A crowd gathered Jan. 18 under a huge tent in Hampton County, S.C., alongside mounds of fresh dirt and a row of gold-painted ceremonial shovels bearing construction hard hats prior to the groundbreaking of a new $88 million high school.
The event was held at 1682 Savannah Highway/U.S. Highway 601 South along 62 acres recently purchased by the Hampton County School District (HCSD) for the new campus.
But the site also is just a few hundred yards from the Coosawhatchie River swamp that had divided the rural county geographically, politically and educationally for more than a hundred years, Bluffton Today noted Jan. 21. Bygone historians wrote of this divide a half-century ago, describing it as "both sides of the swamp."
Hampton County public school students have truly been divided in many ways — until now. In a more modern and progressive age of school consolidation for many rural South Carolina residents, both sides of that once-segregated swamp have finally come together.
The recently consolidated HCSD threw both dirt and decades of division into the wind during the construction kickoff for the soon-to-be constructed high school.
In 2021, the school system united the county's former Districts 1 and 2, the latter of which was primarily made up of a minority student population, and the new Hampton County High School will consolidate the former Wade Hampton and Estill high schools.
Hampton County's school districts, along with other small, rural districts, were consolidated by the state Department of Education (SCDE) to improve cost efficiencies as well as better share and utilize resources among all students.
"Our goal today is not just to turn the soil, but to sow the seeds of the future," noted Hannah Priester, an HCSD board member and lifelong educator and administrator, who added that the momentous occasion was not about bricks and mortar, but a commitment to transforming lives and creating a space where dreams can come true for all who pass through its doors in generations to come.
She and her fellow school board members were joined at the ceremony by scores of local, regional and state officials, including Scott Price, executive director of the South Carolina School Boards Association, and Ellen Weaver, the state's Superintendent of Education.
"Today is a day of unity and partnership," Weaver commented. "Today is also about a partnership between the state and our local districts."
During her remarks, she also pointed to the barren field behind her that will soon be converted into a campus for all public high school students in the county.
"There is so much potential here behind us," she said. "Let's continue this incredible momentum. We have nothing but hope and opportunity here."
Construction Costs Shared by State, Hampton County
Bluffton Today reported that in August 2022, the Hampton County district was notified that the SCDE and the county's Legislative delegation had earned approval from the South Carolina General Assembly to allocate $52 million from various funding sources to build a modern high school as part of the ongoing consolidation efforts.
Two months later, local officials were successful in getting voters to approve a $25 million bond referendum to augment funding from the state to help pay for the project.
"This is not just about the construction of a building, but a consolidation of minds," added state Sen. Margie Bright Matthews, D-45th District, who worked with fellow Hampton County Legislative Delegation members Sen. Brad Hutto, D-40th District, and former state Rep. Shedron Williams to help procure the initial funding for this project. "The State of South Carolina is heavily investing in our children."
High School's Design Based On Tennessee Campus
The new Hampton County High School's design will be based on a prototype of West Ridge High School in Blountville, Tenn. During the project's early planning stages, HCSD officials visited the Sullivan County, Tenn., school for a tour.
The Hampton County campus has been described as a "comprehensive" new high school, according to Bluffton Today.
During the groundbreaking ceremony, Kameron Quick, an architect with LS3P, an architecture firm in Greenville, S.C., revealed that the campus will include facilities for Career and Technology Education (CATE) classes such as building instruction, welding, HVAC heating and air, culinary arts, barbering and cosmetology, pharmacy, culinary arts and a variety of computer-related courses, among others.
In addition, the school will be constructed by H.G. Reynolds Co. in Aiken, S.C., the same contracting firm that completed a recent expansion of North District Middle School in nearby Varnville.
The HCSD has not yet announced a completion date for the new Hampton County High School.
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