Wando High School (often shortened to "Wando") is a public high school within the Charleston County School District, located in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, United States. The school serves students living in Mount Pleasant and other suburban portions of eastern Charleston County. Established in 1973, the school was re-built in 2004 to accommodate the town's rapid growth during the 1990s. Wando is the largest high school in the state of South Carolina based upon an enrollment of around 3,700 students in the 2013-2014 school year.
History
Wando High School Mt Pleasant, SC - Wando High School,
Wando High School takes its name from the nearby Wando River, a major tributary of the Cooper River that divides Charleston and Mount Pleasant. The school opened in 1973 shortly after desegregation was completed in Charleston County.
In 2004, the new facility at 1000 Warrior Way in Mount Pleasant opened its doors. In 2009, principal Lucy Beckham was named the 2010 MetLife/National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) National Secondary Principal of the Year. This is classified as the highest honor in the nation for a secondary school principal. In 2014, Beckham stepped down from her role as principal, and was replaced by interim principal Sherry Eppelscheimer.
After the new campus was completed, the old campus became a temporary home for other local schools while they rebuilt their primary campuses. First it became the home to Laing Middle School, and in 2010 Charleston County leased part of the property to Buist Academy. When Buist completed its new downtown campus, its place on the old campus was taken by Jennie Moore Elementary. This arrangement continued until the 2014-2015 school year, for which both Laing and Jennie Moore moved into their new facilities a few miles away. Demolition of the old campus was completed in the fall of 2016. Today, the only remnant of the old campus is the football stadium, which is still used by the Wando football team.
Campus
Situated on 110 acres (0.45Â km2), the main school building is 433,121 square feet (40,238.3Â m2) in size. The grounds include a 4,800-square-foot (450Â m2) field house complete with a 1,598-square-foot (148.5Â m2) press box. Student parking spaces total 1,179, with 33 visitor spaces, 368 staff spaces and room for 20 buses. The layout of the school was based on the similar layout of West Ashley High School, one of Wando's cross town rivals.
Inside the school, there is a 906-square-foot (84.2Â m2) performing arts center; the gym has over 2,560 square feet (238Â m2), and the specialized food court has 780 square feet (72Â m2). 27,800,000 pounds of steel, 12,000,000 pounds of concrete, over 800,000,000 bricks and concrete blocks and 176 individual HVAC units were used in construction. The school has two multi-purpose fields along with separate fields for marching band practice, soccer, football, baseball and softball. There are also six tennis courts, a track area, and a shot put and javelin area.
Academics
According to data released by the South Carolina Department of Education, Wando High School earned an "A" letter grade for the 2012-2013 school year, substantially exceeding academic expectations put forth by the state in standardized testing and graduation accomplishment. The school had earned a "B" for the 2011-2012 school year.
Wando High School received "excellent" scores on the Absolute Rating and Growth Rating metrics on its 2012 state report card. In 2012, 97.0% of students passed the state-mandated High School Assessment Program (HSAP). The four-year graduation rate was 85.3% in 2012, a slight decrease from 85.9% in 2011. The teacher retention rate was 90.2%. Based on 2011 financial data, the amount spent per student was $6,834.
In 2012, the average student-teacher ratio in core subjects was 29.3 students to every 1 teacher. In total, 26.5% of students were enrolled in Advanced Placement courses and 64.7% of students were enrolled in career/technology courses.
Wando High School is accredited with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
Wando offers over 250 classes, including Advanced Placement, dual credit, honors, college preparatory, and applied technology courses. A Ninth Grade Academy provides smooth transition from middle school to high school. All Wando students are to select a "major" and enter into one of the following "schools of study": arts & humanities; business and information systems; health sciences and human & services; and math, science, and engineering.
Curriculum
- English classes: 30
- Math classes: 18
- Science classes: 21
- History classes: 20
- Foreign language classes: 20 (including French, Spanish, German, and Latin)
- Physical education classes: 1
- Health education classes: 11
- JROTC (Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps) classes: 8
- Direct business classes : 35
- Family and consumer science classes: 20
- Hospitality and tourism classes: 4
- Engineering classes: 8
- Art classes: 3
- Band, orchestra, and choir classes: 15
- Drama and dance classes: 9
- Dance: 13
Athletics
Wando competes at the Class AAAAA level of the South Carolina High School League. Due to it being among the largest schools in the state, it is one of the "Big 16" schools for football. Wando's main rivals are the West Ashley High School Wildcats and the Bishop England Battling Bishops.
Boys' sports
Basketball
- State â€" 2014
Cross country
- State â€" 2007, 2015
Golf
- State â€" 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006
Lacrosse
- State â€" 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017
Soccer
- State â€" 1991, 1992, 1994, 2002, 2011, 2014, 2017
Swimming
- State â€" 1979, 1980, 1981, 1985, 1986, 2002, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2012
Track & field
- State â€" 2009, 2015
Baseball
- State â€" 2015
Rugby
- State â€" 2014, 2016, 2017
Girls' sports
Basketball
- State â€" 1977, 1980
Cross country
- State â€" 1976, 2009
Lacrosse
- State â€" 2011
Soccer
- State â€" 1994, 1995, 1997, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2013
Swimming
- State Champs â€" 2007
Tennis
- State â€" 1994, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2015
Volleyball
- State â€" 1977, 1978, 1979, 1993, 2014, 2015
Activities
Wando boasts over 70 different unique clubs, including the National Honor Society, The Rock Climbing Club, and the Dance Dance Revolution club.
Bands
The Wando High School Marching Band The band is under the direction of Bobby Lambert, and assisted by Jeff Handel and Lanie Radecke. Former directors include Scott Rush, Basil Kerr and Miller Asbill.
The band has won the SCBDA state 5-A championship 11 times with their 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, and 2017 shows, respectively entitled "Equilibrium", "Watermark", "Promethean Dreams", "Incarnata", "Beyond", "Turn", "Daedalus and Icarus", "Immortal", "It's All Wright", "Empire of the Sky", and "Electra, Birth of Light". "Turn" included the music of Sergei Rachmaninoff and the changing of seasons, and included a plume change. In 2005 the band had an undefeated season, achieving first place in every competition attended. It is also the second band from South Carolina (after Irmo High School) to make the Bands of America Grand National Finals, placing 11th in 2009, 12th in 2011, 7th in 2014, and 8th in 2016. Additional achievements are listed below:
- In 2007, the Wando Band placed 25 people out of 170 in the All-State Band.
- The band received the Outstanding Performance Award for 2008â€"2009.
- The Wando High School Symphonic Band performed at The Midwest Clinic in 2007.
- The Wando High School Band program received The Sudler Flag of Honor on May 15, 2008.
- In 2012, the Wando Symphonic Band performed at the SCBDA In-Service conference in Charleston under the batons of Scott Rush, Lanie Radecke and Scott Weiss.
Chorus
The Wando choirs are led by Director Eric Wilkinson, Associate Director Mary Elizabeth Morton, and Associate Director Matt Taylor. In 2014, Wando Chorus was ranked second in the state, previously ranking third in 2011. Vernon Huff, Rodger Wiley and Marilyn Austin are former directors.
Tribal Tribune
The Tribal Tribune, Wando's school newspaper, viewable online at their website, has been under the direction and advisement of Mrs. Watkins for over 25 years. The paper has won many awards, including, for the second consecutive year, the Best in Show Award for newspapers over 17 pages at the National Scholastic Press Association Convention, the All-American Award from the NSPA for the sixth consecutive year, the Silver Crown Award for the second consecutive year from Columbia Scholastic Press Association, and the Gold Medalist award from CSPA. The Tribune won the equivalency for a Pulitzer Prize in 2009, called the Pacemaker.It also is consistently placed in the top 35 newspapers in the nation. It has received the Best in State of South Carolina Award from the Southern Interscholastic Press Association for the sixth consecutive year, an All-Southern ranking, the SIPA’s highest ranking, for the 16th consecutive year, and Best in State from SCSPA for five of the last seven years.
Engineering program
The Wando engineering program is one of the best in the state. Offering eight courses and an internship program, it is also one of the biggest in the state, with more than 400 students and a faculty of five teachers. In 2008, the program was named a National Model Site by Project Lead the Way. Teacher David Roemer was inducted into The Citadel's "Wall of Fame" in 2011 as the first ever STEM Educator of the Year in South Carolina. Roemer and Katie Johnston sponsor the Engineering Club, which is home to several competitive teams, including:
- two robotics teams
- two aerospace engineering teams
- one trebuchet team
- three design/invention teams
- one bridge design team
Notable alumni
- Amanda Baker - Actress
- Dexter Coakley - former American football linebacker
- Shepard Fairey - contemporary street artist, graphic designer, activist, illustrator and founder of OBEY Clothing
- Travis Jervey - former American football tailback
- Ray Mazyck - Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas 1995; former South Carolina Gamecock defensive back 1996-1999
- Brooke Mosteller - Miss South Carolina 2013
- Barry Richardson - NFL football player
- Melanie Thornton - pop singer
Picture gallery
References
External links
- Official website
- 2012 school report card by S.C. Department of Education
- Athletics website
- Chorus website
- Calendar of school
- Band website
- Tribal Tribune website
- Wando High Clubs