
Lexington Three’s very own Corey Bedenbaugh is headed to Columbia tomorrow for a day he’ll never forget! 🎉 Corey, who currently serves as Lexington School District Three’s Teacher of the Year, was named one of the Top 5 Finalists for South Carolina Teacher of the Year back in March — and now, the highly anticipated announcement is just around the corner! On Thursday, Corey and the other finalists will be recognized at the Statehouse alongside amazing educators from across the Palmetto State before attending a luncheon at the Governor’s Mansion, where the 2025 SC Teacher of the Year will be revealed during a special ceremony. Let’s shower Corey with all the good vibes, best wishes, and Panther Pride we can!

SAVE THE DATE for BLMS Athletic Banquet! Additional Information will follow after Spring Break. If your child participated on a JV team, Varsity team, C-Team or the Archery team they are included under HS athletics.


BLMS Parents, please take a moment to complete the SC State Parent School Climate Survey. The portal for responses will be open until April 11th, 2025. Thank you!

🎉🏆 Congratulations to Batesburg-Leesville Middle School and teacher Laura Bishop on being selected as one of just 10 schools to participate in the Palmetto AI Pathways Pilot Program for the 2025-2026 school year! This exciting opportunity—powered by SC Competes, IT-oLogy, and the University of South Carolina—will allow students to dive into robotics, technology, and AI, exploring how these fields shape the future.
With hands-on lessons using IT-oLogy’s robotics curriculum and guidance from the Palmetto Automated Learner (PAL), a Boston Dynamics robotic dog, BLMS students will gain invaluable STEM experiences. Industry experts and USC representatives will also be involved, opening doors to future career pathways!
We are so proud of Mrs. Bishop and BLMS for leading the way in AI and robotics education!


An exciting Student vs. Faculty Volleyball Game was held at B-L Middle School on Friday, March 28th. Thanks to the support of our Panther community, more than 300 pounds of food were collected for the Panther Pantry and more than $700 was raised to support student activities!

Students and staff from B-L Middle School participated in the Unified Rally for Special Olympics at the SC Statehouse on Tuesday, March 25th, advocating for inclusion and acceptance. What a great day!



B-L Middle School was buzzing with excitement today as the SC Department of Education visited to film BLMS Teacher of the Year and SC Teacher of the Year Finalist Corey Bedenbaugh. The footage captured will be featured in a special highlight video to be showcased at the State Teacher of the Year Gala on April 24.

Attention BLMS students (for all rising 7th, 8th, 9th graders) interested in playing a sport next year. Please sign up on this google form below if you need a sports physical for for the 2025-2026 school year. The sports physical are free and will be held at BLHS during the school day on April 24 and May 1. Transportation will be provided. Nurse Neeley will Pre-Screen (BP, Ht, Wt and Vision) students during the week of April 1-4 and April 21-23. You will NOT be called to get the physical if you do not sign up on this form. All physicals for the 2025-2026 school year must be dated after April 1, 2025.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSePnjy72dSMl9PpNku04ce90W1CUJrakYZCJrJJ8weAsY6IIw/viewform?usp=sharing


It's been a fantastic week in Lexington County School District Three as we celebrated Read Across America! From guest readers to fun literacy activities and dress-up days, our students have been immersed in the joy of reading. A huge thank you to our amazing teachers, staff, and community members who helped make this week so special. Keep turning those pages, Panthers—reading is our superpower!



Important Dates!
iReady Final Diagnostic for Reading: March 25th and 27th
iReady Final Diagnostic for Math: April 1st and 3rd
SCREADY DATES:
May 7: Writing
May 13: Reading Part A
May 14: Reading Part B
May 20: Math
May 22: Science ((6th grade only))
For 8th grade Algebra Students ONLY: May 28 - Algebra 1 EOC



Lexington Three is gearing up for National School Breakfast week which runs from March 3rd through 7th. Please encourage your child to take advantage of our free breakfasts every day, but especially next week as our Food Services Department has some delicious meals on the menu!



Congratulations to the B-L Middle and High School archery teams for earning invitations to the 2025 South Carolina Archery in the Schools State Championship! Competing this week in Columbia, both teams ranked among the top 15 in the state. They delivered outstanding performances against the competition, with several athletes achieving personal bests. Well done, Panthers!



Panther Tracks Newsletter this month is 2 pages.


Page 2 of February's Panther Tracks Newsletter.


Congratulations to the following B-L Middle and B-L High School students on their participation in the SCBDA Region Band Clinic this past weekend. Back row left to right:
Dria Dennis-clarinet 11th grade senior band, Evan Kirkland-euphonium 10th grade clinic band, Dontarrious Dennis-trombone 9th grade clinic band, Matthew Leaphart-trumpet 8th grade junior band. Front row left to right: Corman Lake-French horn 8th grade junior band, Izzy Prouse-euphonium 8th grade junior band, Aika Moore-bass clarinet 10th grade clinic band


Ready to snag a crown in this year's Miss Panther Pageant? If so, the deadline to turn in your application, photos and money is this Friday, February 21st! Applications can be obtained via email (misspantherpageant@gmail.com) or in the front office of each of our schools.
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Congratulations to B-L Middle School teacher McKenna Palmer and her team for their outstanding achievements at the Lake Murray Polar Plunge this weekend! Their incredible efforts raised more than $5,000 for the Special Olympics, earning them multiple awards including Coolest School and Top Fundraising Team. They also took home honors for having the most team members sign up to take the plunge—what an amazing accomplishment! And true to her word, BLMS Principal Sharah Clark kept her promise for a good cause. This morning, she was up on the school roof, waving to parents during drop-off and spreading cheer with her bullhorn. Way to go, BLMS!


8th grade students at B-L Middle School learned what it meant to have a career, salary, spouse (or lack thereof), children and the financial obligations of a 30-year-old adult today as part of the school's "Reality Town" curriculum. Check out our Facebook page for more details!

It’s Unified Spirit Week at B-L Middle School and we’re having a blast with the themed dress-up days leading up to the Polar Plunge for Special Olympics on Saturday, February 8th. (Yesterday was Team Wear Day! Check out the photos to see the themes for the rest of the week.) So far, B-L Middle School has raised an impressive $3,260 for the Special Olympics. As part of the fundraising efforts, a fun competition is underway among the school administrators: Principal Sharah Clark, Assistant Principal Jacob Prahst, and Assistant Administrator Brantley Buzhardt. The administrator who raises the least amount of money will spend an entire day on the roof of BLMS! Currently, Mrs. Buzhardt is in the lead, but there’s still time for the others to catch up before the competition ends on Friday. Stay tuned for the final results!


BLMS Panther Tracks
