Orangeburg Preparatory Schools, Inc.

Orangeburg Preparatory Schools, Inc.
Excellentia Educatione Excellence in Education
Location
Upper Campus: 2651 North Road, NW Lower Campus: 168 Prep Drive, NE Orangeburg, South Carolina, Orangeburg County, 29118 United States
Coordinates	33°31′33″N 80°53′20″W / 33.5257796°N 80.8887983°W / 33.5257796; -80.8887983
Information
School type	Independent
Established	December 1984
Opened	August 1986
Oversight	Board of Directors
Head of school	Mrs. Kelley Bryant Mims '84
Grades	PreK to 12
Gender	Coeducational
Campus type	suburban
Athletics conference	South Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association
Mascot	Indians
Accreditation(s)	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, South Carolina Independent Schools Association
Average SAT scores	1599.73;[1]  (2011)
Average ACT scores (2011)	22.32;[2]
Publication	Tradition & Vision
Newspaper	Tribal Talk
Yearbook	'The Indian'
Chairman	Bob Utsey
Vice Chairman	Bob McCurry
Secretary	Maree Williamson
Treasurer	Chip Summers
Website	http://www.orangeburgprep.com

Orangeburg Preparatory Schools, Inc. is an independent, college-preparatory, coeducational day school enrolling students in preschool through twelfth grade. Orangeburg Preparatory Schools, Inc. admits students of any race, color, religion, national and ethnic origin to all rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, financial aid programs and athletic and other school-administered programs. Orangeburg Prep has two campuses: the Lower Campus, housing Preschool to 5th grade; and the Upper Campus, housing grades 6 to 12. OPS also operates a year-round day care center on the Lower Campus. In 2002, Kelley Bryant Mims became the first alumnus to serve as Head of School.

Mission

Orangeburg Preparatory Schools, Inc., seeks to provide a quality education which prepares students to meet the academic demands of college and to lead productive and fulfilling lives in a complex world.

School Beliefs

1. Student learning is the chief priority for our school and the primary focus of decisions impacting our school.
2. Students need to demonstrate their understanding of essential knowledge and skills and apply their learning in meaningful contexts.
3. Curriculum and instruction should provide a variety of learning experiences through diversity in course offerings, in teaching methods, and in evaluation techniques.
4. Students learn best when they are actively engaged in the learning process.
5. Challenging expectations increase individual student performance.
6. A safe and physically comfortable environment promotes student learning.
7. Students’ social maturation is enhanced by stressing the importance of responsibility and respect, and emotional growth is fostered by encouraging self-discipline and self-respect.
8. Students should participate in programs which promote physical fitness, healthy living, and good sportsmanship.
9. Students’ self-esteem is enhanced by positive relationships and mutual respect among teachers, administrators, staff, students, and parents.
10. Students’ social, emotional, and moral education is reinforced through a variety of co-curricular and extra-curricular activities, special assemblies, and daily devotions.
11. Teachers, administrators, staff, students, and parents share the responsibility for advancing our school’s mission.

Admissions

Admission to Orangeburg Preparatory Schools is competitive. OPS seeks students with good character, diverse interests, and a willingness to work in a challenging environment. A prospective student’s admission is based upon previous academic records, recommendations, an interview, and an entrance examination.

Governance and Classification

Orangeburg Preparatory Schools, Inc., is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization as defined by the IRS. It is governed by a voluntary Board of Directors. The current members of the Board of Directors are Bob McCurry (Vice Chairman), Chip Summers (Treasurer), Meree Williamson (Secretary), Russell Blanchard, Gregg Frierson, Jimmy Guthrie, Richard Phillips, Michael Salley, Charles Thompson, Jr., and Leslie Robertson (ATP Representative).

History

In 1964, several local business leaders, led by local chemical manufacturer Dr. T. Elliott Wannamaker, established Wade Hampton Academy in an old house on Glover Street in Orangeburg, South Carolina. Within the next two years, the school relocated to a tract of land along the North Road, just outside the city limits of Orangeburg. Following the explosive growth in the school’s enrollment, Dr. Wannamaker led in the establishment of Orangeburg’s second independent school, Willington Academy (established in 1970), less than a mile from the Wade Hampton campus. Dr. Wannamaker’s son-in-law, Larry Plumb, who had served as Assistant Headmaster of Wade Hampton, became Willington’s Headmaster. During this period, Dr. Wannamaker also helped to establish the South Carolina Independent Schools Association, originally headquartered in Orangeburg, South Carolina, and served as the organization’s first president. Dr. Wannamaker also played a pivotal role in helping to establish independent schools throughout the southeastern United States during the 1960s and 1970s.

The two schools continued to grow throughout the 1970s and 80s and formed an intense rivalry, both academically and athletically. However, changes in the economy and a desire to expand the college-preparatory educational opportunities in the Orangeburg area led the Boards of Directors of both schools to announce that the two academies would merge to form Orangeburg Preparatory Schools, Inc. In a letter to parents and students of both schools, H. Ciremba Amick, Chairman of the Wade Hampton Academy Board of Directors, and Thomas B. Jackson, Jr., Chairman of the Willington Academy Board of Directors wrote:

“

During the past few years, there have been a considerable number of discussions among the parents of Wade Hampton and Willington Academies concerning a merger of the two schools. Many parents and friends of both institutions feel that such a consolidation would bring together the best of both schools. After careful deliberation, the Boards of Directors make the following announcement: Wade Hampton Academy and Willington Academy will by one school beginning with the 1986-87 school year. The new school, to be named Orangeburg Preparatory Schools, Inc., will house four-year Kindergarten through fourth grade on the present Willington campus and grades five through twelve on the present Wade Hampton campus. Joining these two schools will greatly enhance the educational opportunities of both student bodies. Facilities for libraries, laboratories, music, the arts, and athletics would be doubled immediately. A more diversified curriculum and economy of operations are important factors. This will be the premier independent school in the state.

”

Wade Hampton Academy Headmaster Larry K. Watt was named Headmaster of the new school, with Willington Academy’s Head of School Ann O. Glover becoming Associate Headmaster and Director of the lower campus. Students, parents, and teachers formed various transition teams between the time of the merger announcement and the beginning of the next school year, and the students of both Wade Hampton and Willington Academies voted to select the Indian as the new school’s mascot and red and gray as the colors.

In August 1986, OPS opened with an enrollment of more than 1700 students, the largest enrollment ever at a South Carolina independent school, then or since.

Larry Watt left at the end of the first academic year to become Executive Secretary of the South Carolina Independent Schools Association, and in June 1988, Mrs. Glover, who had served as Interim Headmaster, following the abrupt resignation of Mr. Watt’s successor, was named Headmaster on a permanent basis. Mrs. Glover ably guided the school through various struggles and triumphs until her retirement in June 2000. She was responsible for leading the school through its initial accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in 1990, and played an enormous role in easing tensions that existed between parents, students, and teachers as a result of the merger in 1986.

Heads of School

Mr. Larry K. Watt (1986–1987) Mr. Dudley Hoffman (1987–1988) Mrs. Ann O. Glover (1988–2000) Mr. Charles L. Shurlds (2000–2002) Mrs. Kelley Bryant Mims (2002–present)

Athletics

Orangeburg Prep, which is ranked Class AAA by the South Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association, fields 34 athletic teams for girls and boys of the middle and upper school in football, basketball, volleyball, wrestling, cheerleading, tennis, golf, track, baseball, softball, soccer, and cross country.

Facilities are excellent, including two gymnasiums, baseball and softball fields, tennis courts, and one of the finest football stadiums in the state. A full-time Athletic Director oversees all programs with the aid of a qualified coaching staff.

Current Varsity Coaches:

• Baseball- Todd Layton
• Basketball-Boys - Rip Ripley
• Basketball Girls - Jan Stoudenmire
• Bowling - Todd Layton
• Cheerleading - Mary Snow Thornton, Jill Staley
• Clay Shooting - Boo Gray
• Cross Country-Boys - Rip Ripley
• Cross Country - Girls - Rip Ripley
• Football - Adam Holmes
• Golf - Adam Holmes and Marsh Stark
• Soccer-Boys - Allen Huntley
• Soccer-Girls - Aymer Rojas
• Softball - Jan Stoudenmire
• Strength and Conditioning - Adam Holmes, Howie Bayer, and Rip Ripley
• Tennis-Girls - Nancy Nance
• Track-Boys - Jason Cote
• Track-Girls - Jason Cote
• Volleyball- Gordon Kirby
• Wrestling- Howie Bayer

Notable alumni

• Dana Berry - Animator, Astronomer, and Author of Smithsonian Intimate Guide to the Cosmos and Race to Mars
• Melinda Dukes, Ph. D. - Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs and Professor of Psychology, Tusculum College
• Brian M. Gibbons - Judge, South Carolina Family Court for the Sixth Judicial Circuit
• Nikki Haley - 116th (and current) Governor of South Carolina
• Anne Gue Jones - Judge, South Carolina Family Court for the First Judicial Circuit
• Luther C. “Luke” Kissam, IV - President, Albemarle Corporation
• W. Keller Kissam - Sr. Vice President, SCANA Corporation
• Boyce Lawton, Ph. D. - Vice President of Academic Affairs, Wofford College
• Dennis Shedd - Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
• C. Osborne Shuler, III, M. D. - Director of Pediatric Cardiology, University of South Carolina School of Medicine
• Cat Shuler, Ph. D. - Professor of English, East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania
• Jack Shuler, Ph. D. - Author and Professor of English, Denison University
• Bill Spiers - MLB Player for the Milwaukee Brewers, New York Mets, and Houston Astros
• Taylor Sutherland, CEO, Charlie's Soaps, manufacturer of safe, non-toxic, biodegradeable soap, laundry detergent, and all-purpose cleaner

References

1. ^ http://www.thetandd.com/news/local/education/article_f7d0752e-4d28-11e0-b7e6-001cc4c002e0.html OP students score above state, national averages on SAT/ACT
2. ^ http://www.thetandd.com/news/local/education/article_f7d0752e-4d28-11e0-b7e6-001cc4c002e0.html OP students score above state, national averages on SAT/ACT

Sources

• http://www.orangeburgprep.com/index.htm