Carolina Forest High School

Construction overview

Carolina Forest High School was designed by LS3P Associates and built by Hay Construction Company. The school opened on August 25, 1997, as Carolina Forest Education Center to serve grades 6-12. Although the combined middle school/high school idea has long since been abandoned, the 352,078-square-foot (32,709.1 m²), sixty acre facility is now used as a high school. The basic structure of this facility is based on an 1876 schoolhouse.

Improvements to the school include renovation of all science labs on the southwest side of campus and conversion of many of the auxiliary buildings into student amenity centers.

History

In 1997, Carolina Forest Education Center opened and welcomed students from the Conway, Myrtle Beach, and Socastee attendance areas. The middle school opened with grades 6-8, but the high school opened with grades 9-10 only. Wendell Shealy was principal of the complex.

Eventually the "Education Center" concept was scrapped. In later years, Shealy was made principal of Carolina Forest Middle School and Ron Malone became principal of Carolina Forest High School, although his tenure was short. There were a series of interim principals for the high school which created instability and a lack of progress. Rick Maxey assumed the principalship of CFHS from 1998-2000

Maxey left the school to become principal of Conway High School. Velna Allen, who had served as assistant principal under Maxey, became principal and remains in that post. Allen had been a mathematics teacher at Conway High School for several years prior to her administrative positions at CFHS.

At the end of the 2004-2005 school year Wendell Shealy retired, his leadership laid the foundation for many of the programs taken for granted at both schools. Cindy Thibodeau became principal of Carolina Forest Middle School. At the end of the 2005-2006 school year Carolina Forest Middle School ceased to exist. Due to a population explosion in the Carolina Forest area, two new middle schools have been constructed: Ocean Bay Middle School and Blackwater Middle School. The old middle school section of the Carolina Forest Education Center has now been absorbed into the high school. The school now consists of 14 separate buildings: seven Academic Hallways, a library building, an art studio, a journalism building, a fitness center, a drama building, an auxiliary building, and a central building containing the main offices, an auditorium, a cafeteria, two gymnasiums, and several classrooms.

Grades 9–12 have available to them science laboratories, advanced placement courses, college credits, honors, college preparatory, and career academic assistance classes.

Accreditation

The school is accredited by the South Carolina Department of Education and the Commission of Colleges of the Southern Associating Colleges and Schools.

Faculty

The faculty consists of: 102 staff with 35 holding bachelor's degrees, 54 Master’s Degrees, 10 Master’s Degree + 30 and 3 Doctorate Degrees.

Student placement and rank

Students are placed in classes based upon achievement on standardized tests, teacher recommendation, and course availability. Students are ranked at the end of their junior year, the 135th day of their senior year, and final rank is calculated at the end of the senior year. Rank is calculated based on all courses taken using the South Carolina Uniform Grading scale.

Graduating class of 2009: Size: 314; Percent attending: four-year college 49%, two-year college 32%, Military 3%, Employment 16%. Scholarship awards totaled $7,322,586.00

Testing

Average SAT score for the graduating class of 2009–1048; national average – 1017. Average ACT score is 21.5; national average 21.1. AP passing test results with a 3 or better are as follows: AP Calculus AB 88%, AP World History 86%, AP English Language 83%, AP English Literature 69%, AP US History 46%, AP Biology 53%.

Athletics

In 1997, Mark Roach was hired as athletic director. His immediate concern was facilities because the school lacked proper facilities for many of its teams, including football. Roach and Shane Williamson, the first head football coach at CFHS, worked hard to obtain funding for a football stadium that was completed in time for the 1998 season. Roach did such an outstanding job that he was hired by Horry County Schools to oversee a phased in development plan for athletic facilities throughout the district. Under this plan, all Horry County Schools saw major improvements over the course of several years. Tennis courts were built and baseball and football stadiums improved, including the construction of the long overdue Backyard at Conway High School.

Roach was eventually hired by Coastal Carolina University as assistant athletic director. Mickey Wilson, Sr. took over from Roach and headed athletics until 2000 when Michael Morris took over. Coach Morris led several efforts to improve facilities and the quality of coaching at CFHS. He left in 2005. Bubba Lewis then became A.D. and held the position until 2008. Boe Rainbow was named interim Athletic Director and has held the position since.

Boys' soccer

2011 season

For the 2011 season the boys' soccer team finished with a 17-3-1 record and went undefeated in the region. This included a 2-month span without losing a game and a state ranking of 3rd in the AAAA class. The team had major victories over Bishop England, Summerville, Mill Creek, GA, and Aiken High School. The team made it to the 3rd round of the playoffs, losing 1-0 to Wando, who went on to win the State Championship.

Panther football

Shane Williamson was the first head coach for varsity football at CFHS. In the 1999 season the team made a deep run into the State AAA Playoffs, eventually losing to Marion in the lower state semi-finals. The team had a tough defense led by Lounzy Green (Coastal Carolina University), Keith Sherman, Tyke Greene (Citadel), and Jack Johnson (USC transferred to South Carolina State.) At the end of that year, Williamson had an opportunity to work at Broome High School. This led him to become even more heavily involved with the FCA Program. He now works for FCA in Atlanta.

Michael "Doc" Davis was hired to replace Williamson. Davis came from Edisto High School in Orangeburg County. His first few teams had little success. The 2004 season was clearly going to be a good one with a highly talented senior class including QB Zach Cerny, TE/DL Drew Seay(CCU), RB/LB Tommy Fraser (CCU), OL/DL Jake Brown (UT), WR Jahmel Green, and many other quality players. Coach Davis, who was a member of the South Carolina Army National Guard, was called to duty in Iraq. He missed the 2004 season and defensive coach Robbie Brown, a former Clemson assistant, took over as interim head coach. The team had its best season in history going deep into the playoffs eventually losing at Manning 45-35 in the lower state semifinals. Davis returned to the sidelines the following season. The team, having lost a host of talented players, took a step back in 2005. Davis was replaced by North Augusta's Drew Hummel who went on to an undefeated season in 2006 winning the state championship. However, the team became the biggest surprise of the 2007 season when they went 8-4, including a surprise victory over Carver's Bay High.

The team moved to AAAA in 2008 and had a difficult transition. In 2010, however, the team finished 7-4 including a thrilling 46-42 victory over rival Conway in the final game of the season. That game was significant because it was the first victory over Conway in school history and came just two days after the unexpected death of assistant coach Allen Armstrong. Quarterback Danny Daly threw six touchdown passes and ran for another. Jarvez Holmes had four touchdown receptions and two interceptions in the first half. Despite the win the team missed out on a playoff spot by one point.

Band

The Carolina Forest High School Band program is part of the fine arts department. It consists mainly of two concert bands and one marching band, but has also operated several ancillary ensembles (sometimes non-consecutively) over the years, including marching band, jazz band, indoor drumline/guard, boys' varsity basketball pep band, chamber brass ensemble, etc. They compete in marching band, participate in concert festival, solo and ensemble as well as many parades and other community activities.

In 2001/02 the band won its first ever Grand Championship during this season at the Tabor City competition. It repeated this success, the following year. After the conclusion of the 2002-03 school year, the marching band represented the state of South Carolina in the national Independence Day parade in Washington, D.C.. In 2010–2011 they made it to the state championships for the first time in school history with their marching show, called Destination Unknown, and made straight ones in concert festival, as well as earning the Outstanding Performance Award (OPA) for the first time in the school's history. Their website is at www.cfhsband.com

Swim Team

Run by Coach Blue and Coach Michelle. The girls went undefeated 2012 and boys went 27-3. Girls won regionals. Six swimmers went to the state meet and. The season starts two weeks before school and lasts for three months. Girls are the reigning Region Chamipions for 4A led by Tri Captains are Bri, Hannah and Ann Morgan and the Boys team captained by Paul and Spencer.

Awards