ORANGEBURG, S.C. — The Orangeburg County School District is breaking ground on an expansion of its William J. Clark Middle School. The development will allow the district to serve all middle schoolers in Orangeburg under one roof.
"My sister will be in the same school as me and I'm just really happy about that," said rising sixth grader Reginald Williams.
Williams is one of many students, alongside his sister Kennedy, who said they are excited about this expansion. With 680 current students, they said the school is getting bigger and better.
"I'm excited to see how the piano resources expand because I heard there's gonna be a new piano class," Kennedy said. "I'm excited for that."
The school is merging with Howard Middle School, which means more than 1,000 students are expected to walk the halls next school year. Principal Donyale Mosley said the new 28,000-square-foot classroom wing will mean more classes focused on the arts, science, and technology.
"We'll be able to get Project Lead the Way up and going. With more students being able to do those things that would be better opportunity for high school, eventually college, and then of course for the community," said Mosley.
Mosley said transitioning students from Howard Middle School will happen gradually, starting with sixth graders and progressing to eighth. All students will be settled on campus by January 2025. Eventually, the school district will repurpose Howard Middle School into an elementary school serving the Orangeburg community.
The Clark Middle School expansion project is being funded as part of a $190 million bond referendum approved by voters in November.
