In South Carolina, the lower half of the state is called “the lowcountry.” Though it includes the familiar tourist destinations of Myrtle Beach, Charleston, and Hilton Head, most of the lowcountry is rural. Its citizens live in small towns and sparsely populated communities that struggle with high rates of unemployment and poverty. At the very heart of the lowcountry, near the intersection of two interstate highways, is Orangeburg County Consolidated School District Three, a school system of 3,000 students and seven schools. From 2009 to 2013, Cynthia Cash-Greene served as superintendent of Orangeburg Three. She grew up in Orangeburg County, attended several of the state’s institutions of higher education, and in 1990 earned her doctorate in educational administration. Before becoming superintendent, she rose through the