Pelion High School Administration

Jean Haggard, Principal	(permission: Life Touch Photography	jhaggard@lexington1.net
Jean Haggard begins her eighteenth year as principal. She is a graduate of Pelion High School and both her parents, Roy and Ruth Nichols, have served as principals of the school. She is a graduate of Newberry College and has a Master's Degree plus 30 additional graduate hours from the University of South Carolina. Mrs. Haggard has South Carolina certifications in the areas of Secondary Principal, Secondary Guidance, Math, and Science. Prior to coming to Pelion she was at Lexington High School where she had served as a science and math teacher and then moved to guidance counselor. During the majority of her years at Lexington High she was the Assistant Principal for Instruction. She and her husband, Charles, have two sons and three grandchildren. She enjoys seeing students become successful citizens and is very excited when they return and teach in the Pelion schools. She has served as President of the AA Athletic Conference for two years and served for one year as the AA Athletic Conference representative on the Executive Committee of the South Carolina High School League. The South Carolina Athletic Administrators recognized her as the AA Conference Administrator of the Year for 2003-2004. The South Carolina Association of Educational Office Professionals selected her as Administrator of the Year for 2008-2009. Newberry College awarded her an Honorary Doctor of Pedagogy in 2007.
Clark Cooper, Assistant Principal		ccooper@lexington1.net
Clark Cooper is the assistant principal at the high school. This is his eighth year as a member of the Pelion High School team. Prior to coming to Pelion he attended and graduated from The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology Education. He also attended the University of South Carolina where he has earned two Master’s degrees in both Business and Educational Administration. He is state certified in the areas of science and school administration. He feels fortunate to be able to work and be associated with the fine faculty, staff and students from the Pelion community.
Eric Dowdy, Assistant Principal		edowdy@lexington1.net
Pelion High School welcomes Mr. Eric Dowdy, who is in his second year of administration. He was an assistant principal last year at Lugoff-Elgin High School. Prior to that Mr. Dowdy taught and coached for twelve years in Lexington School District One at White Knoll Middle and White Knoll High School. Mr. Dowdy graduated with a B.A. degree in Health and Exercise Science from Furman University, where he played football for the Furman Paladins. He also holds a Master of Education degree in curriculum and instruction from Lesley University and a Master of Educational Administration degree from the University of South Carolina. He is state certified in physical education and secondary administration. Mr. Dowdy is extremely happy to be back in Lexington One and at Pelion High. He and his wife Kerri (who also teaches in Lexington One) have three children: Kate, Michael, and Evan.
Ben Freeman, Athletic Director	(permission: Life Touch Photography)	bfreeman@lexington1.net
Ben Freeman is the Athletic Director for grades 7-12 and the head football coach for the Pelion Panthers. During the last twelve years Coach Freeman has moved the athletic program forward in both quality and quanity. There have been State Championships in softball, girls' cross country, and boys' cross country. The 2000 football team distinguished itself with a 10-0 record and two team members participated in the 2001 Shrine Bowl where Coach Freeman served as an assistant coach. He is also a leader in SC athletics where he has served as President of both the SC Athletic Coaches Association and the SC Football Coaches Association. He was also selected as the State Athletic Director of the Year in 2001 and is on the Executive Board of the SC High School League. A native of North Carolina, Ben graduated from Wake Forest University where he played football. He and his wife, Gwen have three children, two of whom graduated from PHS in 2002.

Sandy Vining,

Administrative Assistant

svining@lexington1.net

Sandy Vining is serving dual roles as Administrative Assistant and School Psychologist for Pelion High School. This is her twelfth year as a member of the Pelion team. She attended the College of Charleston earning a B.S. in Psychology and The Citadel’s graduate program earning a M.A. in Psychology and an Ed.S. in School Psychology. Currently, she is completing a second Master’s in School Administration at the University of South Carolina. Sandy is a certified school psychologist and will complete the certification for school administration in December 2009. Sandy has also served as Lexington One’s district trainer for Nonviolent Crisis Intervention since 1999.

Scott Frye,

Administrative Assistant

sfrye@lexington1.net

Scott Frye has been teaching for twenty years, and he is beginning his twelfth year at Pelion High. Mr. Frye works with the administrative staff during the first two blocks, and he teaches English III during third and fourth blocks. Last year he was Pelion High School’s Teacher of the Year and was one of five finalists for Lexington District One Teacher of the Year. This is Mr. Frye’s third year working as an assistant administrator. He and his wife Rhonda live in Saluda County.