Charleston Collegiate School (formerly Sea Island Academy) is a co-educational, nonsectarian, independent day school in Johns Island, South Carolina, United States near the city of Charleston. It was founded in 1970 under the name Sea Island Academy and in 2002 became Charleston Collegiate School. It is known for its outdoor education center and project based learning curriculum.[1]
| Charleston Collegiate School | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | |
 | |
| Information | |
| Type | Independent, non-sectarian |
| Established | 1970 |
| Head of school | Dr. Michelle Purghart |
| Faculty | 44 |
| Grades | PS-12 |
| Enrollment | 340 |
| Campus | 36 acres |
| Color(s) | Blue and gold |
| Mascot | Sun Devil |
| Accreditations | Southern Association of Independent Schools, SACS Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, NAIS National Association of Independent Schools |
| Website | Official website |
History
editThe school was originally organized in 1970 as a rural segregation academy on a sea island near Charleston, South Carolina[1] with the name Sea Island Academy.[2] When the school first opened, classes were held in a local Episcopal church. In 1971 Sea Island Academy merged with Sea Island Baptist School, founded in 1966 by the First Baptist Church of John's Island.[3]
The school was renamed Charleston Collegiate School in 2002,[4] and presently occupies a 30-acre (120,000 m2) campus, built in 1972.[1]
Curriculum
editCCS integrates environmental awareness across different disciplines in its curriculum. This integration includes programs that use the forest which surrounds the school as well as a school garden run on permaculture principles. There is a 100% graduation rate along with 100% college acceptance rate that includes top colleges such as Princeton University and Cornell. Students are known for becoming community oriented individuals that have received an education focused on entrepreneurship, creativity, leadership, and outdoor education. The curriculum is rigorous and is heavily focused on project based learning.
Athletics
editCharleston Collegiate School participates in the South Carolina Independent School Association athletics program. It offers basketball, cheerleading, cross country running, football, tennis, archery, baseball, soccer, and volleyball.
Student body
editIn 2000, Sea Island Academy started a 90% scholarship program in order to increase minority enrollment.[5] As of 2013 its student body consisted of about 30% minorities.[2] As of 2013, one hundred percent of CCS's graduates were accepted at postsecondary institutions.[2]
Affiliations
editCharleston Collegiate School is accredited by the Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS) and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). It belongs to the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), the South Carolina Independent Schools Association, the Palmetto Association of Independent Schools (PAIS), the National Center for Independent School Renewal (NCISR[6]), the Coalition of Essential Schools (CES), and the Education Records Bureau (ERB).[7]
Notes
edit- ^ a b c "Sea Island Academy Still Growing As It Turns 20 Years Old". The News and Courier. October 25, 1990.
- ^ a b c David Quick (November 5, 2013). "Charleston Collegiate weaves outdoors into curricula". Post and Courier.
And unlike many private schools, Collegiate's student body is diverse, with about 30 percent being minorities. That fact bears noting because the school, which originated as Sea Island Academy, was among a wave of low-cost, rural 'segregation academies' that emerged in the South during the 1970s as a reaction to desegregation.
(subscription required) - ^ Connie Walpole Haynie (2007). John's Island. Arcadia Publishing. p. 108. ISBN 978-0-7385-4346-8.
- ^ Allison Bruce (January 8, 2002). "Sea Island Academy goals bring praise, name change brings tides of opposition". The Post and Courier.
- ^ Allison Bruce (September 18, 2001). "Community Spirit Stressed". The Post and Courier.
- ^ "NCISR". Archived from the original on 2010-10-04. Retrieved 2009-09-02.
- ^ "Charleston Collegiate About". Archived from the original on 2011-12-15.