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History of Principals
Berkeley High School and What a great year to be a Stag at ation in Moncks Corner! celebrate our first 100 years of educ bar high for our faculty, the set have years red hund The first quality education and high high to ds regar in staff, and students next hundred years should The ities. quality extracurricular activ tradition of excellence and our to on hold we when time a be reach even higher in all areas. ol is a great school in a Without a doubt, Berkeley High Scho ol in all of its endeavors. scho the orts supp that unity great comm would not have our we ort, supp unity comm Without this great great traditions. Berkeley well, and to those Thank you to all who have served of success for the hundred torch the carry who will come to help years.
Steven Steele Principal
1912: Annie Hare McCants: Berkele y School 1920: Rev. Harleston: Dixie Trainin g 1921: Richard Allen Ready: Dixie Tra ining 1922: M.R. Mahaffy: BHS 1924: E.W. Rentz: BHS principal/su perintendent 1925: J.R. Miller: BHS 1926: T.R. Collier:BHS 1927: W.M. Bonner: BHS principal/su perintendent 1939: J.B. Bradley: BHS 1952: S. S. Wigfall: Berkeley Trainin g 1954: Mr. Frank Gadsden: Berkeley Training 1955: Mr. Joseph H. Jefferson: Berkele y Training 1965: R. A. Berry: BHS 1966: Clark Simpkins: BHS 1970: Bill Bonds: BHS 1973: Frank Modica: BHS 1979: Charles Hill: BHS 1993: Ben Hodges: BHS 2007: Kim McLaren: BHS 2012: Steven Steele: BHS
Ellen Priest President & Publisher Chris Zoeller Regional Advertising Director Cheryl Cargill Business Manager Contributing Writers Jan Holloway & Ashley Randall Advertising Staff Rebecca Bell Ann Mack Laura Patterson Graphic Design Krena Lanham Special thanks to Berkeley High School staff, Principal Steven Steele and Tookie Harrop. Berkeley High School 100 Year Anniversary is a special publication of Berkeley High School and the Berkeley Independent. Berkeley Independent publishes Wednesdays and online at BerkeleyInd.com.
406 West Main Street Moncks Corner, SC 29461 (843) 899-8810
323-B East Main Street Moncks Corner, SC 29461 (843) 761-6397
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The History of Berkeley High School Jerry Jones and Mary Jolly pictured in front of campus in the early 40’s .
By Ashley Randall he first entirely county supported public school in Moncks Corner was established on the south side of Main Street in 1912. Prior to this only those who could afford it received private education in Pinopolis. The school had one teacher, Mrs. Annie Hare McCants, and 11 students. McCants received her education from private tutors and later graduated from Limestone College in Gaffney, SC. A 1949 article from The Stag Newspaper states “though Mrs. McCants was the only teacher, there was still a showing of progress with more students enrolling each year.” Because of the growing enrollment a tworoom school was built and an additional teacher, Ms. Kate Edens, was hired. About 1916, a brick building with two classrooms was erected near the current intersection of Highway 17-A and Main Street. Both elementary and high schools were located there. The Class of 1922 was the first to graduate from the school. Some sources say 1922 was the same year Berkeley High School received accreditation, while others say the school was not accredited until 1926. To accommodate a growing student population, the building was enlarged twice and eventually contained 17 classrooms, an office and a library. In 1925 a separate auditorium was built next to the school and remained until it was torn down in 1964. Mrs. McCants was named principal and remained in that position until she retired in 1945. While the student population continued to outgrow its current building a new two-story brick structure was completed in 1929. It was January 1930 when the school was officially ready for use. W.M. Bonner of McClellanville was superintendent of the consolidated school districts. His son Walter Bonner recalls living with his family in the downstairs of the girls’ dormitory. “The high school was really the place to be,” said Bonner. “The auditorium served as a movie theater and place for community and athletic events.” Walter Bonner left Berkeley High School in 1948 and went on to pursue a degree at Erskine College. Bonner’s older brother Henry was a World
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War II veteran and returned after the war as a teacher. He worked his way through the ranks and eventually became county superintendent during the time of integration. “The funny thing is that for the last 2-3 years of my father’s career as district superintendent of Moncks Corner, my older brother Henry was actually his boss.” Said Bonner. From 1920-1949 many students lived in dormitories. The population of the county was sparse and rural with limited transportation routes so the option of free room & board allowed students to reside in the dorms during the week and return home on the weekends. History records show that a total of 1,050 pupils were enrolled for the 1949-1950 session. The student population continued to outgrow the building and construction began on another campus at 406 West Main Street in 1955. Though it was built in phases and first only housed 7th and 8th grades, the first class to graduate from this building was in 1958. The building continued to educate grades 7-12 until a junior high school was built in 1963. In the fall of 1969 Berkeley Training High School lost part its student body when the construction of Goose Creek High School was completed. However, as a result of Brown v. The Board of Education, the student body of Berkeley Training High School was integrated with the student body of Berkeley High in 1970. After more building shifting and the opening of Stratford High School in 1982, construction began on a new Berkeley High School in 2001. The class of 2004 was the first to graduate from the new and current facility. As Berkeley High School celebrates it’s 100th anniversary, there are 1,386 students enrolled. Students, faculty, alumni and the community look forward to the special programming that will take place throughout the year in celebration. “What captures the essence of Berkeley High School today is the third and fourth generation students,” said current Principal Steele. “They have as much love and pride in their school as the family that came before them.”
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Berkeley High School Dormitories By Ashley Randall
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or more than 20 years, the original Berkeley High School offered room and board to its students. Because transportation was a problem for many families in the area, students could stay in dormitories from Monday until Friday free of charge, and then return home on the weekends. A few students however lived a far enough distance away that they stayed in the dormitories all the time. At the time the dormitories were established, there was only one paved road in Berkeley County, Highway 52. Any high school pupil in the area not already served by a high school was eligible to stay in the dorms. A girls’ dormitory was built in 1921 and a boys’ dormitory in 1922. The superintendent and his family were house parents for the girls’ dorm. There Charles Mizzell, Lorraine Cox, Josie Worsham, Letha Worsham, Richard Johnson, George Morris and Mary Bell McClain in front of the were about 30-35 girls who resided in the dormitories. The dormitories opened in 1921 and closed in 1949. dorms. The principal and his family were house parents for the boys’ dorm. The dormiworked as the housekeeper. Both boys and for breakfast just about every morning,” said tories remained in use until 1949. girls dined together in the Mess Hall. Two ser- Josie Worsham Smoak, who lived in the dorIn between the two 2-storied wooden buildvants prepared their food. mitories for five years. “On rare occasion we ings, was a Mess hall with rooms for eight were served sausage patties.” girls upstairs and for a Matron who also “I remember eating salmon patties and grits
The students were responsible for the upkeep of their own rooms, but the Matron inspected their rooms daily. “We slept with four girls to a room and each had our own cot,” said Smoak. “Our only source of heat was a small coal stove and we had to make the fires ourselves.” According to a history of the school, girls were also required to help in the Mess hall. They were divided into groups and assigned days to help. Their chores consisted of sweeping, setting tables and washing dishes. The boys’ only responsibility was to specialize in athletics. Depending on the season, they played football, basketball, and baseball. As more roads were paved and two additional high schools were built in the county, there was no longer a need for dormitories. They were closed in 1949 and the buildings were used for additional classrooms and activities. The wooden buildings were finally torn down in 1957 to make room for a new wing for an elementary school. A new high school was built several blocks away.
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1910s 1912:1 First school opens on Main St. with Annie Hare McCants as principal 1916: Brick building with two classrooms constructed just east of present day alternative school 1918: Dixie Training School was built at the cost of $6,700 with community help. Men were asked to donate “a dollar or a day.”
1920s
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1920: Dixie Training, a four room wooden structure was opened. It was supported by Julius Rosenwald. First principal was Rev. Harleston 1921:2 Professor Richard Allen Ready became principal. First dormitories built at BHS. R. A. Ready named principal at Dixie 1922: Second dormitory added as boys’ dorm. McCants remains elementary school principal & M.R. Mahaffy named high school principal/superintendent 1922: BHS first graduating class 1924: E.W. Rentz named superintendent/principal. First Graduate from Dixie School
1925: J.R. Miller named high school principal. Auditorium seating 800 built on Main Street Campus 1926: T.R. Collier named BHS principal. 1927: W.M. Bonner named high school principal/superintendent 1929:3 Separate high school building established for BHS
1930s 1930: Dixie Training High School was renamed to Berkeley Training High School 1930: First Basketball teams established and coached by Frank Gadsden @ BTHS 1938: Beta Club established at BHS 1939: J.B. Bradley named principal of BHS 1939: First yearbook, Drama Club, FFA & Glee Club started at BHS
1940s 1940: Forensics Team & JV football established 1941:4 Stag Line newspaper & Baseball team began 1942: First band organized at BHS, 4-H club introduced on campus, Spanish Club began 1945: Football team wins district champi-
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onship. Girls’ Basketball wins District 7 Championship for first time at BHS First newspaper at BTHS. Girls’ Basketball repeats District 7 championship win at BHS. Cheerleaders first appear in annual First alma mater written by Richard A. Ready for BTHS David Casey and Joe Kay are the first boys sent from BHS to Boys’ State. Vera Wyndham and Betty Hutchinson are the first girls sent from BHS to Girls’ State Dormitories closed at BHS. First class required to attend for 12 years to receive a diploma. Student Council started at BHS
1950s 1950: First yearbook at BTHS. Football Team District 7 Champs at BHS. Boys’ Basketball District 7 Champs at BHS 1951: First Queen of Hearts Contest at BHS 1952: Mr. S. S. Wigfall principal of BTHS. State provided school busses for BTHS. First football team at BTHS 1954: Mr. Frank Gadsden principal of BTHS
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1955: BTHS new construction completed. The older building housed R. A. Ready Elementary School. An historical marker stands where the old school stood. Cherry Hill (18761955) school closed. Students were sent to R. A. Ready. Other feeder schools that closed were Cordesville, Oakley and Whitesville. Mr. Joseph H. Jefferson principal of BTHS. Last class to graduate from the old building of BTHS 1956: First class to graduate from the new BTHS building 1957: First marching band at BTHS. Last class to graduate from the old campus of BHS. Boys’ Track team organized at BHS. Mile Relay team broke the state record. 1958: Boys Football Team at BTHS won the AA state championship for District 6
1960s 1960: BHS Football State Champs 1960-61: Foreign language offered for first time at BTHS via ETV. 1963-1964: Girls and Boys basketball teams won Class AA state championship under Coach Watson and
Coach Anderson at BTHS. 1964: Berkeley Junior High building completed & T.E. Johnston named principal 1965: Felder Cook principal of Berkeley Junior High. R. A. Berry principal of BHS 1965: Token integration begins at BHS. Girls Basketball team won the State Championship under Coach Anderson at BTHS. 1966: First African-Americans graduated from BHS. Clark Simpkins named principal of BHS 1967: Bill Bonds named principal of Berkeley Junior High 1969: Last year for Goose Creek students to attend BHS
1970s 1970: Bill Bonds principal of BHS. Berkeley Jr. High renamed to Berkeley Middle with Billy Caddell as principal. Rev. Joseph E. Myers, Jr principal of Berkeley Middle Annex (6th grade). BTHS and BHS consolidate. 1971: ROTC begins. National Honor Society introduced 1973: Frank Modica principal of BHS 1974:6 Girls Tennis team begins. Flag team
added to band 1978: Volleyball started for girls. Cross Country introduced 1979: Charles Hill principal of BHS
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1980s 1981: Football state champs 1982: Part of Berkeley students reassigned to Stratford.
1990s 1993: Ben Hodges principal of BHS 1994: Football State Champs 1996: Football State Champs
2000s 2003: New BHS is open 2006: Historical marker placed at original site of BTHS by Class of ‘53 & ‘56 2007: Kim McLaren principal of BHS 2009: Football state champs 2009: Part of Berkeley students reassigned to Cane Bay
2010s 2011: Historical marker placed at BTHS by alumni association 2012: Steven Steele principal of BHS
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m the 1950s 1. Football programs fro The Berkeley 2. An article printed in ision Democrat of the 1981 Div piam Ch ll 1-AAA State Footba m onship Stags tea team, 3. BHS girls basketball 75 1974-19 ool 4. Berkeley Training Sch 49 48 Basketball Team, 19 -19
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Memories of Berkeley Training High School Come Full Circle
Berkeley Training School, 1920-1955
By Jan Holloway hat started off as a small school turned into a much larger vision that would impact the lives of many children. Soon, many took interest, and became involved in the growth and improvements of what became Berkeley Training High School. The Dixie/Berkeley Training School, the first public school for blacks in Moncks Corner, began in 1889. Its first term was a mere three months long, taught by a woman named Mrs. Foster in a local church. Construction of what would be named Dixie Training School began in 1918, and was completed in 1920. Many residents of Moncks Corner rallied around the project, donating their time and money to support the new school. It caught the attention of those living farther away as well, and people traveled to the area to help in building the new location. The first principal was a Methodist minister, Reverend Harleston. Teachers were Laurline Heyward and Belle Frost. In September of 1920, Professor Richard Allen Ready was elected principal, who served in the position for 32 years. During Ready’s tenure, the Dixie Training School was renamed in the 1930’s to Berkeley Training High School. Ready was succeeded by Switzon S. Wigfall, Sr. in 1952 and then followed by Frank E. Gadsden, Sr. in 1954. Gadsden served as principal for the final year of the school’s operation in that building in 1955. Berkeley Training High School moved to a new building on Hwy. 17A. With the new location came another new principal, Joseph H. Jefferson, Sr. who remained in the position until the school integrated with Berkeley High School in 1970. Joe Sanders, currently the president of the BTHS Alumni Group, attended the school from 1946-1958. Sanders recalls many memo-
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ries of his time at the school, including his time as a school bus driver there. “Most of the bus drivers were students at the school,” said Sanders. “They began driving at the age of 16, and were paid a monthly salary of $35 for driving the route every day.” One of the fondest memories Sanders has is of his mentor, Addie May Wilds Rivers, who was with the school from approximately 19501970. She mentored many students, guiding them as they approached graduation, and into college and career paths. Sanders recalls an article Rivers gave him called, “Is Your English Holding You Back?” He kept that article in his wallet for many years, but eventually lost track of it at some point. As he maintained contact with Rivers, years later during a visit, she asked him if he remembered it. “All of the teachers and mentors at the Berkeley Training School really cared about the students. That’s what made a difference in our lives,” said Mr. Sanders. “People like Mrs. Rivers kept me ‘on track’ so to speak.” Richard Dixon, of Allstate Insurance in Moncks Corner, was a member of the last graduating class from Berkeley Training High School in 1970. Their class motto for that year was “Knowledge conquers all things, for knowledge is power.” Dixon remembers the principal Joseph H. Jefferson, Sr. being particularly influential in his decision to continue his education in college. “He had a way with words,” said Dixon. “He would challenge students by using big words, and when asked what the word meant, he would say ‘Go to the dictionary.’ “Jefferson instilled the dream in us that we could do anything. He encouraged us to go to college, and then come back to the community and make a difference,” Dixon recalls. “Thus, it comes full circle.”
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1. Senior Trip to Washington DC, 1952 2 Senior Trip to Washington DC, 1960 3. Senior Trip to Washington DC, 1961 4. Class of 1944 5. Block B Club, 1953 6 Berkeley Training High School Choir 7 Once Stag, always a Stag. Class of 1952 reunites
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100 YEAR ANNIVERSARY CALENDAR OF EVENTS Wednesday, September 26, 2012: 8 PM there will be a re-broadcast of the first assembly program on Berkeley Cable channel 6 featuring Shawan Gillians (2000) and Benji Motte (1982) Friday, September 28, 2012: Homecoming Game Friday, October 5: BHS Alumni Band Night at BHS v. HHS football game Friday, October 12: Assembly with Dr. Carla West Roberts (1988) and Julia Richardson Wright (1963) (Block 4) Monday, November 12: Assembly with Reverend Willie Hill (1969) Julia Wright and Tanya Trescott Harper (1969) (Block 1) Monday, January 14, 2013: Assembly with Dr. Beth Fleming Barnes (1991) and Tootsie Dennis Kline (1958) (Block 2) Monday, February 4: Assembly with Martha Berry (1977) and Dr. Keiron Kennedy(1997) (Block 4) Monday, March 4: Assembly with Ryan (1991) & Doug Stewart (1988) and Bennett Whitlock(1944) (Block 4) Monday, April 22: Assembly with Markley Dennis (1966) and Dr. Orson Ravenel (1982) (Block 1) Monday, May 6: Assembly with Bruce Ellington (2010) and Usha Gilmore (1996) (Block 2) Saturday, May 11, 3 PM – Final Celebration on the BHS front lawn To watch Assembly programs, visit the District Home Page - > Departments - > Office of Technology- > BCSD Live Video Feeds. Assembly programs will also be rebroadcast on Channel 6 of Berkeley Cable.
Due to limited space, the auditorium will be reserved for students and the featured alumni and their guests. The public is invited to join in our celebration via live broadcast on the internet. For more information about upcoming events, contact Tookie Harrop at 843-899-8814 or email Harropf@bcsdschools.net
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BERKELEY HIGH TURNS 100! The staff and alumni of Berkeley High School recently kicked off their 100-year anniversary celebration with a special program.
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1. Watson Mims, Sally Dreher Rogers, Elaine Rogers Horsand and Joanne King Bryant 2. Patty and Ben Fleming 3. Ethalee Gethers Davis and Brenda Stewart 4. Elliott Bishop West, Former principal R. A. Berry, wife Ellen and Raddy Bates 5. Sharon Fashion, Rebecca Cooper, Yvonne Cooper Carter 6. Thomas Brittle, George Brittle and Pete Grady Johnston