Education

This Principal of the Year is headed to Puerto Rico

River Bluff High School principal Lucas Clamp
River Bluff High School principal Lucas Clamp Lexington 1 school district

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Lucas Clamp has received invitations to speak across South Carolina after being named Principal Of The Year by the National Association of Secondary School Principals in 2018.

Even so, the River Bluff High School administrator said he’s not staying away from his students for too long — his heart is still in being the school’s principal.

Clamp was the second Lexington County principal in two years — the other being Chapin High School’s Akil Ross — to be given the honor. He stood out to a panel of judges for his commitment to making a school structure that prioritized relationship building. River Bluff was the first high school in the state to adopt the EL Education model of hands-on learning and weekly small group meetings.

Clamp is also known for his advocacy of marginalized students, encouraging teachers to craft learning experiences for students of color, with a particular emphasis on black students.

In January, Clamp will take a weeklong service trip to Juncos, Puerto Rico, with a group of 45 other educators from around the country and Canada. Among the volunteers is Pelion High School Assistant Principal Erica Page, who was named National Assistant Principal of the Year.



In Juncos, the group will rebuild Colegio Bautista, a K-9th grade school that was badly damaged by Hurricane Maria in 2017.


Clamp said he has never been to Puerto Rico and his Spanish skills are “not very good,” but he has worked in construction and isn’t afraid of manual labor. The group will work on rebuilding a recess area and building an exterior wall to protect the school from any future hurricane damage.



Clamp said he hopes the trip, which is organized by school photo company Lifetouch, will be an opportunity for him to teach his students about challenges young people face in different parts of the world.
IC
Isabella Cueto
The State
Isabella Cueto covers the impact of COVID-19 on the people of South Carolina. She was hired by The State in 2018 to cover Lexington County. Before that, she interned for Northwestern University’s Medill Justice Project and WLRN public radio in South Florida. Cueto is a graduate of the University of Miami, where she studied journalism and theatre arts. Her work has been recognized by the South Carolina Press Association, the Society of Professional Journalists and the Florida Society of News Editors. Support my work with a digital subscription
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