Florence 1 Schools: A New Chapter in District History

WF New Stadium

A New Chapter In District History

story by Melissa Rollins / photos by Steve Camlin

Florence 1 Schools has changed tremendously over the last three years. From rebranding, school renovations and new academic programs to the multi-million-dollar investment in the Arts, Florence 1 has seen improvements all over the district. In more recent months, there has been a lot of dirt. First was the construction of an addition at McLaurin Elementary School. Then came the new gym for Greenwood Elementary School, a facility fifty years in the making. Renovations started at the McClenaghan building and work began for the new Southside Middle School building. In September 2020, ground was broken on three 5,000 seat stadiums at South Florence, West Florence and Wilson High Schools giving student-athletes a true home stadium for the first time in their history. West Florence opened their new stadium to the public for the first time on March 25th, hosting a girls’ soccer match against Myrtle Beach. West Florence soccer player Natalie McCabe said that her team was proud to be the first to officially use the stadium. “I am thankful and appreciative of the time and money the district has put into our athletics,” McCabe said. “As a student-athlete it feels good to have a home field that makes us feel more bonded as a team; it makes us feel important and like people care about our sport. As the first team to ever play on that field, its surreal. I know that once I graduate and am looking back at high school that that will be one of the moments I come back to and will never forget.” The progress in the district has not gone unnoticed, specifically when it comes to improvements in athletics: on March 14th, Florence 1 Superintendent Dr. Richard O’Malley was named the South Carolina Athletic Administrators Association Superintendent of the Year. The award nomination came from Florence 1’s three high school athletic directors. Greg Johnson, athletic director for West Florence High School, highlighted the on-site stadiums in his nomination letter.

“(Dr. O’Malley’s) belief in and perseverance of equity across the district of F1S is so strong that when the referendum was defeated, he sought feedback and then did what he seems to always do -- he got creative. He talked to real taxpayers, he crunched numbers, and made plans…The sight of bulldozers and dirt and pipe might look like a mess to some people, but for those of us “in the know,” the mess looks like beautiful, promising

Dr. O'Malley “I have worked very hard to provide the leadership to move F1S forward, while providing equity across the district,” O’Malley said. “This includes facilities, equipment, uniforms and athletic opportunities that have not been afforded in the past. I am thrilled that F1S is being recognized across South Carolina and, more importantly, that our student-athletes have the athletic opportunities they deserve.”

progress. The high school stadium sites look like what thousands of people before him wanted, but weren’t willing or able to fight for and produce.” O’Malley said he greatly appreciates the recognition, specifically because the award recognizes that the changes being made around the district are having a direct, positive impact on students. “I have worked very hard to provide the leadership to move F1S forward, while providing equity across the district,” O’Malley said. “This includes facilities, equipment, uniforms and athletic opportunities that have not been afforded in the past. I am thrilled that F1S is being recognized across South Carolina and, more importantly, that our student-athletes have the athletic opportunities they deserve.” All three high schools have new logos and the pride in the home field is palpable. Through a partnership with Nike and BSN Sports, uniforms have been replaced across the district bearing the new school logos. Weight rooms in each of the high schools have also been reimagined and redesigned to feature school colors and logos. Shawn Armstrong, Strength and Conditioning Coach at South Florence, said that the remodeled weight rooms are a huge asset to Florence 1 student-athletes.

“Dr. O’Malley is a huge supporter of athletics for all of Florence 1. This is my first year here at South Florence. I’ve had the opportunity to basically design this weight room from scratch,” Armstrong said. “To know that he was backing us the entire way put our minds at ease because we knew he wanted to get this done and he wanted to have a top-of-the-line facility and that’s definitely what it is. We are so fortunate to have it and so thankful to Dr. O’Malley to allow us to have this nice facility. I talk to Coach Slaughter and Coach Marlowe all the time about changing the culture and the kids are really starting to buy in. The kids are super excited and we just can’t wait for big things to happen.” Along with the completely new Greenwood gym facility, improvements have been made to gyms across Florence 1, including new flooring and paint. At the high schools, new bleachers were also installed and the branding was updated throughout the gym with new logos on the floors and walls. Williams Middle School will also see an updated gym by the Summer of 2021. High school tennis facilities got a facelift with resurfaced courts, new nets and a much-needed paint job, incorporating Wilson Purple, Bruin Blue and Knight Green into their respective courts. Lights have been installed at West Florence and a tennis center at South Florence will be completed Summer 2021. Williams Middle School Athletic Director Shasha Tamplin said that middle school athletics have blossomed over the last three years with the support of Dr. O’Malley. “I feel like I have a voice now for my students, for my coaches, and someone is listening and paying attention,” Tamplin said. “That makes me give it my all and I relay that to my coaches. Every time I look, there is something new going on with our programs. If he knows that there is a need, he is right there and I love it.” Wilson Weight Room

WF Track

When Florence 1 hosted a district basketball championship earlier this school year, O’Malley was there cheering on the students. “To see Dr. O’Malley at the game, standing on the floor and actively engaged, I can’t put in to words how that made my kids feel,” Tamplin said. “They felt like they were really playing for a championship and the commissioner was there. I really appreciated it and I know that my athletes did too.” Tamplin said that having new uniforms has also put a spark in the athletes. “The contract with BSN has been phenomenal because when you look good, you play good; it builds confidence in our students,” Tamplin said. “Dr. O’Malley said that if there were any students who had trouble getting what they needed to let him know and he’d take care of it. He asked us what equipment do you need, what uniforms do you need, send us an email and we’ll take care of it. Every time, he has done exactly what he said he would. I always say, if I can’t do something I know someone in the district office who can. When my athletes put that tiger on, they know that there are some adults who have their back.”

Traditional Florence 1 sports are not the only ones receiving a transformation. In less than eight months, a meeting room in the Poynor Adult Education building was completely renovated into a state-ofthe-art eSports facility; the district officially launched the brand-new eSports program in October 2020.

"...he [Dr. O'Malley] has done exactly what he said he would."

SF Soccer

Williams & Moore Basketball

eSports

The facility contains 12 HP OMEN computers, HyperX Accessories, 144HZ Monitors for the athletes. The district also broadcasts the eSports match using top-of-the-line audio and video equipment as well as two dedicated PCs to ensure quality live video and commentary for spectators in the facility and anyone watching from home. To help eSports athletes maximize their skills, there is a dedicated film review room with a 65" Smart Touch Panel and dedicated film review computer built to watch game footage from any angle and annotate strategies for the entire team.

In March 2021, Wilson High School senior Tanis Caltrider became the first F1S eSports athlete to sign a college scholarship letter of intent. Tanis Caltrider will play with Converse College this fall while studying Biology. Additional sports programming is also on the horizon: Florence 1 will be adding competitive cheer and wrestling to their athletic rosters next school year. The swimming pool in the McClenaghan building will also be renovated for use by the district swim team, which currently uses facilities at Francis Marion University. In 2019, Florence 1 Schools adopted a three-year strategic plan, called Florence 1 in 2021, designed to transform the district into a competitive education leader. O’Malley said that he knew it was a lofty goal but he was committed to it because all Florence 1 students deserve a high-quality education. Looking at the school district now, in 2021, O’Malley said that he truly sees that transformation taking place and it is not just a physical change. WF Track Wilson Tennis

319 S Irby St, Florence www.f1s.org 843-669-4141

“We have had a lot of moving parts the last three years,” O’Malley said. “We’ve renovated bathrooms in every one of our schools, painted a lot of corridors, and put in new windows. Our technology got a complete overhaul. We started new programs like eSports and replaced outdated sports equipment. What is most rewarding for me, though, is to see the pride that we are restoring in our district and our community. I really feel like this is a new chapter for Florence 1.”