Become a Champion
An American Graduate Champion commits their time, skills and resources to make sure that young people succeed. She or he is an individual who plays an active role in improving educational outcomes for students. Click here to sign up.
ETV American Graduate Champions
Daniel Bryant
Daniel Bryant
Daniel Bryant is an art teacher at Joe Pye and Oakbrook elementary schools in Summerville. At the beginning of his teaching career, he oversaw in-school suspension. Many students in ISS lacked goals and self-esteem, and struggled with character issues. So, in 2008, Bryant created “Karate Dawgs,” a cartoon series whose plots came straight from ISS. Students helped write stories and voice characters for the show, which aired in the Dorchester County District 2 schools. These days, Bryant produces an animated series called “Boys of Valor.” The show aims to teach moral lessons and math and literacy skills to boys, especially those who lack male role models. Boys of Valor earned Bryant a contract with Bridgestone Media Group. Now Boys of Valor DVDs are sold everywhere from Amazon to Walmart to Christian bookstores, and are even distributed internationally. “I don’t want to limit it to a DVD series,” Bryant says. “I want it to be more than that — all to help others and serve my faith.”
Sherard Duvall
Sherard Duvall
Sherard Duvall is the director of The Nickelodeon Theatre’s Helen Hill Media Education Center, which works to teach media literacy and train the film and media artists of Columbia's future by offering training, space and resources for the creation of new film and video work. Duvall's afterschool youth media program at C.A. Johnson, "Come Around My Way", is in its second year as of 2015. Duvall works with students on the production of short documentary films exploring the historical and contemporary issues facing their neighborhoods. Other media literacy programs Duvall hosts at the Nick include Civil Rights Sundays, Reading Movies, Indie Camp Remixed, and a summer filmmaking camp. For more information about the education programs offered by the Nick, visit http://nickelodeon.org/education/
Brittani C. E. Lane
Brittani C. E. Lane
Brittani C. E. Lane, MAT is the Extended Learning Manager at EdVenture Children’s Museum where she manages the organization’s fourteen afterschool programs, EDDIE®s Camps, middle through high school programming and youth development programs. As the Extended Learning Manager, she manages a team of individuals who are dedicated to inspiring the joy of learning, the wonder of dreams, and the powerful possibilities that lie within our children.
David M. Smalls
David M. Smalls
David M. Smalls is the state director of Communities In Schools, a national, nonprofit dropout prevention organization. In 2013-2013, Communities In Schools of SC was located in 48 school sites and served nearly 27,000 students. Of those students, 99% stayed in school, and 97% of eligible seniors graduated.
Peggy Torrey
Peggy Torrey
Dr. Peggy Torrey is the director of TransformSC. She has spent over 30 years in various fields of education and workforce development. She started as a middle level counselor and recently worked as the Deputy Secretary for Workforce at the SC Department of Commerce as well as the Deputy Executive Director for Employment and Training at the SC Department of Employment and Workforce. She received her Ph.D. in Educational Research and Psychology from the University of South Carolina. TransformSC works to redesign public education in South Carolina through collaborating to design, launch, and promote different learning models. From this, they hope to better prepare more South Carolina students for their futures.
Jerry Jewler
Jerry Jewler
Jerry Jewler is a retired college professor. While teaching, he emphasized active learning skills and led workshops on active learning engagement. He conducts tours at the state museum on a volunteer basis for primary age school groups. He also gives presentations on his personal experience of living with bipolar disorder in order to reduce the stigma of mental illness in his community.
