Aiken Prep has received two accreditation memberships

Aiken Preparatory School has received two major accreditation memberships - the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) and the Southern Association of Independent Schools.

The school long has been accredited through the S.C. Independent School Association, but "we did this more as an external verification of what we're doing," said Head of School Deborah Boehner.

The SACS accreditation is primarily identified with public schools; all Aiken County School District facilities also have the accreditation. However, St. Mary Help of Christians Catholic School also has SACS status with other parochial schools through the Diocese of Charleston.

Aiken Prep teacher Dottie Andreassen, who coordinated the SAIS/SACS process, had been introduced to it through St. Mary's earlier in her career.

Boehner had been considering the SAIS accreditation for some time. Then about three years ago, SACS accreditation was opened up to smaller private and independent schools, and she decided to do both.

To receive recognition for both programs, Aiken Prep had to comply with quality standards, obtain an evaluation by an outside team of educators and implement a strategic improvement plan. Accreditation is not permanent and must be renewed annually.

The SACS accreditation primarily will benefit Aiken Prep's students, Andreassen said.

"It's for kids who transfer to other high schools out of state or out-of-state colleges," she said. "Those schools wouldn't know what SCISA stands for, but they know about SACS."

The process includes self-exploration of Aiken Prep's mission and curriculum. The self-study was helpful in providing additional documentation of the school's instructional efforts, Boehner said.

"We have a great curriculum that's well-connected across the grade levels," said Andreassen, "but there are still things we can do better."

In October, five private school administrators from South Carolina, Georgia and North Carolina came to Aiken Prep for a thorough review of the SACS material and discussions with a variety of people associated with the school.

"When they left, they told us they would unanimously recommend us for accreditation, but we couldn't say anything then," said Boehner.

Southern Association executives then called with the formal good news Dec. 19, just in time for Boehner to tell the faculty before the Christmas break.

"It speaks again for the quality of life in Aiken and to the educational opportunities that are available to our citizens," Boehner said. "For our students and graduates, it confirms what we've known all along."

She praised Andreassen for all the nights and weekends she spent on the nearly two-year process. Andreassen, in turn, said many people went above and beyond the call of duty. She called the review team's visit a joyous experience.

"It was so interesting to see them interact with our kids and parents," Andreassen said. "We brought in alumni and community leaders to meet with them. They got a good feeling from our classes just walking down the hall. They picked up on that right away."

Contact Rob Novit at rnovit@aikenstandard.com.