After a decade of work and three years of mentorship, Little Learner's Lodge (LLL) has been awarded RIE Certification by the RIE Board. LLL is the first center to have received this recognition on the east coast. This means LLL is now endorsed by RIE as a childcare center practicing the authentic implementation of the teachings of Magda Gerber on a daily basis.

As a RIE Certified school- Little Learner's Lodge will be guiding other centers along the process of implementing Gerber's RIE Approach. Future trainings will involve Even Start and Head Start program, as well as research, photography, and video opportunities.

"Arriving at this point in our school's career has been a journey. We are very excited about the future possibilities for the center, the children we care for, and the professional opportunities that are soon to arrive for the very best early childhood teachers not only in the state of South Carolina, but in the U.S." states Nicole Vigliotti the schools owner.

Nearly every person at LLL and Montessori of Mount Pleasant staff is trained in RIE or Montessori (or both!) "We're passionate about implementing these philosophies as these approaches have stood the test of time and are proven - in study after study - to really work." adds MMP headmaster Megan Nordoff.

While RIE and Montessori provide the foundation for the LLL and Montessori of Mount Pleasant program, the school doesn't stop there. Each year, they continue to invest in collaborative learning experiences in other fields as well, including cultural studies, ecology, sustainable living, master gardening, Slow Food, Self-Directed Child, "Redirecting Children's Behavior," Orton- Gillingham and the Piklarian Method.

The result? Visit LLL and Montessori of Mount Pleasant at their open house on Saturday, Jan. 21st from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. There you are likely to see budding empathetic relationships between infants and their caregivers; toddlers demonstrating deep concentration or leading small group activities; and self-motivated, self-assured primary students who collaborate on work and conflict negotiation for the good of the community.

In fact, many parents are astonished during their first observation - at their students' independence, their intense level of focus, depth of understanding and concentration. Ultimately their children set their own standards and are gently guided to continue to challenge themselves - which means there's no limit to what they can achieve.

Evergreen State

A Wando High School teacher has recently been honored with a 2011 Teacher of Excellence Award after being nominated by a former student.

Stephanie Mignone has received the 2011 Teacher of Excellence Award from the Evergreen State College. The award honors educators who have made a difference in the lives of their students. Mignone was nominated for the award by a recent attendee of Wando High School, who is now a student at the Evergreen State College.

Michael Zimmerman, academic vice president and provost at the Evergreen State College, explained, "In an attempt to encourage our students to think about teachers who made a difference, I asked our incoming students to nominate via e-mail the teacher they felt made the biggest difference in their education."

Mignone is one of 40 elementary, secondary-school or college teachers from 11 U.S. states and four countries to receive the Excellence Award. Each teacher receives a certificate and a window decal.

The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Wash. is a nationally recognized public liberal arts college known for its distinctive interdisciplinary curriculum, high level of student/faculty engagement and emphasis on putting learning into action.

USC

On Dec. 12, Stephanie Bedard graduated Summa Cum Laude with Honors from the Honors College of South Carolina and the Darla Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina where she recieved a BSBA degree in global supply chain and operations management, international business with a minor in Spanish. In 2010, Bedard was an international exchange student at the Wirtschaftsuniversitat in Vienna, Austria. While a student at USC, Stephanie was the recipient of the following scholarships and awards: Palmetto Fellow, Lieber Scholar, National Merit Finalist, Carolina Alumni Scholar, Robert C. Byrd Honors, 2011 Department of State Critical Language Scholar, Ankara, Turkey; 2011 R. Gene Richter Scholar; 2010 SC International Trade Scholar; Institute for Supply Management-Columbia sponsored participant 2009; Delegate to the 2009 Education Without Borders conference Dubai, UAE; 2009 Moore School of Business Emerging Leader; 2008 New Ambassador of the Year. Bedard was the 2007 Wando High School Valedictorian. She has accepted a position with Johnson & Johnson at the World Headquarters in New Brunswick, N.J.

Springfield College

Tara Scott of Mount Pleasant, has earned a master of science degree in human services from Springfield College (Mass.) for studies completed in 2011.

Founded in 1885, Springfield College (www.springfieldcollege.edu) is known worldwide as the Birthplace of Basketball and for the guiding principles of its humanics philosophy-educating students in spirit, mind, and body for leadership in service to others. With its foundation of academic excellence and rich athletic heritage, Springfield College prepares students with real-world leadership skills for careers that transform lives and communities.

The college offers a range of undergraduate and graduate degree programs in fields of health sciences, human and social services, sport management and movement studies, education, business, and the arts and sciences. It also offers doctoral programs in physical education, physical therapy, and counseling psychology. The college is ranked in the 2012 edition of "Best Colleges" in the top tier of "Best Regional Universities -- North Region" by U.S.News Media Group, and is designated as a premier Leadership Development Center by the YMCA of the USA.

More than 5,000 traditional, nontraditional and international students study at its main campus in Springfield, Mass., and at its School of Human Services campuses across the country.

COK honors

COK seventh graders qualify for the SAT

Congratulations to the following seventh grade students at Christ Our King who qualified to take the SAT this year. To qualify, these students had to score at least 95 percent on the ITBS in either the Math/Science, Verbal/Social Studies or Composite tests:

Mariah Artigues, John Borkowski, Caroline Brazell, Erin Byrnes, David Cain, Abigail de Arellano, Joao da Costa, Michael Gaffney, Barrett Glasgow, Andrew Gormley, Brooke Grant, Kathleen Griffith, Catlin Harper, Hanna Kent, Matthew Kraft, Emma Lawrence, Mary Kollyn Lewis, Connor Malark, Jack McElhinney, Regan McKinley, Anna Grace Miller, William Mooney, Rhetta Moore, Millie Noury, Drue Ranson, James Reding, Sara Reineke, Tomie Robinson, Will Rubino, Wil Sheppard, Joe Story, Kathleen Sumner, Natasha Tirpak, Nicholas Voit and Austin Yearout. CCU

CCU graduates

A total of 364 students participated in Coastal Carolina University's commencement ceremonies on Saturday, Dec. 17, at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center.

Commencement speaker Pierre Thuot, a former NASA astronaut, received an honorary degree for public service.

Thuot flew on three space shuttles - Atlantis, Endeavor and Columbia - and logged 17 hours on three space walks.

Kayla K. Hinson of Mount Pleasant received a Bachelor of Arts degree in education and graduated Magna Cum Laude. Christos J. Palles of Mount Pleasant received a Bachelor of Science degree.