Student leaders get their groove on
Student leaders get their groove on
Georgetown County schools may be closed this week for fall break, but not all of them have been empty. Hundreds of students from the eastern half of the state gathered at Waccamaw High for the S.C. Association of Student Councils District II rally. The entire event was planned and organized by students, led by seniors […]
Warriors surf club riding a wave of tradition
A group of Waccamaw High School athletes competed against Socastee, Myrtle Beach and North Myrtle Beach on Saturday. But it wasn’t on the football field, the baseball diamond or the basketball court. It was in the Atlantic Ocean. The school’s surf club competed for the second time since it started in May. “I just love […]
‘Shine Tyrese’s light,’ students told after senior’s drowning
Tyrese Haynes had what Chris Overbeek called an “infectious smile.” “Good kid, good student. He was loved by his peers,” said Overbeek, the coach of the Waccamaw High School boys basketball team. “Those are the qualities that matter.” Haynes, 17, who would have started his senior year at the school in a few weeks, drowned […]
Seniors take a last walk – before their last walk
Kristi Patterson waited to see her daughter walk down the hallway of Waccamaw Elementary School through misty eyes. Waccamaw High School senior Claire Patterson, 18, was just about to start the second grade when the family moved to Pawleys Island in 2013. As Patterson teaches her current second-graders, it reminds her of how far her […]
Former Army pilot ready to take controls at WHS
When Hunter Eddy began his teaching career a decade ago he got some advice from Celeste Pringle, who was the Georgetonw County School District’s deputy superintendent at the time. Pringle told him “as long as you do right by the students, you’ll be a success. Always put them first.” Eddy, who has been an assistant […]
WHS assistant picked to take over as principal
The school board hired a member of the Waccamaw High School family as its next leader this week. Hunter Eddy, who has been an assistant principal at the school since 2018, will take over as principal on July 1, the first day of the 2024-25 school year. “I’m very excited,” Eddy said. “It’s not about […]
Principal makes budget pitch for JROTC
The first time David Hammel was principal of Waccamaw High School, one of his goals was to start a Junior ROTC program. Unfortunately the country was in the middle of an economic downtown and there was no money in the district’s budget. Now that Hammel is principal again, he has resurrected the idea. “Adding this […]
Parents propose long list of traits new principal will need
As the Georgetown County School District prepares to winnow the candidates to be the next Waccamaw High School principal, the superintendent asked parents and the community what they want in the new leader. “I want to give folks a voice in this process. To find out the key characteristics of what they’re looking for in […]
Options for Junior ROTC hinge on budget
Residents in the communities outside of Pawleys Island sometimes complain that Waccamaw Neck schools get everything. However, the only high school in the county that doesn’t have a Junior ROTC program is Waccamaw. Principal David Hammel is working to correct that and he is taking his request to the Georgetown County School Board. “We’re definitely […]
Golf team wins state title by 26 strokes
Waccamaw High School’s girls golf team dominated the competition on Tuesday en route to a Class 3A state title. The Warriors shot a two-day total of 661, 26 strokes better than Daniel High, the runners-up. Anna Brown, a senior, had been dreaming of winning a state title since she joined the team as a seventh-grader. […]
Ex-principal disputes emails with coach who unlocked door
The week before Adam George was placed on leave as principal of Waccamaw High during the school district’s investigation of a “senior prank” he received an exemplary evaluation. The week after, he denied having specific knowledge that a prank was planned for the night of May 21 and cast doubt on a message attached to […]
Former principal returns for a year as interim
David Hammel never expected to be a principal again. The former Waccamaw High School principal was quite happy being back in a classroom teaching science at Georgetown High School. District officials approached Hammel after Adam George was removed as Waccamaw High’s principal last week after an investigation into a “school prank” in May, during which […]
Security video shows adult gave seniors access for ‘prank’
At 8:30 on a Sunday evening in May, two students met an adult in a parking lot behind Waccamaw High School. They walked to a door that leads to the gym. Minutes later, the students were in the atrium. They opened the front door, but one had second thoughts. That student ran back into the […]
WHS principal ousted after further review of ‘senior prank’
An outpouring of community support for Adam George followed the Georgetown County School District’s announcement this week that he had been removed as principal of Waccamaw High School following further investigation of a “senior prank” in May. George will be reassigned to a position for which he is “certified and qualified,” Lindsay Anne Thompson, attorney […]
Records show alarm inactive over weekend students entered school
On a Sunday evening in May, tents popped up in the senior parking lot at Waccamaw High. What happened over the course of the night fueled rumors that persisted through the graduation ceremony two weeks later and led to an investigation by the Georgetown County School District. It also fueled claims by the local chapter […]
Launch of boys volleyball draws former principal back to courts
Former Waccamaw High School principal David Hammel returned to teaching last August. Now he’s returning to something that he loves just as much: coaching. Hammel was named the school’s first boys volleyball coach this week. “Coaching has sort of been in my blood. I’ve coached basketball. I’ve coached track,” Hammel said. “I like to have […]
New class ready to join Athletics Hall of Fame
The second class of the Waccamaw High School Athletics Hall of Fame is chock full of state champions. The athletes who will be inducted at a ceremony Friday are are: Addie Avant, Ashley Czechner, Willie Grady, Billy Kenny, Michael Moran, Andy Peace and Taylor Player. They will be joined by coach Frank Cegledy. This year’s […]
Mom pleads for place for nonbinary students
A frustrated Waccamaw High mother told the Georgetown County School Board last week that her child was one of a handful nonbinary or transgender students who were left out of the school yearbook because photos require uniformity. “If you identify as neither male or female, do you really have to skip the photos for your […]
Graduates make up for time lost to pandemic
As the evening shadows lengthened across Warrior Field, the time grew short for more than 200 members of the Waccamaw High School Class of 2022. Don’t call them former Warriors. The school’s motto is: “Once a Warrior, always a Warrior.” The seniors were sophomores when the COVID-19 pandemic ended their school year in March instead […]
Artificial turf part of $5 million in upgrades for district athletic facilities
The football fields at Georgetown County’s four high schools are being converted from grass to synthetic turf. “I think it’s a very visible addition to each of our high school campuses,” Superintendent Keith Price said. “It’s something our community can be proud of and it’s going to touch each corner of our attendance area.” Waccamaw […]
Hall of famers in a class of their own
Waccamaw High School recently welcomed back some old friends who had a lot of athletic success when they were at the school. The first class of the WHS Athletic Hall of Fame was honored on Friday. Since it opened its doors in 1990, athletes have won more than 20 team championships and more than 70 […]
Hall of Fame’s first class set the pace
The inaugural class of the Waccamaw High School Athletic Hall of Fame is full of state champions, a state record holder and an All-American. “It’s a great representation across all of the sports that have had success at Waccamaw,” principal Adam George said. “I’m very happy with the class.” Deliah Arrington is seven-time state champion. […]
Warriors build Hall of Fame on 30 years of success
Waccamaw High School is starting an athletic Hall of Fame and the first members will be inducted this fall. “We’re excited,” principal Adam George said. “I think this is something that’s going to draw some good interest.” The school opened in August of 1990. The first state titles came in the spring of 1999. The […]
Sun sets on the class that weathered the pandemic
As the sun set behind the football stadium, members of the Class of 2021 said farewell to Waccamaw High School. For the second straight year, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the school district to move graduation ceremonies outdoors. Principal Adam George and superintendent Keith Price were pleased with how everything went at last week’s ceremony. “It […]
Class of 2021 is ready to walk
As the most unusual year in the history of Waccamaw High School nears an end, the members of the Class of 2021 will get their diplomas tonight. For the second year in a row, the graduation ceremony will be held inside the school’s football stadium. While last year’s seniors received only two tickets each, this […]
Athlete completes school’s first hat trick in All-State honors
Victor Otubu recently became the first Waccamaw High School athlete to be named All-State in three sports. “I was shocked, because my freshmen and sophomore years I was one of the kids that thought, ‘I’ve got to stick to one sport,’” Otubu said. “As I got older and more mature, I realized the more sports […]
Speech team still connects in online arena
When competing in a virtual speech and debate tournament, you have to have a plan and a backup plan. Waccamaw High School’s Windtalkers used both plans on Saturday to make sure they could perform live for the judges of the Carolina Kickoff. “This is the craziest and weirdest start to a speech season that I […]
10,958 days later
The Principal | Making the new seem more familiar When students walked through the doors of Waccamaw High School for the first time on Aug. 27, 1990, the staff wanted them to feel at home. “We wanted it to be like it was the 181st day of school,” said Burke Royster, who was principal at […]
Seniors will cross the goal line June 4
Waccamaw High School seniors will get their moment in the sun, literally. This year’s commencement ceremony will take place in the school’s football stadium on June 4 at 9 a.m. “We’re trying to make the best of a difficult situation,” Superintendent Randy Dozier told the school board Thursday. “We’re going to try and make it […]
Band marches with confidence toward Lower State competition
The Waccamaw High marching band heads to the Lower State competition Saturday at White Knoll High School in Lexington. Last year, the band placed sixth and earned a chance to compete in the state final. The band has won their first two competitions, picking up eight trophies. The band has some pep in their step, […]
Band’s halftime show delivers timely message to kids
People watching the Waccamaw High School marching band’s show this year will get a lesson in acceptance. “True Colors” is the story of a young girl who has been rejected by the other members of the band. Slowly, as the performance continues, they accept her. The moral of the story is that people can […]
A walk to the future for 189 seniors and 1 teacher
Another school year has come and gone and 189 members of the Class of 2019 officially said goodbye to Waccamaw High School and hello to the future last night. First-year principal Adam George said he will always remember these seniors, the first graduating class in his tenure. “It’s always going to be special,” George said. […]
Deaths and addiction propel WHS grad’s journey
Jessie Grieb and Mike Plante share several bonds. They have both struggled with addiction and lost brothers to overdoses. They are now sharing the road as part of the East Coast Overdose Awareness Walk from Fort Kent, Maine, on the Canadian border, to Key West, Fla. Grieb, 26, a New Jersey native and 2010 Waccamaw […]
Fundraising is a team sport for the Warriors
Having five children who played a sport at Waccamaw High School gives Scott Eddy a vested interest in supporting athletics at the school. Eddy has settled in as president of the WHS Athletic Booster Club since taking over the position from Brian Henry in May. As a member of the club’s board, Eddy was so […]
Two districts will share access road
Traffic to the Waccamaw High softball field will be able to share the access road to the nearby sewer treatment plant under an agreement up for approval by the Georgetown County Water and Sewer District. The school board approved the deal last week. The shared road agreement is the result of construction of an auxiliary […]
LOCAL EVENTS
Meetings
Georgetown County Board of Education: First and third Tuesdays, 5:30 p.m., Beck Education Center. For details, go to gcsd.k12.sc.us. Georgetown County Council: Second and fourth Tuesdays, 5:30 p.m., Council Chambers, 129 Screven St., Georgetown. For details, go to georgetowncountysc.org. Pawleys Island Town Council: Second Mondays, 5 p.m. Town Hall, 323 Myrtle Ave. For details, go to townofpawleysisland.com. , .
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