Back to School Guide 2009

FORT MILL TIMES WWW.FORTMILLTIMES.COM AUG 12, 2009 1CFort Mill Times

WhoNew teachers, staff, 2CMeet the principals at Pleasant

Knoll and Sugar Creek, 3CMessages from your

superintendents, 3C

WhatBooster clubs, 2CNew elementaries, 3CList of school supplies, 4-5CFalcons’ new stadium, 7CNew courses, 11CRules and policies, 12CLunchroom prices, 12CMarching bands, 13CCareer tracks, 14C

HowGetting back in the routine, 16C

WhereSchool address, numbers,

Web sites, 2CBoys & Girls Club after-school

program, 16C

WhenSchool hours, 2CBus schedules, 8-9CImportant dates, 3CSchool histories, 6C

BACK TOSCHOOL 2009

2C AUG 12, 2009 WWW.FORTMILLTIMES.COM FORT MILL TIMESBack to School 2009

School hoursFort Mill School District

■ Fort Mill Elementary, Gold Hill Elementary, Orchard ParkElementary, Pleasant Knoll Elementary, Riverview Elementary,Springfield Elementary and Sugar Creek Elementary: 7:45 a.m. to2:30 p.m.

■ Fort Mill Middle, Gold Hill Middle and Springfield Middle: 8:20to 3:30 a.m.

■ Fort Mill High and Nation Ford High: 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Indian Land schoolsLancaster County School District

■ Indian Land Elementary: 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

■ Indian Land Middle School: Classes begin at 8:20 a.m. andend at 3:35 p.m.

■ Indian Land High School: First bell is at 8:30 a.m. Final bellrings at 3:25 p.m.

Fort Mill School District

Fort Mill High225 Munn Road

Fort Mill, SC 29715

Phone: 548-1900

Fax: 548-1911

Principal: Dee Christopher

School Colors: Royal Blue

and Gold

Mascot: Yellow Jackets

Enrollment: 1,338*

fmhs.fort-mill.k12.sc.us

Nation Ford High1400 AO Jones Blvd.

Fort Mill, SC 29715

Phone: 835-0000

Fax: 835-0010

Principal: Beverley Bowman

School Colors: Red and Black

Mascot: Falcons

Enrollment: 1,275*

nfhs.fort-mill.k12.sc.us

Fort Mill Middle200 Springfield Parkway

Fort Mill, SC 29715

Phone: 547-5553

Fax: 548-2911

Principal: Greg Norton


and Canary Yellow

Mascot: Yellow Jackets

Enrollment: 633*

fmms.fort-mill.k12.sc.us

Gold Hill Middle1025 Dave Gibson Blvd.

Tega Cay, SC 29708

Phone: 548-8300

Fax: 548-8322

Principal: Tommy Johnston

School Colors: Black and Blue

Mascot: Bulldogs

Enrollment: 723*

ghms.fort-mill.k12.sc.us

Springfield Middle1711 Springfield Parkway

Fort Mill, SC 29715

Phone: 548-8199

Fax: 547-1013

Principal: Keith Griffin


and Silver

Mascot: Mustangs

Enrollment: 820*

sfms.fort-mill.k12.sc.us

Fort Mill Elementary192 Springfield Parkway

Fort Mill, SC 29715

Phone: 547-7546

Fax: 547-7559

Principal: Karen Helms


and Yellow

Mascot: Junior Jackets

Enrollment: 784*

fmes.fort-mill.k12.sc.us

Gold Hill Elementary1000 Dave Gibson Blvd.

Tega Cay, SC 29708

Phone: 548-8250

Fax: 548-8373

Principal – Terry Brewer

School Colors – Teal and White

Mascot – Hornets

Enrollment: 902*

ghes.fort-mill.k12.sc.us

Orchard Park Elementary474 Third Baxter St.

Fort Mill, SC 29708

Phone: 548-8170

Fax: 548-8174

Principal: Linda Locklier

School Colors: Burgundy and Gold

Mascot: Eagles

Enrollment: 694

opes.fort-mill.k12.sc.us

Pleasant Knoll Elementary2346 Pleasant Road

Fort Mill, SC 29708

Phone: 835-0095

Fax: 835-0096

Principal: Travis Howard

School Colors: Blue and Black

Mascot: Panthers

Enrollment: 671***

pkes.fort-mill.k12.sc.us

Riverview Elementary1434 Harris Road

Fort Mill, SC 29715

Phone: 548-4677

Fax: 548-4747

Principal: Annette Chinchilla

School Colors: Gold and Blue

Mascot: Rockets

Enrollment: 440*

rves.fort-mill.k12.sc.us

Springfield Elementary1691 Springfield Parkway

Fort Mill, SC 29715

Phone: 548-8150

Fax- 548-8154

Principal: Barbara Hartsoe

School Colors: Blue and Silver

Mascot – Colts

Enrollment: 475*

sfes.fort-mill.k12.sc.us

Sugar Creek Elementary1599 Farm House Drive

Fort Mill, SC 29715

Phone: 835-0150

Fax: 835-0151

Principal: Scott Frattaroli

School Colors: Blue and White

Mascot: Sharks

Enrollment: 654***

sces.fort-mill.k12.sc.us

Fort Mill Academy513 Banks St.

Fort Mill, SC 29715

Phone: 802-8521

Fax:802-8405

Principal: Marty Connor

Colors: Red and Black

No mascot

Enrollment: N/A**

fma.fort-mill.k12.sc.us****

Indian Land Elementary4137 Doby’s Bridge Road

Indian Land, SC 29707

Phone: 548-2916

Fax: 548-3011

Principal: Beth Blum

Enrollment: Approx. 1,200

Colors: Blue and Gold

Mascot: Warriors

iles.lancasterscschools.org

Indian Land Middle8361 Charlotte Hwy.

Indian Land, SC 29707

Phone: 578-2500

Fax: 578-2549

Principal: David McDonald

Enrollment: Approx. 540.

Colors:Blue and Gold

Mascot: Warriors

ilms.lancasterscschools.org

Indian Land High8063 River Road

Fort Mill, SC 29707

Ph: (803) 547-7571

Fax: (803) 547-7366

Principal Kathy Faris

School colors: Blue and gold

Mascot: Warriors

Enrollment: Registration is stillongoing but right now enrollment isestimated at 650.

ilhs.lancasterscschools.org* Based on end of year 2008-‘09** Students begin the year at other localschools*** New school**** Under construction***** Current

Due to budget cuts, some positionswere eliminated at local schools. Howev-er, new teachers and staff were hired to fillvacancies caused by retirement, promo-tion and other reasons. Also note that inthe Fort Mill School District, two new ele-mentary schools had to be staffed.

Fort Mill HighAmy Coccia, EnglishEllen Haack, family and consumerscience

Nation Ford HighSusan Hammond, social studiesDonald Holland, biologyRaymond Linkous, bandBrett Mannon, social studiesLee Petitgout, agriculture/scienceMichael Ramsey, chorusFrank Snider, English

Fort Mill MiddleAshley Biscotte, math specialist

Gold Hill Middle SchoolAnne Brashears, seventh grade math

Springfield MiddleElizabeth Denny, seventh grade math/science

Gold Hill ElementaryAmber Adgerson, fourth grade teacherAshley Crawford, kindergarten teacherCarrie Amber Misenheimer, fourth grade teacher Stephanie Haecherl, kindergartenteacherAndrew Morton, fourth grade teacherRebecca New, art teacher

Pleasant Knoll ElementaryFreda Ballard, media specialistGrenda Dountz, school nurseMaegan Sherratt, art teacher

Springfield ElementaryKrista Thomas, fifth grade teacher

Sugar Creek ElementaryRebecca Bridges, media specialistNicole Simcox, art teacherLorraine Watkins, school nurse

Special ServicesPatricia Davis, school psychologistKimberly Long, teacher

Indian Land ElementaryJessica Rigler, first gradeTeryn Dalton, second gradeLeslie Jacobs, second gradeKimberly Malone, second gradeLinda Wooley, second gradeSarah Trapp, third gradeJoy Duncan, fourth gradeAmy Sizemore, fourth gradeStan Rhodes, resourcePam Waldenmayer, pre-school disabilities

Indian Land MiddleAimee Freshour, sixth grade scienceKatie Grote, seventh grade scienceSandra Phillips, seventh grade mathBrandon Galbraith, seventh grade social studiesDiana Smith, eighth grade mathCecilia Kelly, eighth grade scienceVirginia "Gin" Sorrow, assistant principal.

Indian Land HighKathleen Berlin, mathGreg Boney, special educationScott Ginn, mathBrenda Ishmael, guidanceHeather Morton, EnglishBeverly Schroth, scienceDerek Street, chorusHannah Watts, agriculture

New faces

Approximately two weeks before thestart a new school year, we asked severallocal high school students what theywere looking forward to. This is whatthey had to say:

“I’m looking forward to trying to go toState this year in all my sports – crosscountry and track.”

John Cutrone, 16, junior, ILHS“I think this year will be more fun.

We’re seniors now, so we rule theschool.”

Sarah Adams, 16, senior, ILHS“I’m looking forward to my math clas-

ses. I know it’s kind of dorky, but I lovemath. It’s my favorite subject.”

Liz Wheeler, 17, senior, ILHS“I’m excited about seeing the fresh-

men and learning new material thisyear.”

Sarah Field, 15, sophomore atFMHS

“I am excited about going into high

school. There’s new opportunities to ex-cel in.”

Rae Lynch, 13, freshman at FMHS“I’m excited about this school year be-

cause we’re doing the play ‘Grease.’ It’s areally fun and upbeat musical, and I canrelate to it because it’s about highschool.”

Jenna Stewart, sophomore atFMHS

“I’m excited because I won’t be afreshman anymore and because I get tocome back and see all my friends.”

Holly Cavanaugh, 15, sophomoreat FMHS

“I’m really excited about volleyballseason starting. It’s my favorite part ofthe year. I’m excited about seeing myfriends, too.”

Jenn Sine, 15, sophomore at FMHS

— Compiled by Jenny Overman andToya Graham

Looking forward to an exciting yearRae

Lynch

Sarah Field

SarahAdams

HollyCavanaugh

JennaStewart

John Cutrone

JennSine

Liz Wheeler

Participation by parents is a majorreason for the success of our schools.Parents can volunteer in their chil-dren’s classrooms from elementaryschool all the way through high schoolthanks to local parent-teacher organi-zations and parent-teacher-studentassociations.

With some schools near or at capac-ity, teachers need every bit of help theycan get. Parents who take part in Par-ent Teacher Organizations/ Associa-tions know that. That’s why theyspend so much time preparing fund-raisers and organizing teacher andstudent functions.

There’s an active PTO/PTA at everyschool. They provide a variety of vol-unteer help, but most hold yearlyfund-raisers to purchase school sup-plies or equipment that the districtcan’t find room in the budget for. Notonly does the PTO/PTA help raisemoney for the schools, they are alsothere to support the teachers and stu-dents.

PTO/PTAs typically meet once amonth, although the meeting date isnot always regularly set. PTO/PTAdirectors urge anyone interested injoining or attending a meeting to calltheir school for the next meeting date.

Parents, get involved at school

Booster club members are needed every year to lend support and help localhigh school teams raise money for equipment and other needs.

Fort Mill HighThe cost to join the Fort Mill High School athletic booster club is $30. The

booster club supports all the sports teams at the school financially and throughvolunteer work and annually offers college scholarships to four of the school’sathletes. Memberships can be mailed to our P.O. Box 2061, Fort Mill, SC 29716.For more information, e-mail Jeanne Gregory at [email protected].

Nation Ford HighThe cost to join the Nation Ford High School athletic booster club is $25. By

joining the booster club, you will be able to volunteer in many capacities, such asworking concession stands at games, helping with merchandise sales as well asmembership sign-ups during school registration. For more information, call Na-tion Ford Athletic Director Brian Turner at 835-0003.

Indian Land HighThe Indian Land High athletic booster club supports a dozen sports at the

school. E-mail David Helms at [email protected] on becoming a memberor call athletic director Michael Mayer at the school at 547-7571.

Be a booster, support your team

Dear Parents,Where has the summer gone?

The start of a new school year isnow very near and it seems likewe honored the graduating clas-ses of 2009 just a short time ago.

Actually, a great deal has hap-pened since early June, whichprobably explains why I feel thattime has just flown by. I do askthat you now take a little time andreview with me all that has beenaccomplished over the past twomonths.

Our biggest accomplishmentis the successful completion ofsix substantial construction proj-ects, on time and within budget.Two of those projects, Pleasant

Knoll Elementary and SugarCreek Elementary, will make itpossible to lift en-rollment freezesat Orchard ParkElementary andSpringfield Ele-mentary. GoldHill Elementaryremains near orat capacity, sot h e B o a r d o fTrustees has vot-ed to freeze theschool for the 2009-2010 schoolyear (Note: we have plans to be-gin construction soon on a newelementary school in the GoldHill attendance area). We also

successfully completed an ambi-tious renovation of the heatingand cooling system at RiverviewElementary. The project hasbeen on the district’s wish list foryears and the school will be rea-dy for the return of students onAugust 19. Students at Fort MillHigh and Nation Ford High willa l so not ice changes. Bothschools now have additionalgymnasium space and NationFord will welcome football fansto its new stadium this fall, aftersharing Bob Jones Stadium withFort Mill High for two years.

You may also be aware that wehave begun construction on afourth middle school which is

scheduled to open next schoolyear. That project is also on timeand well within budget.

All these changes are consid-ered necessary for the district tocatch up with previous growthand meet the expectation thatgrowth will continue. However,falling state tax revenues and thereliance on a one cent sales tax tofund school operations meansthe district will have to work withless money per student than lastyear. Accordingly, we need yourhelp in mandating total tax re-form in our state. You can help bycontacting members of our statelegislature and asking that theymove as quickly as possible in

this next legislative session tobring about a total restructuringof our state’s tax system. The fu-ture of our school district, com-munity, and state depends uponour action now. We intend towork with our communitythroughout this upcoming yearto bring about these necessarychanges.

Our budget for this year focus-es on maintaining quality in coresubject areas, which is where thestate and federal governmentswill judge the effectiveness of thedistrict in meeting accountabilitylaws. Our students took a newstate test last spring, PASS (Pal-metto Assessment of State Stan-

dards), and this test will be usedto establish a new state reportcard which will be issued nextFebruary.

I know how hard our students,parents and employees work,and I am confident this districtwill do well. Our mission state-ment, which was created bycommunity members, demandsthat we educate all our studentsto their greatest potential.Growth, and our response to it,will ultimately determine oursuccess.

Sincerely,Dr. Keith Callicutt, Superintendent Fort Mill

School District

Fort Mill Schools Superintendent

We are determined to meet all new challenges

V. KeithCallicutt

Dear Parents,I ride by the old site of Indian

Land schools, and I remember.I remember a smashed bana-

na I forgot in my book satcheland the teacher who drove me toWingate to show me college wasa possibility.I remember howmuch I loved playing sports.I re-member, and I’m tempted to callmy school years “the good, olddays” –- and they were good –but then I look to my left and seethe new Indian Land schools.

I look and think about thehonors and advanced placementcourses we offer in Indian Landschools and across the district,think about the support ourteachers get from guidancecounselors and nurses and

school resource officers, thinkabout the range of sports andclubs we have –not just for boys,but also for girls.I think about thedifferences, and Ik n o w – o u rschools offer somuch more thanthey did “back inthe day.”Don’tget me wrong –we had great, dedicated teachersand administrators when I wasin school.But we still have great,dedicated teachers and adminis-trators. People who go out oftheir way to try every strategypossible to make sure childrenlearn. People who spend count-

less hours each week tutoring,counseling, coaching our chil-dren. People who give their all togive our children hope.

We still have great students,students who are excited and ea-ger to learn, students who mas-ter calculus, AP English, chem-istry, computer programming,economics. Students who spendhours after school on home-work, on service projects and inpractices. Students who go on tocollege honors programs, be-come leaders in the military, be-gin careers as gifted tradesmen.Students who push themselvesto be the best.We have muchsmaller class sizes now than“back in the day,” state of the artlabs and vocational areas, great

libraries, outstanding teachingmaterials, access to computersand technology, career counsel-ing and planning, more ad-vanced curriculums – from kin-dergarten to 12th grade.

We have so many more oppor-tunities for students to get in-volved outside the classroom –service clubs, academic clubs,special interest clubs, publica-tions, bands, choruses, artgroups, JROTC – and many moresports.We have opportunitiespossible only because we haveteachers willing to work over-time to get students involved –teachers who know that themore involved students are inschool, the more likely they areto succeed academically, to

graduate, to go on to furthertheir education. We take so ma-ny more steps to make sure stu-dents are safe – better alarm sys-tems, cameras in halls and out-side buildings, written emergen-cy and safety plans with regulardrills, school resource officers,school nurses, a health and well-ness plan.

And we still have great par-ents, parents who man conces-sion stands, raise money for stu-dent trips, organize parent/teacher groups, volunteer inclassrooms, attend awards cere-monies and most of all, parentswho have high expectations.Parents who work hard to makesure their children are preparedfor school every day, I look at the

great things our teachers andstudents and schools are doingand know --our schools havecome a long way since I sat inthose classrooms across thestreet. And I’m proud of whatour schools do for our children,our future. As we begin school, Iappreciate all the hard work ourstudents, our teachers and staffand our parents do to make ourschools the best they’ve everbeen.

And I look forward to anothergreat year of our working togeth-er to make our schools even bet-ter.

Sincerely,Dr. Gene MooreSuperintendent, Lancaster

County School District

Indian Land Superintendent

Looking forward to another year of working together

Gene Moore

FORT MILL TIMES WWW.FORTMILLTIMES.COM AUG 12, 2009 3CBack to School 2009

By Toya [email protected]

FORT MILL — When Anthony Frat-taroli starts school this month, he willhave a brand new school. But the7-year-old will keep his former principal.

“But he calls me dad,” Scott Frattaroliquipped.

That’s because Scott Frattaroli is thenew principal at Sugar Creek ElementarySchool, one of twonew Fort Mill schoolsopening next week.

“I’m honored to behere,” Frattaroli, 35,said of the SugarCreek post that comeswith geese, soothingwaters and an island.“This has been anamazing journey.”

That journey –helping to piece together what will be thehome of the Sharks anchored in theRegent Park community – has been achallenge, he said. But the father of two,including 2-year-old Dominic, has noregrets about helping unpack the newschool while addressing its last minutetweaks.

“I love challenges,” he said. “Openinga new school has been a challenge, butit’s been the highlight of my career. It’sexciting, knowing my personal stamp isan opportunity for me to make an impacton an entire school community.”

‘Just felt right’Frattaroli, who is partial to popular

child author Judy Blume’s “SuperFudge,” graduated in 1996 with a bache-lor’s degree in interdisciplinary studiesfrom the University of Pittsburgh. Postgraduation, he was a Pittsburgh sub-stitute teacher and basketball coach for

about a year before he scouted jobs andlanded an interview at Fort Mill PrimarySchool, now known as Riverview Ele-mentary School.

“I knew as soon as my interview wasover that I was home,” he said of theschool. “It just felt right.”

Shortly thereafter, Frattaroli and hiswife Beth moved to Fort Mill, where hewould complete a four-year teaching stintat Fort Mill Primary. During that time, heearned his master’s degree in educationalleadership in 2000 from Rock Hill’s Win-throp University. That paved the way forhim to land a new post as assistant prin-cipal at Riverview Elementary School.

Five years into that position, Frattarolitook the helm at Springfield ElementarySchool, where he served as the principalfor two-and-a-half years before leavingmid-year to prepare for Sugar Creek’sAugust debut.

“I’ve talked to many administratorswho said one of their greatest profession-al experiences was opening a newschool,” said Frattaroli, whose father wasan elementary principal. “That appealedto me.”

At his new school home, Frattaroli willnot be among strangers.

“It’s a X double win,” the avid Pitts-burg Steelers fan said. “I have the experi-ence of opening a brand new schoolcoupled with the idea that almost all ofthe families coming to Sugar Creek arefamilies that I worked with before.

Later this month, a son and his fatherwith hundreds of charges will crossthrough the doors of a new school.

For a new start.“The faculty at Sugar Creek is excited

about this new beginning,” Frattarolisaid. “We can’t wait to share our excite-ment when the students step through ourdoors for the first time on Aug. 19.”

Little Sharks will be infamiliar waters at SCES

AnthonyFrattaroli


FORT MILL — Decades ago, Tra-vis Howard made his movie debut.

“I was in the movie “Separate butEqual” as an extra when I was in thefifth grade,” said Howard, a Fort Millteacher turn principal. “It was apowerful experience.”

The movie’s central character wasa social ill called segregation, How-ard.

“The story was the school bus justwent pass him every day,” Howardrecalled. “The students would spiton him (as the bus rolled by), and hehad to walk to school everyday.”

Still, the young boy walked on toa school in a substandard buildingsegregated by skin color. From thatmovie, Howard learned perseveranceand the importance of an education.That’s the gift Howard, as a firsttime principal, plans to bestow toapproximately 700 students whenthe doors open later this month atPleasant Knoll Elementary School,one of two of Fort Mill’s newestschools.

“It is what I was born to do,”Howard, 30, said of his principal-ship. “This is who I am. To bearound students gives me energy.When I see students learning, Icould be at school all day if that’swhat it takes.”

Students at the school with itssignature blue and black colors andPanthers mascot will be exposed to a“purposeful learning project.” Theinitiative is geared to increasingstudent achievement, Howard said.

“Kids are not learning the same

way we learned, sitting at a deskfilling in a worksheet,” Howardsaid. “That’s why we’re incorporat-ing movement.”

Among other things.While learning to master their

ABCs and 123s, first graders willfocus on perfecting their writingskills under the purposeful learningproject, he said. Class work thatincorporates movement will be aprimary component for secondgraders. Meanwhile, fifth graderswill learn leadership skills.

“Students will be taking someleadership roles within the school,”said Howard, who noted the train-ing will essentially prepare fifthgraders from a smooth transitioninto middle school.

A teacher in the makingHoward had a basketball schol-

arship, but he turned it down topursue an academic scholarship thatcemented the foundation for histeaching career.

“I just knew I wanted to be ateacher,” he said. “In high school, Iworked in the parks and recreationdepartment during the summer. Itruly had a good time with the kids,seeing them enjoying movementand being active.”

Teaching physical education in-corporated both activity of the limbsand fun, so he worked to earn theright to teach physical education.

In 2001, Howard earned a bache-lor’s degree in physical educationfrom Winthrop University. Hetaught physical education whilepursuing his master’s degree inGreenville. During the last year of

that pursuit, Howard and his familymoved to Fort Mill, where in 2006he taught physical education at GoldHill Elementary.

Later that year, Howard graduatedwith a master’s degree in educa-tional leadership from Furman Uni-versity and subsequently landed anassistant principal post with River-view Elementary School.

That position paved the way forhis latest post at Pleasant Knoll,said Howard, the father of two sons,Jonas, 2, and 5-month-old Micah.But come Aug. 19, he’ll be a newdaddy again – to more than 700students.

“I’m humbled to be in this posi-tion,” he said. “What a great oppor-tunity to lead a school in the FortMill School District. We’re in thepeople business. It’s all about meet-ing the needs of the community. I’mall about that – meeting the needsof our students and the school com-munity.”

Former movie extra starsas new school’s leader

TOYA GRAHAM/FORT MILL TIMES

Principal Travis Howard takes a lookat what’s on the shelf in the libraryat Sugar Creek Elementary School.

Last year, voters in Fort Millapproved $95.9 million in bondsto build two elementary schools,a middle school and to improveathletic facilities at both highschools.

Two new schools open nextweek – Sugar Creek and PleasantKnoll elementary schools. FormerSpringfield Elementary SchoolPrincipal Scott Frattaroli will bethe principal at Sugar Creek,which is located near the RegentPark area. Pleasant Knoll, locatedoff Pleasant Road between Hwy.160 W. and Gold Hill Road, willbe under the guidance of TravisHoward, who had been serving asassistant principal at RiverviewElementary School.

The district is in talks to secureland for the other two as-yet-unnamed elementary schools andanother middle school. If all theproposed new schools are built,they will bring the total numberof Fort Mill schools to 16 – nineelementary schools, four middleschools, two high schools and analternative school.

The district does face somechallenges in getting all of the

schools open. Two potential sites,one for a middle school and onefor an elementary school, dependon York County completing thefirst leg of the planned Fort Mill

Southern Bypass. Because of S.C.Department of Transportationregulations, neither school canopen without that first leg. Al-though county and school offi-cials pledged to work together tohave the first leg open by 2009,the bypass is still in the planningstage.

If the district continues togrow, more construction could bein the not-too-distant future. A

long-range plan calls for at leastone more elementary, middle andhigh school over the next fewyears. The plan, which wascompleted before Fort Mill’s rapidgrowth cooled with the economy,called for a third high school by2011, although that does notappear necessary or feasible atthis point.

The district has been gettinghelp from some area developers

and local governments. Threeyears ago, G.S. Carolina begandevelopment of more than 400acres on Doby’s Bridge Road fora subdivision called Massey.From the beginning, the devel-oper offered the district 20 acresfor an elementary school, similarto the way Clear Springs Devel-opment gave the district a site forOrchard Park Elementary inBaxter. On Sutton Road, the

Museum of York County part-nered with Cherokee InvestmentPartners to develop 340 acresaround its planned museum. Thegroup has also offered a 20-acreelementary school site to thedistrict. However, the developersare holding their building plansin abeyance until the economygets back on track and the hous-ing market demands new con-struction.

New schools for a new year

FILE/FORT MILL TIMES

Sugar Creek ElementaryFILE/FORT MILL TIMES

Pleasant Knoll Elementary

Pleasant KnollElementary

Mascot: Panthers

Principal: Travis Howard

Construction Cost: $14.8million

Number of teachers andstaff: 53

Number of classrooms:32

Sugar CreekElementary

Mascot: Sharks

Principal: Scott Frattaroli

Construction Cost: $14.7million

Number of teachers andstaff: 47

Number of classrooms:32

The following is a list of suppliesstudents are expected to bring with themwhen school begins:

Indian LandElementary School

Kindergarten: One box 16-countCrayola crayons, One pack solid-colorconstruction paper, One pack plainwooden pencils, One large towel for resttime (with student’s name on it), Onethree-ring binder (one-inch), One two-strap bookbag without wheels, Five gluesticks (minimum), One Primary composi-tion notebook, with drawing paper at thetop (available at Wal-Mart), One five-pack dry-erase markers (any size, noneon colors), One 100-page marble com-position notebook for science wish list:Large bottles hand sanitizer, zip-lockbags (snack, sandwich and/or gallonsize), Kleenex, washable markers

First grade: One bookbag (nowheels), Two 70-page wide-rule spiralnotebooks (one red, one blue), Two vinylpocket folders (one red, one blue and noprongs), two packs 24-count Crayolacrayons, two primary composition note-books, with drawing paper at the top(available at Wal-Mart), one marblecomposition notebook (for science), two12-count packs wooden pencils, oneplastic supply box, one pair scissors,three glue sticks. Wish list: One boxKleenex, one bottle hand soap, one largebottle hand sanitizer, one pack antibacte-rial wipes, one pack multi-colored con-struction paper, girls: One pack gallon-size baggies, boys: One pack sandwich-size baggies.

Second grade: Bookbag (no wheels),two single-subject notebooks, two com-position notebooks (marble black andwhite) for science, five pocket folders – atleast one blue, one green, two yellow)(one with prongs), two solid-color vinylpocket folders, two packs notebookpaper, two packs No. 2 pencils (sharp-ened), pencil sharpener (with compart-ment to hold shavings), constructionpaper (solid colors), four dry-erase mark-ers, one pack cap erasers, one pair scis-sors, two packs 24-count crayons, twoglue sticks, one ruler (inches and centi-meters), one large sturdy zipperedpouch, $4.50 for magazine subscriptions.Wish list: Two boxes antibacterial wipes,two boxes Kleenex, one box zip-lockbags (gallon), two bottles hand sanitizer.

Third grade: One one-inch binder,One five-pack tabbed dividers, one box

24-count Crayola crayons, one pack12-count colored pencils, scissors, onepack red ink pens, two glue sticks, twohighlighters, two packs loose-leaf, wide-rule notebook paper, two packs pencils,two sturdy plastic pocket folders (solidcolor with prongs), one sturdy plasticpocket folder (solid color, no prongs),ruler (inches and centimeters), $6 forsocial studies newspaper subscription,One marble composition notebook,bookbag (no wheels). Wish list: Head-phone, portable CD players, AA batteries,wipes – Lysol brand, subscription tochildren’s magazine (see teacher forsuggestion), dry erase markers (fat orskinny ones), boxes of tissue, Handsanitizer, Band-aids, CD-R computerdiscs.

Fourth grade: Bookbag (no wheels),Scissors, One four-pack glue sticks, cray-ons, colored pencils, Wide-rule, loose-leaf notebook paper (200-count) (mini-mum of two packs), Five one-subject,wide-rule notebooks (one each of red,green, blue, yellow and purple), Twopacks pencils (20- or 24-count), Twopacks 3 x5 index cards (100-count), Fivepocket folders (one red with prongs forSpanish), One pack construction paper,One pack cap erasers, One pack dry-erasemarkers (for math), Two highlighters,One red ink pen, One marble composi-tion book for science (Trufan). Wish list:Two large boxes Kleenex, One box anti-bacterial wet wipes, One box Band-Aids,Two bottles hand sanitizer.

Fifth grade: One bookbag (nowheels), One pack No. 2 pencils, redpens, markers, crayons or coloring pen-cils, scissors, three glue sticks, erasers,one pack highlighters, two pocket folders(with prongs), One three-subject spiralnotebook (college-ruled), two three-ring,one-inch binders (each a different color),pocket dividers for binders, two packsloose-leaf notebook paper, pencil pouch(no boxes), $5 for ”Weekly Reader” and“Science Spin” subscriptions, $5 for“USA Studies Weekly” subscription, Oneream of copier paper for classroom proj-ects. Wish list: One regular-size boxKleenex, one bottle hand sanitizer(12-oz. or larger), bag of candy (no nutsor gum), antibacterial wipes, one packmulti-colored construction paper, papertowels, Zip-lock bags.

Additional list for ILESMs. Matthews K-1: One bookbag (no

wheels), one bottle Elmer’s glue, one box10-count crayons, one box 10-countmarkers, one five-pack glue sticks, scis-sors, diapers/pull-ups if needed, season-ally-appropriate change of clothes, onebeach towel and one pillowcase for resttime. Wish list: Clorox wipes, one bottlehand sanitizer, one bottle hand soap, onepack white copy paper, Freezer-sizezip-lock bags, Sandwich-size zip-lockbags, one box Kleenex, one pack babywipes.

Ms. Tanczos grades two-five: Onebox 24-count Crayola crayons, one pack

12-count colored pencils, one bookbag(no wheels), one three-ring, one-inchbinder, one box eight-count washablemarkers, one four-pack glue sticks, scis-sors, one five-pack dividers for binder,one pack color construction paper, oneset six-count watercolors, one pack200-count, wide-rule, looseleaf paper,one large sturdy zippered pouch (noboxes), four dry-erase markers, two12-count packs wooden No. 2 pencils(not mechanical), four two-pocket

folders with no prongs (one each ofblue, yellow, red or green) two packspencil-top erasers, two one-subjecteasy-tear, wide-rule notebooks (onegreen, one red), five packs 3 x 5index cards (100 count), one plasticruler (inches and centimeters), twohighlighters, one clipboard

Grades two to three: One pri-mary marble journal composition

notebook (plain drawing paper at top,writing lines on the bottom).

Grades four to five: One 100-pagemarble composition notebook

Grade five only: Calculator. Wishlist: One large bottle hand sanitizer, onebox Band-Aids, one box snack-size,Zip-lock bags, one box sandwich-size,Zip-lock bags, one box quart-size zip-lock bags, one box gallon-size zip-lockbags, two boxes Kleenex, two boxesantibacterial wipes (unscented), prizesfor treasure box (used for classroomrewards).

Indian LandMiddle School

Sixth grade: Four three-ring binderswith loose leaf paper, pack of pencils, inkpens, four sets of dividers, Individualpencil sharpener, one pocket folder (noprongs), cap erasers for pencils, coloredpencils or markers, highlighters, con-struction paper, scissors, glue sticks,Scotch tape, three packs of index cards,12-inch ruler (centimeters included), $15for science and ELA magazines, oneream of copier paper (for science), Oneream of colored copier paper (for mathand ELA). Additional requested items:Large box of tissues, paper towels, bottleof hand sanitizer, Band-aids, Zip lockbags, removable USB flash drive.

Seventh grade: Four three ring bind-ers with loose leaf paper, graph paper,pencils, pens (blue or black), four pack-ages of index cards, colored pencils,personal pencil sharpener, glue sticks,two composition notebooks (not spiral),

one spiral notebook, calculator for PreAlg students (TI 83, TI 84, or TI-Nspirerecommended), Highlighters. AdditionalRequest Items: Large box of tissues,Paper Towels, Bottle of hand sanitizer,Band-aids, Removable USB flash drive.Eighth Grade: three, three-ring binderswith loose leaf paper, one spiral note-book with 100 pages, pencils, pens, graphpaper, 10 pocket folders with prongs,two-100 packs of index cards (3x5), twopackages of dividers, highlighters, calcu-lator (TI 84 or TI-Nspire recommended),colored pencils. Additional request items:Large box of tissues, bottle of hand san-itizer, Band-aids, removable USB flashdrive, paper towels

Exploratory classes: Art: One three-prong folder with pockets (no three-ringbinders or spiral notebooks), notebookpaper, one glue stick, one hand-helderaser, one hand-held pencil sharpener(very important), three regular pencils(no mechanical pencils and no ink pens),one package of colored pencils (anybrand), one zipper pouch. Additionalrequest Items: Large box of tissues, bottleof hand sanitizer, cleaning wipes (fortables).

Band: Pencils, highlighters, one-inch,three-ring binder, notebook paper, staffpaper.

Music Appreciation: Pencils, high-lighters, one Inch three-ring binder,notebook paper, staff paper, one pair ofdrumsticks.

Chorus/Piano Keyboarding: One70-sheet spiral notebook.

Physical Education: One 70-sheetspiral notebook.

Gifted/Talented Program: Indexcards, one spiral bound notebook, onetwo-pocket, three-prong folder, loose leafpaper.

Special Education: Two large pack-ages of #2 pencils, two packages of note-book paper, two packages of 3X5 indexcards, four spiral notebooks (about 100pages each), two one-inch, three-ringbinders, four pocket folders, one contain-er of Clorox or Lysol wipes.

Additional items: Large box oftissues, bottle of hand sanitizer, Band-aids, removable USB flash drive.

Indian Land HighAlgebra 1: One three-ring binder,

TI-83 graphing calculator, pencils (nopens), graph paper, ruler.

Art 1, 2 and 3: Colored pencils, glue,

What to have in those backpacks

Please see SUPPLIES 5C



paper towels, 8 1⁄2 x 11 sketchbook of 100 pages, spiralbound, apron, two black Sharpies, masking tape,Broad-line markers.

Auto Technology: Spiral notebook, safety glasses,coveralls.

Biology, Chemistry and Physics: One three-ringbinder, graph paper, loose-leaf paper, No. 2 pencils,rubber gloves, markers or colored pencils, pack of 3x5index cards, Blue/black pens, TI-83 graphing calcula-tor (Chemistry and Physics).

Building construction: Spiral notebook, pencils. Calculus, Applied Math 2, Algebra 2, Math

Tech IV and PreCalculus: One three-ring binder,TI-83 graphing calculator, pencils (no pens), graph pa-per, colored pencils, ruler.

Chorus: One two-inch three-ring binder, pencils. Drama: One one-inch three-ring binder, pencils. English-10th: One two-inch, three-ring binder,

loose-leaf paper, blue or black pens, set of eight coloredpens or pencils, pencils.

English-11th: One two-inch, three-ring binder,Loose-leaf paper, blue or black ink pens, floppy disk(IBM).

English-12th (Honors, AP and CP), World Lit-erature and Journalism: One two-inch three-ringbinder (or larger), loose-leaf paper, blue or black inkpens, bound, black and white marbled notebook forjournal (Honors only), floppy disk, MLA handbook.

Family and Consumer Sciences: One three-ringbinder with side pockets, pencils, loose-leaf paper,markers/pens.

Geometry and Math Tech 3: One three-ring bind-er, TI-83 graphing calculator, protractor, compass, rul-er, scissors, pencils, colored pencils.

JROTC: One three-ring binder, one pack 3x5 indexcards, one can brasso, pencils, color markers, one bot-tle window cleaner, athletic shoes and white socks.

Keyboarding, Accounting and Business Com-puter Applications: One two-inch, three-ring bind-er, loose-leaf paper, blue or black ink pens, pencil,highlighters, antibacterial wipes.

Physical Science: One three-ring binder, one pack3x5 index cards, loose-leaf paper, pencils, pens (blue/black), scientific calculator.

PLTW: Flash drive, one 1 1⁄2-inch three-ring binder,five dividers, pencils.

Resource: Pencils, three packs loose-leaf paper,folders with pockets, three, three-ring binders, threesets dividers, dry erase markers, Kleenex, white boarderaser, three packs 3x5 index cards.

Spanish: One two-inch binder, one spiral note-book, one black Expo marker, dividers, one RW disk,headphones, Merriam-Webster Spanish-English dic-tionary.

U.S. History, World History and World Geog-raphy: One three-ring binder, loose-leaf paper, pencilsand pens, colored markers, dividers, one pack 3x5 in-dex cards, flash drive, Kleenex, “The Grapes of Wrath”(US History AP).

Weight training/P.E./Health: Gym shorts, T-shirts, white socks, tennis shoes, three-ring binderwith paper, pencils, one ream computer paper, person-al towel.

Freshmen Academy: Three, three-ring binders (11⁄2 to two-inches), loose-leaf paper, graph paper, pen-cils and ink pens, colored pencils, two packs 3 x 5 or 4 x6 index cards, three report covers, composition book,

calculator (TI-83 graphing), dividers, index cards,white-out.

Fort Mill elementaries Child’s scissors12-count crayons24-count crayonsEight-count large crayons#2 pencils3 x 5 lined index cardsGlue sticksDry erase markersPlastic school box for storageZipper pencil pouchesHighlightersBlack marble wide rule composition notebooksErasersSubject dividersColored pencilsSpiral composition notebooksExpo markersFolders with brads and pocketsPens (black and blue)Notebook paper (not college rule)

Fort Mill and Springfieldmiddle schools

One-inch bindersThree-inch bindersSubject dividers Spiral notebooks (one subject)Non- spiral composition notebooks #2 PencilsPens (blue or black)MarkersColored pencilsLoose leaf paperIndex cardsDry erase markersScientific Calculators Calculators (TI 30, TI 30X or TI 34)Graph paperCompassRulerHighlightersCombination locksThree- prong foldersBook coversPage protectorsGlue sticksFlash drives

Fort Mill and NationFord high schools

Three-ring binders (one, two and three-inch)Subject dividersSpiral notebooksNon-spiral composition notebooksTI 84 CalculatorsLoose-leaf paperIndex cardsFlash drivesPens#2 PencilsHighlighters

Supplies:from page 4C

By Mac Banks [email protected]

FORT MILL TOWNSHIP —Fort Mill Township has a richhistory of educating children.Long before there was anofficial Fort Mill School Dis-trict, the township had severalschools located throughout thearea.

The first public school wasbuilt in 1854 with anotherschool following three yearslater. That school was locatedon Tom Hall Street, whereComporium Communicationsnow has its main Fort Milloffice.

Built in 1875, Fort MillAcademy was a prep schoolthat educated boys from citiesacross the state bound forDavidson College and theUniversity of South Carolina.The school was founded byProfessor A.R. Banks and waslocated where the Fort MillFamily Resource Center cannow be found. The school wasdestroyed by fire years later.

According to school district

records, in 1900, York Countyhad 38 school districts, in-cluding three in Fort MillTownship:{#x2008}Fort Mill,North Fort Mill and South FortMill.

In 1910, Fort Mill Elementa-ry was built to house gradesone through 12 and was locat-ed off Confederate Street. Theschool cost $10,000 to buildwith additions being construct-ed in the 1920s. In the 1950s,the school was renamedCarothers Elementary after LeeCarothers, a longtime educa-tor. The district used the build-ing for more than 60 years. Itwas torn down in 1974, despitesome community-led efforts tosave it.

There were also otherschools throughout the town-ship that served elementary-age children, including GoldHill, Flint Hill and Masseyelementary schools.

Gold Hill School was builtnorth of town off Whitley Roadin May 1858 on one acre deed-ed from Charles Clawson,according to records.

Massey Elementary Schoolwas established in 1892 andserved grades one througheight. It was founded on landoff Doby’s Bridge Road donat-ed by Frank Massey and theArdrey family. The school wasin existence until 1929.

Records state the elementa-ry schools consolidated be-tween the late 1920s andmid-1930s. All of the schoolson the outskirts of town closedexcept Riverview, which re-mained open until 1975. Afterconsolidation, the former GoldHill School served as a schoolfor black students – this wasduring the days of segregation– until it was destroyed by fire.

In 1924, George Fish Schoolwas built off Steele Street,where the Duke Power officestands today. The school, forgrade 1-12, served the town-ship’s black population. Thedistrict voluntarily desegregat-ed in the late 1960s, with onlyfour African-American girlsvoluntarily going to Fort Mill


Students in a typing class at the old Fort Mill High School.

Fort Mill’s first schoolwas built in 1854

Please see HISTORY 11C


By Jenny [email protected]

INDIAN LAND — In 1803,the educational history of Indi-an Land began with the open-ing of a small school for Cataw-ba Indian children. This school,founded by John Rooker, wasthe first school to open in Indi-an Land. The schoolhousestood on the eastern side ofSugar Creek and served double-duty as both a schoolhouse andworship center.

Though this first schoolclosed soon after opening, moreschools followed closely be-hind. By the early 1900s, theBelair, Barberville, Osceola andPleasant Valley communitieswere each considered a districtin the Indian Land school sys-tem and operated the four larg-est schools in the community.

In the 1901-02 school year,the state legislature reportedthat Indian Land’s schoolsoperated between 22 and 36weeks for white children andbetween seven and 22 weeksfor black children. Several stu-dents, it was reported, had towalk more than two miles to getto school.

In 1927, the four districtscombined their high schoolgrades into one school – thefirst Indian Land High School.The first trustees of the IndianLand School District were alsoelected that year, and includedJ.D. Patterson, B.J. Richardson,W.C. McGinn and Jimmy Wil-son. The trustees represent thefour districts in Indian Land:Barberville, Pleasant Valley,Osceola and Belair.

Students of the first IndianLand High School met in theBelair School building untilconstruction on the high schoolwas complete in 1928. Theschool, located on Hwy. 521where the Indian Land Recre-ation Center now stands, hadan auditorium that could seat500 people.

In 1936, Indian Land HighSchool had 102 students and sixteachers. The district operated

two Ford buses that cost $950each. The unheated buses had awooden frame and could notexceed 35 miles per hour.

Just 13 years after opening,the first Indian Land HighSchool burned to the ground.The cause was believed to befaulty wiring. Students werebused to Van Wyck HighSchool. Because of World WarII, construction of a replace-ment building was put on holdand a new Indian Land HighSchool was not built until 1946.

World War II affected morethan just the construction of anew high school. Studentswatched as their teachers weredrafted into war. The same year,newspaper reports say that thehigh school looked like a junkyard, because of ongoing scrapmetal drives.

The four districts consolidat-ed elementary schools in 1946.Shortly after, Indian Land’sschool system felt pressure toconsolidate into the county’sschools in the 1950s. IndianLand residents were opposed tothis merger because it wouldmean more than a 20-mile tripto school for some students.After much debate, the mergerdiscussion was dropped. During

the 1969-70 school year, IndianLand’s schools desegregated.Superintendent Bennett Guntersays that much planning wasdone before the first black stu-dent integrated into IndianLand schools, but the processwent smoothly.

“It went as easy as it possiblycould,” Gunter says. “We hadno problems whatsoever.”

In the 1980s, Indian Land’sschool began to resemble whatresidents see now. The IndianLand Area School Districtmerged into the LancasterCounty School District, and thehigh school began constructionat the Hwy. 521 site. The ele-mentary school on Doby’sBridge Road followed shortlybehind. The former elementaryschool was torn down abouteight years ago and the propertywas sold for $4.5 million in2006. That sale helped pay forimprovements to the old IndianLand High School that wastransformed into a new middleschool.

The new high school onRiver Road, behind the formerhigh school, opened in 2007.

■ Historian Louise Pettuscontributed to this story.

It all started with aschool for Catawbas


The front entrance of the new Indian Land High School in 2007. Itwas the panhandle’s first new school since the local districtmerged with Lancaster in the 1980s.


By Mac [email protected].

FORT MILL — The NationFord Falcons football team willhave a new nest to land in thisseason.

The completion of a nearly $4million, 5,000-seat stadium willgive the team the home field ad-vantage it had been looking forsince the school took the fieldtwo seasons ago.

Nearly 93,000 square feet ofturf was put down in the stadiumrecently to finish off the playingsurface.

“I’m pleased with the way itturned out,” said Jim Britton, dis-trict construction consultantwith Southern ManagementGroup, the company overseeingthe building of the stadium. “Itlooks great. We got a ton of bangfor our buck.”

Nation Ford head footballcoach Rusty Jester said in his 30-plus years of coaching he hadnever seen a high school facilityas nice as the Falcons’ new stadi-um.

“We are all thankful to haveour own stadium,” Jester said.

“Now we can start to build ourtradition. Our new stadium isone of the nicest high school sta-diums I have ever seen.”

The stadium will feature twoticket booths, one for the visitor’sside and one for the home side.There will be two concessionstands on the home side, as wellas a concession stand on the visi-tor’s side. One of the concessionstands on the home side doeshave the capacity to do some hotcooking, such as French fries, forthe big game.

The home side will also fea-ture a merchandise stand whereFalcons fans can buy souvenirs.

The stadium also features visi-tor and home team locker roomsat field level with 47 lockers inthe home team side. The lockersare big enough to be shared bytwo players to a locker, but Jestersaid he plans on just putting onevarsity player per locker.

Each locker has a compart-ment that locks where playerscan keep valuables such as theirkeys and wallets.

The stadium, designed byMcMillian, Smith and Partners ofSpartanburg and built by Mon-

teith Construction of Monroe andWilmington, N.C., is constructedmostly with a brick base aroundthe stands that give it an extrapop to the eye.

“It looks great,” Britton said.“It was important for the visitorside to have a nice appearance.”

The one-level air conditionedpress box has individual roomsfor the officials, members of themedia and radio broadcast. Thestadium also features two plat-forms outside the press box forteams to film the game, instead ofon top of the press box where ma-ny schools film the game.

Despite the new stadium, Na-tion Ford will still have to travelover to Fort Mill High School toplay its cross-town rival this sea-son.

The Falcons have played twogames against the Yellow Jacketsat Bob Jones Stadium on thecampus of Fort Mill High, losingboth. Nation Ford also played itshome games at Bob Jones Stadi-um the past two years whilefunding for the new stadium wasbeing approved by voters in a ref-erendum, then planned andbuilt.

Falcons ready to call 5,000-seat stadium home

COURTESY OF SOUTHERN MANAGEMENT

A long view of the new Nation Ford High School football field.

Our three local high schools and middle schools offer an array of varsity andjunior varsity sports. Here’s a list of the sports by season (teams are fielded at alllocal high schools, unless noted otherwise).

High SchoolFall sports

Football VolleyballGirls Golf (Fort Mill and Nation Ford only)Cross CountrySwimming (Fort Mill and Nation Ford only)Girls Tennis Cheerleading

Winter sportsWrestlingGirls BasketballBoys Basketball

Spring sportsBaseballGirls SoccerBoys SoccerBoys GolfBoys Tennis (Fort Mill and Nation Ford only)TrackSoftball

Middle school Fall sports

FootballVolleyballCheerleading

Winter sports WrestlingGirls BasketballBoys Basketball

Spring sportsBaseballSoftball Track (Indian Land Middle students plays with Indi-

an Land High)Girls Soccer (Indian Land Middle students plays

with Indian Land High)Boys Soccer (Indian Land Middle students plays

with Indian Land High)


Members of the Springfield Middle School archery team take aim at nationals last spring.

Prep sportsfor all seasons



10C AUG 12, 2009 WWW.FORTMILLTIMES.COM FORT MILL TIMES



INDIAN LAND — Localstudents have been treated tomore innovation and morechoices in the classroom lately.For example, middle schoolteachers created mock crimescenes last year as a fun way forstudents to learn about science.

This year, more choices arecoming as new classes will beoffered this year at both IndianLand Middle and High School.

Two new classes were addedat the middle school. The mediapublications class will be newin the 2009-2010 school year, aswell as an enrichment class forstudents needing extra instruc-tion outside of the regular class-room.

Both classes will be taught by

teachers already working at themiddle school.

Media publications will teachstudents about media. Thestudents will produce a morn-ing news show that the schoolhopes to get kicked off this year.Plans for the class also includeworking with newspapers towrite articles and assist innewspaper production.

For students who are strug-gling academically, a class hasbeen added to provide themtime and individual assistance.

Also new this year will be acareer specialist at each middleschool in Lancaster County,including Indian Land MiddleSchool, funded by the state.

The specialist will work withstudents and the guidancecounselor to develop IndividualGraduation Plans for each stu-

dent. IGP’s are developed ineighth grade to help studentsfocus on career goals by select-ing a major and complimentarycourses.

At Indian Land High School,a new “foreign language” isbeing offered to students. Theschool may make history thisfall, as one of the first highschools in South Carolina tooffer sign language as a foreignlanguage.

Spanish was the only foreignlanguage offered at Indian LandHigh School before the 2009-’10school year. Sign language iscurrently seen as an elective bythe state department of educa-tion but is in the process ofbeing classified as a foreignlanguage and will fill the highschool requirements for foreignlanguage credit.

Sign language, mediacourse among new classes

High. The school district evokedmandatory desegregation withall African-American studentsblending in with white stu-dents.

In 1969, George Fish wasrenamed Fort Mill Junior Highand then renamed to Fort MillMiddle School in 1970. TheGeorge Fish School was torndown in the 1980s. Recently,ground was broken for a monu-ment to George Fish, the manwho advocated building a stur-dy, brick schoolhouse for blackstudents.

The original Fort Mill Highwas renamed Central School inthe 1950s and then A.O. Jonesin the 1960s, when it servedonly as a middle school, recordsstate. The building was demol-ished in the mid-1980s. In 1952,when a new Fort Mill High wasbuilt and opened at the cornersof Banks and Academy streets,where the old Fort Mill Acade-my was originally, it served asthe town’s high school. Overthe years the school has alsoserved as a middle school and

an elementary school just forfifth-graders. The school nowgoes by its original name, FortMill Academy, and serves thedistrict as an alternative school.

In 1975, the Riverview Ele-mentary School Complex wasbuilt off Munn Road with twobuildings making up Fort MillPrimary, housing kindergartenthrough second grade, and FortMill Elementary, housing thirdgrade through fifth grade. In1985, Fort Mill High moved toits current Munn Road locationand opened a new facility. Afterthe move, the former highschool on Banks and Academystreets was turned into Fort MillMiddle School to serve gradessix to eight. Fort Mill MiddleSchool would later change itsname to Banks Street Elementa-ry in 1998 and operate as aschool until 2000, serving as aschool for the district’s fifth-graders for three years. It nowoperates as the Fort Mill FamilyResource Center.

As the 1990s came, construc-tion of new schools increases asthe population of the area ex-ploded. A new Gold Hill Ele-mentary School opened in 1994,and was named after the formerGold Hill School, which waslocated nearby. That school was

followed by Gold Hill MiddleSchool and a new Fort MillMiddle School, both opened in1998. Since 1994, six newschools have been opened inthe district.

In 2001, Orchard Park,Springfield and a new Fort MillElementary School were built.The Riverview ElementarySchool Complex, which consist-ed of Fort Mill Primary and FortMill Elementary, was reconfig-ured. Fort Mill Primary wasrenovated into a full elementaryschool and the former Fort MillElementary was renovated intopart of Fort Mill High.

With the opening of threenew elementary schools, thedistrict turned its attention toexpanding the two middleschools at that time and GoldHill Elementary. The two mid-dle schools were enlarged tohold 900 students, as was theelementary school. The expan-sion process finished by August2002 for the middle schools andAugust 2003 for Gold Hill Ele-mentary.

In August 2006, the schooldistrict opened its third middleschool, Springfield Middle, andfollows that up this year withthe opening of a second highschool, Nation Ford High.

History:from page 6C


Know the rulesThe following are some policy guidelines for the Fort Mill School

District:

Cell Phone Policy

A student may possess a cell phone in school so long as thedevice remains off and is not visible during the school day,including school bus rides to and from school. A student inpossession of a cell phone in conflict with this policy will have thedevice confiscated and will be subject to discipline as providedunder the district’s code of student conduct. The student’sparent/legal guardian may pick up the confiscated device from theschool.

Dress code

Students are expected to dress in appropriate attire that is notdestructive to school property, complies with requirements forhealth and safety, is not immodest or revealing and does notinterfere with the educational process. The following general rulesapply:

Grades K-5:

■ Proper shoes must be worn at all times.

■ Students will not be allowed to exhibit obscene slogans orpictures on shirts or other clothing.

■ Hats are not to be worn in school buildings.

■ Walking/Bermuda shorts are acceptable when weatherpermits. Short shorts, bike shorts, athletic shorts, mini-skirts,form-fitting clothes and tattered or torn clothing are not consideredappropriate.

Grades six to eight:

■ Proper shoes must be worn at all times.

■ All shirts must have sleeves – no tank-tops, midriff tops,tube tops or low cut revealing tops are permitted. Abdomen, chestand back must be covered at all times.

■ No form fitting or excessively tight fitting clothing will beallowed.

■ No gang attire or symbols are allowed.

■ Pants are to be worn around the waist (No baggy, saggingpants will be allowed). Undergarments are not to be seen. Pants orjeans with holes, tears, tattered or torn above the knee are notallowed.

■ Skirts, dresses and shorts may not be more than four inchesabove the knee. Shorts must have at least a five-inch inseam andmeet the fingertip rule (no short shorts).

■ No pajamas/bedroom shoes permitted.

■ Hats, sunglasses, bandanas, headscarves or hoods are notto be worn in school buildings.

■ No chains. No jewelry, which could be deemed to pose asafety hazard, is permitted.

■ Non-natural hair color or hair accessories that distract fromlearning are not allowed.

■ Facial piercing is not allowed.

Grades nine to 12:

■ Proper shoes must be worn at all times. Shoes with cleatsmay not be worn.

■ No vulgar, revealing, obscene, or otherwise inappropriatesymbols, language or wording will be permitted on clothing. Anyendorsement of alcoholic beverages or illegal substances will notbe permitted.

■ Students may wear shorts or skirts which are neat andwhose length is no shorter than four inches above the top of theknee. Shorts must have at least a five-inch inseam and meet thefingertip rule.

■ The following items are not appropriate for school: shortshorts, bike shorts, mini-skirts, tight-fitting clothes and tattered orworn clothing.

■ Tops must be long enough that they can be tucked into pantsor shorts. Tank tops are prohibited. See-through garments areprohibited. Sleeveless garments must extend to the end of theshoulder.

■ No head wear (hats, caps, hoods, etc.) or sunglasses may beworn in the building by male or female students at any time. Firstoffense: hats will be taken until the end of the year.

■ Undergarments should not be visible or worn outside ofclothing.

First offense: Change clothes/in-school suspension untilclothes are brought.

Second offense: Parent conference, ISS remainder of day,regardless

Third offense: Out-of-School suspension.

Indian Land schools

For a full listing of the various Lancaster County School Districtpolicies, go to www.lancasterscschools.org and click on the“Health/Disciplne/Safety” tab

Fort Mill Schools:Breakfast, $1 (all schools)Lunch: $1.60, elementary

schools; $1.85, middle and highschools or $2.50 for a combolunch (chicken fillet sandwich,chicken strips, large slice of piz-za, wraps or large burgers).Both meals include a variety offruits, vegetables and milk.

Indian Land SchoolsBreakfast, $1 (all schools)Lunch, $1.50, elementary

school; $1.75, middle and highschool

■ Parents who believe theirchild qualifies for free or re-duced priced meals are encour-aged to fill out the appropriateforms.

Lunchroom prices


FORT MILL TOWNSHIP —Lancaster County School Dis-trict’s $76 million budget, ap-proved June 16, represents amore than $600,000 reduction inspending compared to last year’sbudget and Indian Land schoolsare likely to feel the pinch.

In the Fort Mill School District,officials had to cut more thantwice that amount from its spend-ing plan for the coming year.

For both districts, a drastic de-cline in revenue from the statemeant having to scramble forsavings as the new school yearapproaches. That wasn’t easy forschool systems in the fastest-

growing region of South Caroli-na.

Indian Land Middle SchoolPrincipal David McDonald ex-pects staff members to be moreaware of the drop in funding thanstudents. Staff will have to beaware of every copy they make,every item they purchase, andsaving money as much as possi-ble, he said.

“I think first and foremost wehave t o t i gh t en ou r pu rsestrings,” McDonald said. “It’s go-ing to force us to wholeheartedlyjustify every penny we spend.”

Students and parents may seea slight difference inside theclassroom with increased class-room sizes, he said, but classeswere already small and adding a

few students per class, to a maxi-mum of 24 to 26, shouldn’t affectinstruction, McDonald added.

One major difference at IndianLand Middle School is the elim-ination of the Spanish program.The school district’s budget in-cluded the elimination of 24teaching positions that werefunded through the general fundthrough attrition or by the districtnot renewing retired teachers’contracts. Retired teachers oper-ate on a year-to-year contract ifthey return to teaching after offi-cial retirement.

Eleven positions funded byspecial revenue sources, such asgrants, will also be eliminated. Ineach case, the revenue sourcesfunding the position ran out and

the district can’t afford to supportthe position via the general fundbudget.

One of the eliminated posi-tions was the Spanish instructor,who will not be replaced. Anoth-er eliminated position was theschool’s part-time health educa-tor. That position will be takenover by the school’s physical edu-cation instructors.

“When we look at the wholepicture, making sure we offer kidsa good program is our priority,making sure we keep the coreclasses in the four core academicareas is important,” McDonaldsaid.

— Toya Graham contributed tothis story

State cuts means schools must scramble



FORT MILL TOWNSHIP —The Fort Mill, Nation Ford andIndian Land bands are prepar-ing for a concert season rich incompetitions and, hopefully,awards.

The Fort Mill Marching Bandhas spent the last part of thesummer preparing its show,called “Beyond the GreatWall.” The show includes bothaudio and visual pieces, withthe band performing ancientChinese music and displayingtraditional Chinese art. Theband will compete in severallocal competitions during thefall, including the ProvidenceCup at Providence High Schoolin Charlotte, and will alsocompete in a regional Bands ofAmerica competition Oct. 17 inMassillon, Ohio.

Last year, the Fort Mill’sMarching Band finished secondin the State Championship andthird in the Upper State Cham-pionship.

Nation Ford’s MarchingBand is also preparing for a fallfull of competitions. Theband’s show is titled “FastTrack,” and is an original workwritten by composer Frank

Sullivan. The show depicts thebuilding of train tracks as wellas the sounds associated withtrains.

“With train tracks runningright by Nation Ford HighSchool this offers a glimpse ofsomething that is a part of ourAmerican heritage,” DirectorMartin Dickey said. “The mu-sic is fast paced, emotional,and should be very inspiringas the train builds to a franticpace near the end.”

The band hopes to travel toat least two out-of-state march-ing competitions, including theBands of America Grand Na-tionals in Indianapolis, butthey are still waiting for theirtravel plans to be approved,Dickey said.

Last year, the band finished

second in the State Champi-onship and first in the UpperState Championship.

In 2008, the Indian LandHigh School Marching Bandhad one of the best seasons inthe school’s recent history. Theband won four consecutivefirst-place wins before placinga devastating seventh at theState Championship.

This year, the band’s themeis “Danse,” according to direc-tor Matthew Willis. The showwill feature dance music in-cluding a Native Americanstomp dance, a tango, authen-tic West African drummingpiece and an Old Englishdance.

The band will travel to thesame competitions it did lastyear, including the Old EnglishFestival of Bands in Rock Hilland the South Carolina UpperState competition. Its biggestcompetition this year?

“Ourselves,” Willis said.“Really, coming off last yearand understanding that weneed to continue working andnot expect that because we didwell last year, we will do wellthis year. Our goal every timewe rehearse, every time westep on the field, we just try tobe better than the last time.”

CARL HAMES/FORT MILL TIMES

The Nation Ford High School band practices at Band Camp.

Ready to hit high notesWant to help?

■ Fort Mill bands are allpart of the Fort Mill DistrictBand Booster Club. Forinformation, [email protected]

■ Indian Land Boosters:For more information, go towww.indianlandband.com.



Aaron “A-Rob” Robinsonwrapped his oil stained handsaround a wheel on a engine.

But not just any engine. Thehodgepodge of metal, nuts andbolts is the hub that makes hisMazda RX7 work.

Except the Mazda sits idle. Hasto, because its engine doesn’twork.

“I’m rebuilding the enginebecause I blew it showing off,”said Robinson, a rising senior atFort Mill High School.

He isn’t an automotive tech-nician – yet. But he started layingthe foundation as an auto tech-nology student at a program heldat Nation Ford High School. Thenew class, which has studentsfrom both of the district’s highschool enrolled, is demandingattention as the haven somestudents seek to gain skills thatmake them more marketable inthe workforce.

“This is a recession-proofindustry,” instructor Gary Perkinssaid of the auto industry. “Every-body always has to have their carfixed.”

As the U.S. workforce shifts

away from manufacturing intomore service-oriented jobs, thedemand for specialized job skillscontinues to rise. With that inmind, Fort Mill’s two high schoolsare on the cutting edge of prepar-ing students with such skills.

High school students in theFort Mill School District wereamong the first in the state tohave course work tailored to aspecific career track. Called a“Career Cluster,” the program,launched five years ago, helpsstudents focus their studies andchoice of classes while learning insmall group environments.

Beginning on the day theyenter high school, students devel-op a future career plan in one ofthe four career clusters: Arts andHumanities, Business and Com-puter Technology, Engineeringand Industrial Technology orHealth and Human Services. Theclusters are offered at both highschools.

Some classes are only offeredat one campus or the other. Inthose instances, students areallowed to travel between schoolsto take courses they need at theother campus.

Prior to declaring a major,

students take High School 101,which familiarizes them withhigh school, study skills, testtaking and critical thinking skills.Freshmen develop a four-yearplan around one of the clusters,but don’t begin taking classesfocusing on that major until theirsophomore or junior year.

Students unsure of what trackto follow can take classes in eachof the main cluster areas to ex-plore their options.

Among some of the newercourses added over the last cou-ple of years are Spanish for theWorkplace, Sports Medicine III,Engineering Design and Devel-opment, Virtual Enterprise and

International Finance and Busi-ness 101, which is a duel enroll-ment with York Technical College.New courses being added thisyear include Animation in theInformation Technology major,Auto Technology offered at Na-tion Ford High, and BiomedicalSciences II, which is offered atboth campuses.

Other options for majors in-clude accounting, computerprogramming, administrativesupport, protective services,agriscience, culinary arts and theOracle Academy, a computersoftware training program.

Completing a major in one ofthe clusters is designed to give

graduates three options for leav-ing high school: ready to join theworkforce; prepared to attend atechnical school; or ready toattend a college or university.

Unlike true majors in a post-secondary educational setting, acareer cluster or major does notlock a student into a specificconcentration.

However, students are encour-aged to complete at least fourcourses in at least one majorbefore leaving high school. Stu-dents who complete a major arehonored at graduation with atassel-like cord of distinction.

In addition to preparing stu-dents for the next phase of their

lives, the cluster program hasgenerated national attention fromthe Bill and Melinda Gates Foun-dation, and helped Fort Mill Highto be named one of 30 “ModelSchools” in the nation. It alsohelped the high school earn afederal Blue Ribbon Award. Theprogram has also drawn visitors,nationally and internationally,from more than 30 schools hop-ing to replicate the success of FortMill High School.

More information about thecareer cluster program is availableon the Fort Mill High and NationFord High school Web sites:fmhs.fort-mill.k12.sc.us/ ornfhs.fort-mill.k12.sc.us/.

Hands-onprogram givesstudents morecareer options

FORT MILL TIMES FILE PHOTO

Construction instructor Chuck Stegall measures wood for a deck chair as Fort Mill High students Bobby Spires and Tracy Martinezlook on.

“This is a recession-proof industry.Everybody always has to have

their car fixed.”Instructor Gary Perkins, talking about the auto industry

FORT MILL TIMES WWW.FORTMILLTIMES.COM AUG 12, 2009 15C


Back-to-school season is here,and children are getting excitedabout shopping for new clothesand seeing their school friends.Waking up earlier in the morning,brushing teeth and packing aschool lunch are important to yourchild’s education, as setting a rou-tine helps develop an organizedlifestyle and further a child’sgrowth.

“It is so important for children toget into the routine of going to sleepat a reasonable time, knowing whatdaily morning chores they need toaccomplish each day and otherthings of the like,” said Amy Strick-land of The Goddard School in FortMill.

“In addition, the school year isgreat because it allows children tobe around their peers more oftenthroughout the day, and this pro-motes social stability. We encour-age parents to get the ball rollingand start implementing these rou-tines – even before the school yearbegins.”

Routine establishes many as-pects of healthy living, good habitsand good behavior that even theslightest structure can make a huge

difference in a child’s day-to-daylife. Strickland suggests parents ofyoung children ask themselves thefollowing questions:

■ Do you post a list of nighttimeand morning to-dos as daily guide-lines for your child?

■ Do you read a bedtime storyto your child each night?

■ Do you have a designatedarea in your child’s room or else-where in the home for your child tostore his or her coat and schoolbookbag?

■ Does your child have a setbedtime on school nights and onweekends?

■ Do you wake your child in themorning? Or, does your child havean alarm clock in his or her room towake up on time?

If you have answered “no” tomost of these questions, it might betime to implement a routine. Strick-land suggests the following ideas tohelp parents save time and instituteorganizational skills for their chil-dren:

■ Discuss the day’s highlightsand events with your child.

■ Help your child prepare forschool the night before, including

assisting your child in selectingclothes to wear for school. After awhile, he or she will be able to dothis without your help.

■ Designate a time each nightthat your child must go to sleep.Children need 9 to 11hours of sleepeach night, depending on their age.

■ Choose an area in the home,such as by the front door, to storeyour child’s school bag and anysupplies he or she may need forschool (e.g., art projects, thank-you notes/gifts for teachers).

■ Have a daily to-do list postedin an area your child will see eachday.

“Just like we practice at TheGoddard School, regular schedulescreate a day with structure. Therepetition of routines encouragesyour child’s memory development,and the consistency helps him orher adjust to a regular schedule,”Strickland said.

The Goddard School offers ayear-round program for childrenfrom 6 weeks to 6 years old. For

more information, call AmyStrickland at 802-2112 or go to

www.goddardschools.com.

How to get back in the routine

The Boys & Girls Clubs of YorkCounty is enrolling students for the2009-2010 After School Program.Parents can sign their students upfor the Banks Street Club, 513Banks St., Fort Mill.

Boys & Girls Clubs focus on fiveprogram areas that help young peo-ple develop a positive identity, edu-cational competencies and the val-ues enabling them to develop posi-tive relationships with others.

The 2009-2010 program beginsWednesday, Aug. 19.

Hours of operation are 2:30-6:30p.m. Monday through Friday. Par-ents or guardians are responsiblefor providing transportation to andfrom the club.

The Boys & Girls Clubs of YorkCounty, now in its 17th year, offersprograms in arts, character andleadership development, educa-tion and career development,health and life skills, and sportsand recreation.

Everyone must pay a $15 annualmembership fee, which is good un-til July 31. All after school program-ming rates are on a per-child basis.Parents only pay for the 180 day theclub is open. Because fees are of-

fered at a reduced rate, no dis-counts are available for multiplechildren in the same family

The weekly rates are $15 aweek/$3 a day for those qualifiedto receive free school lunch; $30 aweek/ $6 a day for those qualifiedto receive reduced school lunch;and $45 week/$9 a day for thosequalified to receive regular school

lunch.All payments will be processed

weekly through an automatic draftfrom either a savings or checkingaccount.

New this year, the club will beopen to serve students on studentholidays and teacher workdays.

For more information and to reg-ister, go to www.bgcyc.org.

Sign up for Boys & Girls ClubCore programs

■ The Arts Core Program enables youth to develop creativity andvisual awareness through knowledge and appreciation of visual andtactile arts and crafts, performing arts and creative writing.

■ The Character and Leadership Development Core Programempowers youth to support and influence their Club and community,sustain meaningful relationships with others, develop a positiveself-image, participate in the democratic process and respect theirown and others’ cultural identities.

■ The Education and Career Development Core Program enablesyouth to become proficient in basic educational disciplines.

■ The Health and Life Skills Core Program develops youngpeople’s capacity to engage in positive behaviors that nurture theirown well-being, set personal goals,

■ The Sports, Fitness and Recreation Core Program promotesphysical fitness, positive use of leisure time, stress management,appreciation for the environment and interpersonal skills.

FORT MILL TIMES WWW.FORTMILLTIMES.COM AUG 12, 2009 17C

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