Michael C Antonelli

Principal

Laurel Hill Primary

Ph: 843-849-2200

Biography

I grew up in New York on Long Island's East End. I moved to South Carolina in 1991 to attend Clemson University where I majored in architecture. After earning my undergraduate degree I spent the next 4 years working for a local architectural firm designing schools all around South Carolina, from Columbia to Hilton Head. During this time I also worked with elementary-aged children through coaching basketball, attending career days about the architectural profession and through church groups. I married into a family of educators and really felt called to work with children. I left the architectural field and began my teaching career in 1999 as an elementary art teacher, first in Berkeley County and then in Charleston County (at Pinckney Elementary School). This proved to be an amazing career change as I truly love my current profession.

I thoroughly enjoyed my teaching career and during that time I was named Pinckney's Teacher of the Year and a Top 5 Finalist for Charleston County. I was a member of the CCSD Teacher Forum and also served as a Master Teacher for the SC PACE Program where I mentored over a hundred first year teachers throughout the state. I earned my Master's degree in Elementary Administration from The Citadel and then became an Assistant Principal at Pinckney Elementary, which was a K-5 school at that time.

In 2005 I was named Principal of Laurel Hill Primary and offered the opportunity to open our brand new facility in January, 2006. Since our opening, the Laurel Hill team has worked tirelessly to provide the best learning environment possible for our primary-aged children.

In 2008 I was named a '40 under 40' recipient by the Charleston Regional Business Journal and also received the Principal Advocacy Award by the CCSD Reading Recovery Program. I currently serve on the CCSD Modernization Committee which is tasked with bringing modern technology to all of the district's classrooms, as well as Dr. McGinley's Principal Advisory Committee.

I absolutely love my job as Principal at Laurel Hill and look forward to continuing our incredible progress toward becoming a nationally recognized primary school.

Susan and I have been married for 13 years and we have 2 children in preschool. My daughter will attend Laurel Hill next year and my son will attend the following year. I'm very excited for them to experience our incredible school. My time away from school is spent with family - going to the beach, creating artwork, reading books and volunteering at church.

Please feel free to contact me through e-mail with any questions about our amazing school.

From the Principal

Dear Loggerhead Families,

I�m typing this month�s letter from my Grandparent�s home on Long Island as I am up here in New York spending some time with my family. My Grandma Rose passed away earlier in the week and I�m hoping that by sitting in her office, and by looking at all of her published articles hanging on the walls, I will be able to live up to her high expectations as I write to you today. When we opened Laurel Hill, nearly four years ago, we established some goals for both the type of impact we would have on our students as well as the type of environment in which we would educate our children. Two commitments which emerged from these discussions were: � To do whatever we could to ensure a safe learning environment for all of our students. � To cultivate a love of learning in each of our children that will last a lifetime. Ensuring student safety at our school is the result of our detailed plans ranging from traffic patterns and dismissal routines, to playground rules and the locking of classroom doors. One component of student safety which is rarely discussed, but incredibly important, is child sexual abuse. Our faculty was trained this week by a volunteer from Darkness to Light, a local organization whose mission is to empower people to prevent child sexual abuse. As an educator (and a parent) I left the informative training with a knowledge regarding the signs of abuse, ways in which we can avoid dangerous situations, and most importantly a new understanding about the lifelong impact that this crime will cause. The statistics presented to us regarding the number of children (1 in 6 boys and 1 in 4 girls) who will be victims of child sexual abuse are simply staggering. If these ratios (or even a fraction of these ratios) are applicable to our student population, it is simply unacceptable. I encourage you as parents to educate yourselves on this topic. You can access www.darkness2light.org for additional information and training opportunities. Please help us to do whatever it takes to ensure the safety of our many students.

In educational circles we often talk about life-long learners and cultivating a love of learning. But what does this really look like? I believe that looking at positive role models can provide each of us with an example to strive toward. For me, Grandma Rose provided such inspiration and can truly be classified as a life-long learner. After high school, college was not an option for her as she was required to begin working in an effort to help support the family. While raising a family of her own she always stayed informed of current issues, vigorously promoted the education of her own children (and grandchildren), and became a local activist. I remember as a child making signs with grandma and picketing the nearby power plant, reading her published articles in the local papers, and talking with her about the many causes she was fighting and/or supporting. This passion for learning continued throughout her life, and at age 75 she finally received her Bachelor�s degree from St. Joseph�s College. And as she would tell you, �This isn�t one of those on-line degrees that kids get from home, I go and sit in all of my classes!� I challenge you as parents and grandparents to express to your children the importance of education and to be that positive role model in the eyes of your child. My hope is that we are producing students who will follow a similar path, who will become knowledgeable and informed community members. My hope is that our current students look back at their time at Laurel Hill as the springboard toward a lifetime of learning.

So often we look at the short-term results of our efforts as we educate our children. Thank you for your continued support as we do everything we can to ensure the best for our students as we look at the lifelong impact that these early childhood years provide.

Sincerely,

Michael C. Antonelli

October Message

September Message

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