And while they were able to offer some input into what they’d like to see, three options were laid before them after lengthy presentations were given by District Superintendent Nancy McGinley and Jerome McKibben, Ph.D. who offered demographics and enrollment projections.

It would be a shame if this was nothing more than a feel good process so that the public felt like they were involved in some way, shape or form. If public comments are not taken into serious consideration, the entire process was all for nothing and those that get a real say so should just skip all this and make a decision for us.

The public doesn’t want to be guided towards what school district officials think is the best choice in one breath, and asked their opinions in the  next.

All three options seem plausible. But how will one finally get chosen and how beneficial will it be to Eat Cooper?

Choice A is to construct an additional school right next to New Wando High on property adjacent to the new Wando High. However, there wasn’t any property for a bus lot there a short while ago. This school would have a technical training emphasis on careers and technical education with a relationship to perhaps Trident. It would service upper classmen with a focus on bio-medical technology. The old Wando High School building might be more suitable for such a venture and possibly a cure to the argument that a second high school at this site would be divisive to the town.

Option B is to construct a building on that same property adjacent to New Wando called the Grade 9 Center which would serve ninth graders. The bulk of the ninth graders course would be in this building. This kind of expansion seems more like the creation of a mini college campus.

Choice C is to construct a new facility at the Old Wando site to service 1200 9th-12th graders - in other words, a small high school on the other side of town. Within this facility, the cafeteria and the media center would be over sized to accommodate any ‘surprise’ growth unanticipated at this time, growing the campus capacity to 1500 9th-12th graders.

This could be potentially dangerous if one is worried about splitting a town. One school, namely Wando might be able to offer more because of the facilities in place. If students are required to go to the smaller school because of geographic lines they may not have the same opportunities found at the larger school.

If a second high school is to be built in Mount Pleasant, the second high school should have a specific focus and cater to the needs not currently being met at Wando.

At the first high school planning meeting, the resounding thoughts were that we needed a technical school of some degree.

At the rate in which private schools are planning and developing various high school options for kids east of the Cooper, it is obvious that parents want a small school option for their kids. The private sector has traditionally been where parents can find that smaller more intimate setting.

The district truly has the opportunity to shine here if they can provide students with a specialized high school opportunity in a second facility.

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