SANTEE – Lake Marion Middle School is off cially open for the school year. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on Thursday morning to kick off the opening. "It's a new day for the children of Orangeburg County School District," school board Chairman Ruby Edwards said.
"It's another great day in Orangeburg County and any time we're doing what's good for children, it's a great day. At the Orangeburg County School District, we always do what's best for our children," she said. LMMS Principal Dr.
Felisha Williams said, "Today marks a significant milestone in our community to inaugurate a place where young minds will be nurtured, inspired and prepared for a bright future." "This facility stands as a testament to our commitment to education and to the success of our students," she said. Williams expressed appreciation to everyone who contributed, "to make this dream a reality.
" LMMS is located on the campus of Lake Marion High School, at 3656 Tee Vee Road, just outside of Santee. It serves about 500 students from Holly Hill-Roberts Middle and Elloree Middle schools. Both Holly Hill-Roberts and Elloree Middle are closed.
The newly constructed, 20,500-square-foot wing was added next to the pre existing 24,500-square-foot school building for a total space of 45,000 square feet. The A-wing of the high school is also being used for LMMS. The small gym at LMHS will be used by LMMS.
LMMS's administrative offices are located in the newly opened building. The expansion, made possible through a voter-approved, $190 million bond referendum, was estimated to cost $7.6 million.
That includes $405,268 in contingency costs. Over half of the contingency costs will be returned to the school district, according to Kyle Farley, vice president of Contract Construction. The company was hired as the general contractor for the project.
Approximately $225,000 will be returned to the school district. "Time flies, doesn't it?" Farley said. "Twelve months ago, we were right over there and we had a ground breaking (ceremony) and now we're ready for students and staff to move in and start learning in 11 days," he said.
"This is the most well-managed project I can remember in a long time," Farley said. Principal Architect Allen Taylor, of LS3P, said to school district leaders, "We're proud to play a part in advancing your vision to create an environment of equity and excellence for every student, every classroom, every day." Rep.
Gilda Cobb-Hunter, D-Orangeburg, said, "This is so beautiful, such a welcome addition to eastern Orangeburg County, Lake Marion High School." She challenged the people at the ceremony to be "involved and engaged in the schools." "We need you to care about the kids who are here, to take time to mentor them," she said.
"We need high expectations. Children live up or down to your expectations. Here, at Lake Marion Middle School, we know the quality that exists here and we want and expect only the best.
" Santee Mayor Donnie Hilliard presented a framed resolution on behalf of Santee Town Council to Williams. The resolution names July 25, 2024 as "Lake Marion Middle School Day" in the town of Santee. "Praise God from whom all blessings flow," OCSD board member Betty Pelzer said.
"And look at us. We are flowing, y'all." "Everything we do is for the kids.
We're thinking about the children and how we can move our children forward and thinking about how we can make our community better and thinking about how our kids will be able to support themselves once they are no longer children," she said. "We're also trying to motivate our kids and educate our kids in such a way that they'll be willing to come back to these little rural communities and pour back into these rural communities," Pelzer added. OCSD Superintendent Dr.
Shawn D. Foster said, "It's been a long journey, but a journey well worth taking." "The best outcomes come whenever we all come together and we experience the highs and the lows of a process.
That's the beauty of it all. At the end of the day, even when we're at our highs and at our lows, we can come to the finish line together," he said. "This is not a Dr.
Foster project. I'm one person. But with a critical mass of people, dreams can be developed, dreams can be accomplished," Foster said.
Foster thanked former longtime Orangeburg County School District 3 superintendent Dr. David Longshore, who was in the audience, for his vision for the schools in the eastern end of Orangeburg County. Contact the writer: mbrown@ timesanddemocrat.
com or 803533-5545. Follow on twitter: @ MrBrowntandd. Get local news delivered to your inbox!.
