SC Soccer Forums SCSoccer.com Forums Girls Varsity Soccer Splitting Fort Mill

In 2007 the Fort Mill School District will open a second high school, Nation Ford. Last week the district unveiled three options for determining the boundaries for who goes where. Right now it looks like freshmen, sophomores and juniors living in the new Nation Ford boundaries will be forced to attend in the Fall of 2007, with seniors having the option to remain at Fort Mill. I assume, with three full classes enrolled (FR, SO, JR), the district may decide to have Nation Ford field varsity teams right from the start.

Question????

How was this handled in other districts? I know Dutch Fork, West Ashley, Ridge View and Spring Valley are relatively new schools that field competitive teams.

Were all kids forced to attend the new high school right off the bat?

Did some schools start with JV programs?

Did some schools start with just frosh and sophs?

Hurst --

West Ashley's situation was the opposite of this. St. Andrews HS and Middleton HS (3A schools) were merged to form WAHS about 6 or 7 years ago. While the new HS was under construction the old campuses were used, split 9-10 and 11-12 but everyone still played under the banner of West Ashley.

lpaf

I was in the North Charleston/Folly Beach area when you posted this.. ..small world.

don't dilude yourself that the district is worried about the athletics.

they'll just decide based on the most politically safe course.

LED --

It's actually just a small state. How are things at SC's A and M?

lpaf

Here's a Letter To The Editor from a Fort Mill football parent concerning the same subject. Apparently the FMHS 9th grade team is having some success this season, resulting in this parent warning the rest of the state that The Big 16 Trophy will be residing in Fort Mill in three years (I'm sure Rock Hill, Northwestern and Gaffney are shaking in their boots!)

;>)

Don't send team members to different high schools
To the Contrary
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By Ann Oliver Special to The Herald
This letter is to address the recent decision by the Fort Mill school board to split the class of 2009 between Nations Ford High School and Fort Mill High School at the scheduled opening of Nations Ford in the fall of 2007.
This decision has many, many parents of the students in the current freshman class extremely upset. As recently as last year, we were told in School Improvement Council and LAC committee meetings with the past superintendent that only freshman and sophomores would be required to split. While we realize this was not "set in stone," we continued with life assuming our children would be the last intact graduating class of Fort Mill High School. The district would then graduate classes from both schools in 2010. I clearly remember at my son's eighth-grade graduation from FMMS the class receiving recognition from the staff as the last intact class of FMHS. Parents from GHMS remember hearing the same thing. Thank you, TEC Dowling.

Yet, here we are with a new decision based on a recommendation from a new superintendent with absolutely no consultation with the students or parents affected. This was not what we "signed up" for. In discussion of this decision, Dr. Callicut explained he was basing his recommendation on what he saw work in Irmo when Dutch Fork split under similar circumstances and supposedly only giving the incoming senior class a choice worked very well.

The other reason cited was the inability to explain why the district had a $40 million school sitting half empty while Fort Mill High still had children in portable classrooms. This is an unknown until you get some numbers on how many would opt to stay at FMHS or opt to move to NFHS. Acquiring these numbers would require a survey of the entire junior and senior class affected.

Setting priorities

I am the mother of a freshman football player. I am pretty sure if you asked any of our football players if it were more important to keep this team together or be in a real classroom, I think we all know what answer we would get. They will have already been in mobiles for two years by then, so what is another year or two? The freshman football team has the potential to be a powerhouse in our conference. For the first time since moving to 4A, Fort Mill High may have the opportunity to have a state champion caliber team in 2008 and 2009. The sheer number of the class of 2009 provides the opportunity.

This is an unusual happening for Fort Mill. The excitement of this particular team was the number of players garnered from the large number of students enrolled. While overcrowding in the schools is definitely the nightmare the superintendent and board have presented, this worked to the freshman football team's advantage.

A potential powerhouse

While I had the understanding the incoming juniors and seniors of 2007 would stay at FMHS, I couldn't help but think how lucky our freshman class was to have the opportunity to be such a powerhouse football team in the tradition of Dorman of Spartanburg. This was Fort Mill's chance to experience that for one or two years in athletics. A limited chance that our freshman boys would be part of when they hit varsity. How lucky were we?

We could possibly doom a group of great football players to possible mediocrity at both schools. Their junior and senior years should not be spent building or rebuilding programs. If they change schools their junior year, they have only one year to build, and that just isn't enough. If the then-junior class is given a choice, you will have some children take it. Let them. However, those boys who have played together for two hard years and want to see it through to the end should be given the opportunity to do so.

I realize this is only high school football. However, ask any man in his 30s or 40s who played football in high school, and he will tell you it was the best years of his life. They remember every player, every play, and their coaches were the biggest influence on them ever. A winning football season sticks with a man forever.

If this letter strikes a chord with you and your FMHS student from the class of 2008 and 2009, I urge you to contact a school board member or make an appointment with the superintendent and voice your concerns. The class of 2009 deserves a choice!

Ann Oliver is scheduling a time slot to speak at the school board work session on Monday, Oct. 17. The board will vote on the school division lines on Nov. 14.

Hurst, come on man. We all know that Fort Mill is a soccer town and belongs to the Koalas and to FM girls and boys soccer programs - the best ever.

You know, it is sad when parents like this base most of the high school expectations on a sport rather than on learning. Sports are a priveledge, not a mandatory part of the school experience. I would much prefer being in a good classroom with excellent teachers. I attended Irmo in the years before the split between Irmo and DF, and it was way overcrowded. When you have 700 to 750+ in a class, it is like being at a college. The school board is doing the right thing with only giving the seniors a choice. Really....I would much rather my child get a good education rather than worring about a "possible" state championship. Where is the state championship going to get you compared to a good classroom education?

Where is the state championship going to get you compared to a good classroom education???

How about a scholarship to help pay for the good education.