🏈Friday Night Lights, Redhawk Pride & Senior Night! After a quick change from Bermuda Merlin to Redhawk mode, I was off to Westwood High School to join fellow Board Member Shelley Williams for the WACH FOX Friday Night Lights matchup against A.C. Flora! While the scoreboard wasn’t the outcome we hoped for, our Redhawks showed determination, resilience, and heart! Every game is an opportunity to learn, grow, and come back stronger. And the fans? They stayed right there, cheering our team on! The band was ROCKING (and yes, you might have caught me dancing a time or two)! Our cheerleaders brought the spirit, while the Color Guard and Dance Team kept the energy going strong! It was also great catching up with Principal Tameka Nicholson, Assistant Principal James Keels, and Assistant Principal of Instruction Kimberly Jeter! Senior Night made it even more special! Congratulations to all our seniors! Your dedication, leadership, and school pride have made a lasting impact. Friday Night Lights is about more than football. It’s about building leadership, teamwork, determination, pressure management, and resilience. When a community shows up and supports its student athletes, the opportunities for growth become even greater! Win or lose, Redhawk Pride runs deep! #dennis4r2 #RedhawkPride #SeniorNight #FridayNightLights @WHS_Redhawks @MrsTNicholson @mrskjeter @RichlandTwo

🎃👻 BOO at TWO was SPOOKTACULAR! 🍬🎉 What an amazing time celebrating with our Richland Two community! I enjoyed spending time alongside fellow Board members Chair Niki Porter, Vice Chair Joe Trapp, and Secretary Shelley Williams! The best part? Seeing the excitement, smiles, and pure joy on the faces of our kids! Moments like these remind us why community matters! A HUGE thank you to our incredible community partners, Richland Two staff, volunteers, security teams, and the Richland County Sheriff’s Department for making this event possible! Your dedication and support made it a tremendous success! To all the kids and families who showed up and showed out, THANK YOU! You made the event truly special! I firmly believe a school district is stronger when it has a strong community standing behind it. When schools, families, and community partners come together, our children WIN! Strong Schools. Strong Families. Strong Community. That’s Richland Two! #dennis4r2 #BOOatTWO #RichlandTwo #CommunityStrong #StrongerTogether #StudentSuccess @nporterRocks @RichlandTwo @RCSD

Congratulations to the Ridge View High School Football Team! The Blazers defeated Gray Collegiate 57–28 to win the Region 4 title in Class 5A! Way to bring it home to Ridge View and Richland Two. I’m proud of the players, coaches, and everyone who supported the team. Go Blazers! #dennis4r2 #RichlandTwo #RidgeViewBlazers #RegionChampions @RidgeViewF_Ball @rvhs @RichlandTwo

National School Bus Safety Week is a great time to recognize the people who help our students get to and from school safely every day. A huge thank you to the transportation specialists and the entire transportation team here in Richland District Two. Your early mornings, long routes, patience, care, and commitment make a difference in the lives of our students and families. We appreciate all that you do, this week and throughout the year! Let’s all do our part: slow down around school buses, watch for children, and obey bus stop signs all year long! #dennis4r2 #NationalSchoolBusSafety

Congratulations!

Richland District Two is filled with amazing artistic talent! I’m proud of the students, teachers, and staff who submitted their work to the South Carolina State Fair. As I walked through the fair, I tried to find every piece submitted by someone from Richland Two. Each one reflects the creativity, talent, and dedication it takes to bring an idea to life. Thank you for sharing your work and representing our district so beautifully! If you had an entry to the State Fair please feel free to add your entry to any of the post so the world can see your amazing work. We had entries from cake decorating, baking, photography, sculptures, clothing, and multiple styles of art. Visit my Facebook and Instagram pages to see the artwork featured across multiple posts as X will only allow 4 pictures per post. 🎨👏 #dennis4r2 @RTEFlightStatus @CFK_CFKN @BlythewoodHigh @WHS_Redhawks @SV_Vikings @RNECavaliers @rvhs @mullerroad @langfordlabs @WindsorElem @RichlandTwo @SCStateFair

Sumter brought its powerful rushing attack to Ridge View looking to control the game on the ground. The Blazers answered with an offense that could put points on the board quickly through both the air and the ground. It was a battle from start to finish, and Ridge View played with tremendous fight and determination. The coaching staff made key calls on both sides of the ball, keeping the offense moving and putting the defense in position to make big plays. Ridge View’s defense came up with two huge turnovers, including a key takeaway in the final minutes that helped secure a thrilling 40–35 victory. The energy in the stands was just as impressive. Ridge View fans stuck it out and kept cheering their team on the whole time. The band delivered a wonderful halftime performance, and the cheerleaders did a great job keeping the crowd engaged and bringing the energy when the team needed it. Ridge View also honored our military during Military Appreciation Night. As a veteran myself, I truly felt honored to be a part of the program. It was awesome to see the school and community take time to honor those who have served. Let’s not forget about those Cajun flavored boiled peanuts! They were on point! What a night of football! Congratulations to Ridge View on a hard fought WIN, and hats off to both teams for an exciting game! #dennis4r2 @RidgeViewF_Ball @RidgeViewSports @rvhs @RichlandTwo

I was proud to attend Blythewood Middle School’s Honor Roll Assembly and celebrate the hard work and accomplishments of its students. Out of 861 students, an incredible 562 made the honor roll that is 65% of the students! That’s a awesome achievement and a reflection of the dedication shown by students, families, and educators. A special thank you to Mr. Ralph Schmidt, Principal of Blythewood High School, for sharing such an inspiring speech. His words made the celebration even more meaningful and encouraged students to keep reaching for their goals. Congratulations to every student recognized. Keep up the great work! #dennis4r2 @BMSatRSD2 @BlythewoodHigh @RichlandTwo

I had a great time attending the Richland District Two Middle School Girls Volleyball Championship between Muller Road Middle School and Blythewood Middle School on the 14th of October 2026 hosted by Spring Valley High School. Both teams played extremely well and battled through all five sets, making it an exciting match from start to finish. Congratulations to Muller Road on the win, and to both teams for an outstanding season and championship performance. I’m extremely proud of every athlete. It’s always tough watching two of your schools compete against each other when you care so much about all the players but I couldn’t be prouder of the effort they put into the match! #dennis4r2 @BMSatRSD2 @mullerroad @SV_Vikings @RichlandTwo

At last nights board meeting on the 13th of October 2026 ACE Magnet (Academy for a Civic Engagement) students from Lonnie B. Nelson did an amazing job sharing what they learn and how they apply it in their everyday academic and personal lives. It was wonderful to hear them connect the lessons from ACE to their own experiences and growth. Their confidence, insight, and enthusiasm made for a truly impressive presentation! #dennis4r2 @lonniebnelson @RichlandTwo

Amazing work being done at @RNECavaliers!!! Congratulations @DrMarlonThomas and RNE Family!

On Friday, October 9th 2026, students enjoyed a day off. Our teachers and staff spent the day hard at work learning from one another and working together to find solutions to challenges in education. I joined them for a few hours and left feeling energized and impressed. As a board member, I often visit schools to see teaching in action and check on facilities. This visit was very different. I got to see the professional learning our already brilliant educators take part in to keep growing and strengthening their professional skill set. We don’t always need to reinvent the wheel. We have so many hardworking, talented educators right here in Richland District Two, ready to share ideas and learn from each other. You can be good at what you do and still keep getting better, because learning never stops. As Leonardo da Vinci said, “Learning never exhausts the mind.” #dennis4r2 @RichlandTwo

Blythewood High School is hosting the Southern Association of Student Councils the 10th-12th of October 2026, bringing together student leaders from schools across the Southeastern States. Students are here from Florida, Louisiana, Georgia, Tennessee, and many other places to connect, build leadership skills, and share ideas. It’s hard to put into words how inspiring it is to see what these students are doing. They have the world at their fingertips, and they’re already finding ways to lead, serve, and make a difference. These are our future leaders, and watching them come together is breathtaking. The conference runs from Saturday through Monday, and the Blythewood High School has gone all in. To the Teachers, Activities Director, Volunteers, Principal, and Students making this happen. Thank you for the time, care, and hard work you’ve put into making this experience special for so many people visiting Blythewood High School. The decorations the students created are amazing, especially with this year’s theme: “Leadership in the Wild.” When people ask me why Richland District Two, it’s an easy answer because we have amazing people everywhere that care and are dedicated to Excellence! A thank you to all the community sponsors as well! I’m truly amazed by what Blythewood has accomplished and grateful that Blythewood is welcoming these outstanding student leaders from all over the Southeastern States! #dennis4r2 @BlythewoodHigh @RichlandTwo