The new classroom, cafeteria, media center and administration wings at Aiken High School passed final inspection Monday afternoon.
Dr. Shawn Foster, the chief officer of Operations and Student Services for Aiken County Public Schools, announced the approval by the state Office of School Facilities and the Fire Marshal on Tuesday night at the regular meeting of the Aiken County School Board.
“We're now working with the school to transition things, transition teachers, following the final technology infrastructure upgrades,” he said.
Foster said he has not set a date for the dedication and tour of the new facility but hopes to schedule a ceremony before the Christmas break in December.
Students already have moved into the new building at North Augusta High, and the district will hold a dedication ceremony and tours of the facility from 4 to 6 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 19, at the school at 2000 Knobcone Ave.
The wing includes the school's new entrance front office area, a ninth-grade academy wing, a new cafeteria, new media center and new administrative offices.
Demolition of the old wings and the removal of mobile units at North Augusta High already have begun, while demolition of the old wings at Aiken High could begin during the Christmas break, Foster said.
The North Aiken Annex and all wings, except F Wing and part of D Wing, will be demolished at Aiken High, Foster said.
“At both facilities, we already have a plan in place so we can move right into the next phase of construction,” he said. “We've already started that transition process at North Augusta High School. We're excited, and we're moving forward.”
New construction at both Aiken and North Augusta high schools received funding from the 1 percent sales tax referendum that Aiken County voters approved in November 2014.
Superintendent Dr. Sean Alford said the district is committed to all of the projects funded by the initiative: Leavelle McCampbell Middle School, which opened in August; new wings at Aiken and North Augusta high schools; a new Ridge Spring-Monetta High School, for which the district soon will break ground; a new Ridge Spring-Monetta Elementary School; and renovations at the Aiken County Career Center, if funds are available.
“We're celebrating those buildings at Aiken and North Augusta high schools, but I need to reaffirm to the community that we are committed to completing all those projects and that they are moving along at the appropriate time,” Alford said. “We certainly look forward to celebrating there as well.”
Before the meeting, Dr. Gary Senn, the director of the Ruth Patrick Science Education Center at USC Aiken, announced the winners of the two awards the center sponsors.
Kishni Neville, a sixth-grade science teacher at Jackson STEM Middle School, received the Spirit of Ruth Patrick Award. Patrick, for whom the center is named, pioneered the study of the health of freshwater streams and rivers and developed the scientific groundwork for modern pollution control efforts. She died in 2013 at age 105.
Jeanie Glover, the director of Federal Programs for Aiken County Public Schools, received the Robert E. Alexander Administrator of the Year Award. Alexander is a retired chancellor at USCA.
Photo by Larry Wood, The Aiken Standard
November 15, 2017