The Savvy Mag August 2024 by VIP Magazine

Changing the Education Landscape

The start of a new school year always brings change. In Florence 1 Schools, the 2024-2025 school year also brought the opening of two new schools. North Vista Elementary School opened its new building with a ribbon cutting and Open House in July, while Compass Academy, a brand-new program in the district serving elementary through high school students, officially opened its doors on the first day of school.

to participate in the school setting while still receiving therapeutic services.

“Compass Academy will serve as a beacon of hope for students who have severe mental health conditions,” said Krystle Graham, Director of Clinical Services. “In my twenty plus years of experience in mental health services, there has never been a therapeutic school run by a school district.”

Over the last five years, Florence 1 has opened four new facilities: North Vista, Southside, Compass Academy and West Florence’s ninth-grade wing. In their new location, North Vista staff and students have moved just next door to their existing building, making way for Williams Middle School students and staff to move into the renovated building at 1100 North Irby Street, complete with a brand new gymnasium.

Now that this project has been finished there are no Florence 1 students in mobile units.

“I am excited about the opportunities made available to our students in the new North Vista Elementary,” said Principal Sharon Dixon. “In this facility, our staff will be able to take reading and mathematics initiatives to a higher level using our new and innovative collaborative learning spaces. We look forward to serving a K-5 configuration in this state-of-the-art facility, where we will continue to have high expectations for the learners at our school where we "Grow Great Minds."

Florence 1 has led the way in providing mental health services in schools in a way that is not being done statewide. That innovation continues with the opening of Compass Academy, a unique program for students with significant mental health challenges, allowing them

Compass Academy teacher Patricia Nunnally said that the school day will alternate between traditional classes like math and reading and therapeutic resources such as counseling and activities like art, music and equine therapy.

“Our students will start their day with a counselor where they can do a check-in,” Nunnally said. “After the check-in, they are released to class in a good place, ready to learn with a positive mindset. They will have small group instruction with the individualized attention they need to get caught up or stay on track. After that is another therapeutic activity. Students are not just seeing a counselor once a day, it is woven in so that the skills they are being taught are reinforced throughout the day.”

Principal Sharon Dixon pictured with students

“The ‘New Directions’ motto we chose for Compass Academy describes a new direction for our district, as far as addressing mental health,” said Brian Denny, Assistant Superintendent for Exceptional Children. “But more importantly it signifies a new direction for the students who will be in this program. ”

While North Vista and Compass Academy prepared over the summer to welcome students, many different types of renovations took place in schools across the district. From painted classrooms and hallways, repaved parking lots and carlines, new furniture, remodeled kitchens, and new AC units and ceiling tiles, every single school had renovations taking place. One hundred and twenty-three projects will have been completed in just nine weeks.

A large-scale renovation project also began at the historic Poynor Building, future home of Florence 1’s School of Innovation in Healthcare (SIH). The school will be run by Florence 1 Schools and its partner entities: McLeod Health, MUSC Florence and HopeHealth with a focus on healthcare and providing targeted learning for students who have an interest in working in the medical field. The renovation of Poynor, which opened in 1908, will take place thanks to a $10 million dollar grant from Representative Phillip Lowe and the Florence County Legislative Delegation.

Once renovation is complete, there will be 18 instructional areas, 2 conference areas, and an auditorium that can accommodate up to 400 people. Interior renovations will update building systems such as electrical, plumbing, HVAC, fire protection and technology. A new building layout will incorporate existing classrooms as well as create a medical instruction room, conference areas, restrooms and administrative offices.

The curriculum will be driven by the medical partners, who will help identify and address the most vital needs within the healthcare industry through the instruction.

The areas of study will include entry-level positions that require a high school diploma such as clinical, lab, clerical, support staff and medical billing as well as clinical positions that require a certification or post-high school diploma such as registered nurse, respiratory therapist, pharmacist, and certified surgical technician. Students will be prepared to start in several healthcare jobs immediately after high school while also expediting required post-secondary training for positions and pathways that require certification or a college degree.

Students in the School of Innovation program will pursue project-based learning and will be afforded a schedule that will allow them to work around community and hospital resources outside of regular school hours. The renovation is expected to be completed in December 2025, with students beginning their studies in January 2026.

Florence 1 Schools Superintendent Richard O’Malley said that the progress the district has made in the last several years is unmatched.

“In the last two years, we have had two schools, Moore Middle School and Delmae Elementary School, receive the Palmetto’s Finest Award while a third, Carver Elementary School, was named a finalist, O’Malley said. “Florence 1 students are excelling in academics, athletics and the Arts. Our facilities are nearly unrecognizable with all the renovations we have invested in. The new School of Innovation in Healthcare and Compass Academy will transform medical and mental health education in our community. To say that I am proud of Florence 1 and the momentum that we have made would be an understatement. We are providing opportunities, for both our staff and students, that have never existed before. We are changing the education landscape.”