best they can be.
On the National Day of Service, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, we took time to make bulletin boards all the sixth, seventh, and eighth grade halls to display our Celebrating Culture Diversity Projects.
On January 14, 2021, we celebrated Cultural Diversity Night. Our players and managers did a research project on a minority figure of their choice who has impacted the world in amazing ways. Click here to view their projects, and here to hear them share their projects at the game. We also took time to honor one of the all time greats at WKMS, Coach James Redmond. Coach Redmond has worked and coached at WKMS for 26 years. This year marked his final season coaching girls basketball in the War Hawks Nest. Click here to watch the recognition ceremony.
In December we celebrated our second straight consolation championship in the War Hawk Invitational with a victory over Buford Middle School from Lancaster, SC.
During the month of November, our student body at White Knoll Middle School came together to support Linking Lexington. It is a district wide initiative that all schools participate in where 100% of the proceeds go to help cancer patients in Lexington County alone. We celebrated together during our #BeatCancer Night by announcing we had raised $624.50 towards the cause. We also celebrated a young lady in our community, Ellie Rhea Rupprect, a 5 year old little girl who has battled and overcome her fight with cancer. Our teachers, as well, joined the cause by raising money to grant a wish Ellie Rhea had of owning her own rainbow wig. It was truly an amazing night as our War Hawk Family came together to touch so many lives through one event.
In October, we held a Lex10 South Division Banner Ceremony celebrating our first boys basketball championship in School history. It was also the most team wins in school history with 12 overall wins.
War Hawk Kindness Challenge.movOver the summer our summer league team met regularly on Zoom to discuss topics beyond basketball. One of the topics we covered was on Social Injustice. Together we decided to accept the #KindnessChallenge in order to demonstrate that even the tiniest measures we take to show kindness can make a big impact on the world!
2019-2020 Year In Review
2019-2020 Year In Review
On November 16, the WKHS ROTC joined our team to help her learn better communication skills and teamwork. We appreciate them taking time out of their day to help us grow. #OnePack
So proud of our War Hawks for collecting 194 canned goods and $194 at the Pine Ridge Exhibition Game for Mission Lexington! We ARE White Knoll! Soaring to new heights in 2019-2020! #WKMSSoars
On December 05, The War Hawks hosted a Pink Out to raise awareness for Breast Cancer. At the game we recognized two champions over cancer. One was our school guidance counselor, Ms. Jennifer Calabrese, and the other was an 8th grader, Brayden Sox. Both were presented with War Hawk t-shirts!
On December 07, our student athletes began their community service outreach project by offering a free basketball camp to third to fifth graders in Lexington 1. The kids had a great time and we look forward to seeing more kids come out in the upcoming weeks!
On December 19, 2019, our student athletes honored the faculty and staff of WKMS, as well as, one special teacher who they said has impacted their life the most in their educational career. It was a special night to honor educators across the state and represent the STUDENT in student-athlete.
Exposing our young men to community leaders is one of the most important components of our basketball program. Giving them opportunities to meet people who will mentor them, share words of wisdom, and take time out of their busy schedules to help them grow as people is a top priority. On Saturday, January 04, we were able to welcome retired Army veteran, Sergeant First Class Sherman Crosland, to speak with our young men prior to our matchup with Bamberg-Erhardt in the first round of the War Hawk Invitational. We appreciate his time and service to our country.
On January 26, 2020, our girls and boys basketball programs were invited to Duke University to watch a basketball game, tour the athletic facilities, and campus. We appreciate former White Knoll High School basketball coach and now Assistant Basketball Coach for the Lady Blue Devils, Keturah Jackson, for her hospitality! It was truly an amazing experience and one we will never forget!
On January 27, 2020 we celebrated 8th Grade Recognition Night. Words cannot express the pride I have for these young men and the way they have conducted themselves on and off the court throughout the season. Most wins in school history and a Consolation Championship Title in the First Annual War Hawk Invitational!
Every non game day afternoon, our team participates in a character education lesson. On January 28, 2020, we were able to welcome in Reverend Dawn Hyde from Downtown Church in Columbia, South Carolina. She helped facilitate a conversation about appropriate ways to interact with the opposite sex whether it be your mother, grandmother, sister, girlfriend, or wife. Our goal with this lesson was to facilitate conversations that would exemplify what it looks like to carry out healthy relationships that will be meaningful and lead to these young men growing up one day to be good husbands and fathers.
Building a championship culture requires not just time on the court with the X's and O's, but time spent with one another off the court. On January 31, 2020 we joined the White Knoll Timberwolves as they competed against cross town rival, Lexington. It was an amazing experience for the players to see, start to finish, a day and life of the Timberwolves. The future is bright with this group of eighth graders heading off to high school next year. It was icing on the cake as White Knoll prevailed in a route over Lexington! Then, on February 02, 2020 we gathered at Coach Sellars' house for a Super Bowl party. We played 3 on 3 round robin tournament in the yard, a NBA2K basketball tournament, watched the game, and enjoyed a great meal as we fellowshipped with one another.
On Friday, February 7, the day before our first playoff game, Mrs. Schilit, our assistant principal, came in and shared some inspiring words about how basketball impacted her life and the ways in which basketball can be a vehicle to take you places in life beyond the court. We appreciated so much her taking time out of her busy schedule to come and share with us. It propelled us to a 40-37 victory over Sandhills the next day!
On February 10, 2020 we defeated Gilbert 40-32 to clinch the first ever South Division Championship in the Lexington 10 Athletic Conference. This was also our second championship of the season. These two championships were the first two in school history and we finished the season with a school record 12 wins.
So proud of our War Hawk Student Body for collecting 393 pounds of food and giving back to our community through Mission Lexington. Special thanks to Sheldon Sundale for Mission Lexington for coming out and sharing in this special moment with us! #WKMSSoars
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