Former Converse professor is new principal at Mary Bramlett

TOM ABBOTT Tom Abbott was quite happy in a second career as a college professor when he accepted an offer last fall to visit Mary Bramlett Elementary.

Abbott had little idea the request from Cherokee County School District Superintendent Dr. Bill James would result in planning for a new school year instead of teaching college classes. The Converse University professor will be the principal at Mary Bramlett Elementary when classes begin Thursday.

Abbott spent 31 years as a teacher and school administrator in Spartanburg and Union before he retired in 2002. He is a former Cowpens Elementary principal and an assistant superintendent in Spartanburg District 3 and in Union.

"Bill James approached me several months ago and asked me to take a look at Mary Bramlett Elementary. He told me it was a school with a lot of potential," Abbott said. "After I visited the school, I started working at Mary Bramlett Elementary with the faculty and staff in January. Bill James convinced me to stay on as principal this year."

Abbott was hired in March as a principal interventionist at Mary Bramlett Elementary this year.

The school faces state monitoring if its test scores do not improve.

"I have grown very fond of this little school. I want to build on the positive things they are already doing at Mary Bramlett Elementary," Abbott said. "Our primary focus will be on high-quality teaching and maximizing our instruction time to create an environment where student learning is taking place."

Mary Bramlett Elementary has been involved in a major overhaul of its instructional program over the past couple of years. The school piloted single-gender classes in the fifth grade last year and will offer three Montessori kindergarten classes this year.

Detail-oriented, Abbott and a school leadership team have left few stones unturned in their effort to improve the learning environment.

"Science instruction will be the centerpiece of our 2008-2009 school improvement efforts," Abbott said. "Our students will be involved in a lot of hands-on science activities."

Interactive, electronic whiteboards called Promothean boards will be connected to microscopes and computers. Each class will participate in at least one science lab per week.

Science is among 100 improvement initiatives planned for the 2008-2009 school year. The list includes repainting the gym and cafeteria, integrating English instruction into other subject areas, spending more time on writing and increasing student participation in the performing arts.

While he admits the list is ambitious, Abbott said he believes the school can accomplish these goals with the support of parents and the community.

"I am a big supporter of community schools. I think schools help give communities their identity," Abbott said. "I love to see parents and children coming into school. I'm excited to be at Mary Bramlett Elementary. I'm looking forward to a really good year."