West Florence High School

West Florence High School is a public secondary school serving grades 9 through 12 in Florence, South Carolina, United States. The school is located on the city's west side, near the intersection of Interstates 20 and 95. West Florence has an approximate enrollment of 1700 students and is one of three high schools under the jurisdiction of Florence Public School District 1. It is the largest high school in the Pee Dee region.

West Florence High School
Address
221 N. Beltline Drive

Florence, South Carolina

United States
Information
TypePublic secondary
Established1970
School districtFlorence Public School District 1
Staff103.00 (FTE)[1]
Grades9-12
Enrollment1,720 (2018–19)[1]
Student to teacher ratio16.70[1]
Color(s)Green and gold    
Athletics conferenceSCHSL Region 6, 5A
MascotKnight
Websitehttps://www.fsd1.org/westflorence

History

Opened in the summer of 1970, West Florence was not built to replace McClenaghan High School, but to add an additional high school in the western part of town. McClenaghan was still operational as a high school until the last class of 1975 graduated. West Florence followed the open classroom concept that was popular during the late 1960s and early 1970s. In the school's early days, classrooms within each pod had no walls, allowing students to participate in any of several classes occurring at one time. This failed, and walls were added later.

In 2020, Governor Henry McMaster delivered the commencement address at the school's graduation ceremony amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Following his address, he sang Mull of Kintyre while playing his guitar.[2]

Notable alumni

Athletics

West Florence competes in South Carolina High School League's Class AAAAA Region 6 along with five other high schools. The school's mascot is the Knight. West Florence offers a variety of sports for boys and girls. West Florence main athletic rivals are South Florence, Hartsville, Sumter, and Wilson.

Championships

State championships
  • Baseball - 1995
  • Boys' basketball - 1986
  • Girls' basketball - 1976
  • Boys' tennis - 1985, 1986, 2007, 2008

Lower state championships
  • Baseball - 1995, 1997
  • Girls' basketball - 1976
  • Boys' basketball - 1986
  • Football - 2003
  • Softball - 2003
  • Girls' soccer - 2003, 2004
  • Boys' tennis - 1985, 1986, 1988, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2017

Region championships
  • Baseball - 1988, 1989, 1995, 1999, 2002, 2005, 2006
  • Boys' basketball - 1976, 1977, 1984, 1985, 1992, 1996
  • Girls' basketball - 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1984, 2001, 2014
  • Boys' cross country - 1985, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000
  • Girls' cross country - 1985, 1986, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000
  • Football - 1973, 2003, 2011, 2012, 2018
  • Golf - 1971, 1973, 1974, 1981, 1989, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2003
  • Boys' soccer - 1985, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1992, 1994, 2001, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2010
  • Girls' soccer - 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005
  • Softball - 1980, 1981, 1984, 1988, 1989, 2002, 2003, 2004
  • Boys' tennis - 1975, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1992, 1993, 1995, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016
  • Girls' tennis - 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 2000, 2003, 2004
  • Boys' track - 1976, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004
  • Girls' track - 1985, 1994, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004

Band

On March 3, 2010, Lord Mayor of Westminster Duncan Sandys presented a formal invitation to West Florence High School Director of Bands Steve Rummage, requesting that the West Florence Marching Knights participate and perform in the city of London's 2012 New Year's Day Parade. This parade was designated as the first official event of the 2012 Olympics, hosted in London.[3] Because of this honor, the South Carolina State Legislature introduced and adopted Senate Resolution 712, to honor and congratulate the West Florence Knights Marching Band.[4]

References
  1. "West Florence High". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
  2. "Gov. Henry McMaster plays guitar, sings at high school graduation". WLTX. 1 June 2020. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  3. Purvis, Carlton (March 2011). "West Florence High band gets official invite to London".
  4. Leatherman, Hugh (March 2011). "2011-2012 Bill 712: West Florence High School Knights Band".

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