A.C. Flora High School

A. C. Flora High School is a public high school located in the City of Forest Acres, South Carolina, a suburb of Columbia. The school is one of seven high schools operated by Richland County School District One. The school was founded in 1959 to ease overcrowding and accommodate growth in the Forest Acres area, and the school was named for Dr. Abram Cline Flora, an accomplished educator who served as the district's Superintendent.

A. C. Flora High School
Address
10 Falcon Drive

Forest Acres
,
South Carolina

United States
Coordinates34°1′2″N 80°58′58″W
Information
TypePublic
Established1959
PrincipalSusan Childs
Faculty90.00 (FTE)[1]
Enrollment1,455 (2018–19)[1]
Student to teacher ratio16.17[1]
Schedule typeBlock Scheduling
Hours in school day8:00 am – 3:15 pm
AthleticsAAAA
MascotFalcon
RivalDreher High School
Websiteflora.richlandone.org

Desegregation controversy in 1970

In mid-October 1970, A. C. Flora closed temporarily because of racial tensions. The situation became an issue in the 1970 gubernatorial general election between Republican then U.S. Representative Albert Watson of South Carolina's 2nd congressional district and his successful Democratic opponent, then Lieutenant Governor John C. West. Democrats claimed the tensions were related to two aides of Watson who snapped pictures at the school, but law enforcement officials found no link between the aides taking pictures and the racial unrest there. Watson used the occasion to call for improved student discipline: "Education without discipline is worse than no education at all."[2] The A. C. Flora case led the Spartanburg Journal to urge the candidates to omit school desegregation, already a fait accompli, from campaign discussion and to accent matters over which a governor would have more direct control once in office.[3]

Academics and awards
  • International Baccalaureate school
  • National and state award-winning FBLA chapter
  • JROTC Honor Unit with Distinction
  • Flagship School of Promise
  • Top literary magazine in Forest Acres

Activities
Entrance sign

Athletic championships
  • 2020 - 4A Football State Champions
  • 2018 - 4A Girls' Tennis 4A State Champions
  • 2016 – 3A Boys' basketball 3A State Champions
  • 2015 - 3A Boys' Tennis State Champions
  • 2015 - 3A Boys' Golf State Champions
  • 2015 – 3A Boys' soccer State Championship
  • 2014 - 3A Boys' Golf State Champions
  • 2014 Baseball 3A State Championship (3 in a row)
  • 2014 Boys' Basketball 3A State Champions
  • 2013 Boys' Golf 3A State Champions (4 years in a row)
  • 2013 Baseball 3A State Champions (4th since 2001)
  • 2012 Baseball 3A State Champions (3rd since 2001)
  • 2012 Boys' Golf 3A State Champions (7th since 2001)
  • 2011 Football Region 5-3A Champions (reached the semifinals of playoffs)
  • 2011 Boys' Golf 3A State Champions
  • 2010 Girls' Golf 3A State Champions
  • 2010 Boys' Golf 3A State Champions
  • 2010 Football Region 5-3A Champions (made it through 1st round of playoffs)
  • 2009 Boys' Swimming 3A State Champions - 200 Yard Freestyle Relay
  • 2009 Boys' Swimming 3A State Champions - 400 Yard Freestyle Relay
  • 2008 Boys' Golf 3A State Champions
  • 2008 Boys' Swimming 3A State Champions - 200 Yard Freestyle Relay
  • 2008 3A Upper State Baseball Champions
  • 2007 Boys' Golf 3A State Champions
  • 2007 Baseball 3A State Champions
  • 2006 Boys' Tennis 3A Runners-Up
  • 2005 Boys' Tennis 3A State Champions
  • 2004 Boys' Tennis 3A State Champions
  • 2004 Boys' Golf 3A State Champions
  • 2003 Boys' Golf 3A State Champions
  • 2001 Baseball 3A State Champions
  • 1986 Boys' Basketball 3A State Champions
  • 1985 Boys' Basketball 3A State Runners-Up (lost to Riverside High on buzzer-beater)
  • 1982 Football Region 5-3A Champions (Reached Quarterfinals of playoffs)
  • 1981 Boys' Basketball 3A State Champions
  • 1969 Boys' Basketball 4A State Champions

Golf

The A.C. Flora boys' golf team has won seven 3A state championships since 2001. Coach Harry Huntley, who holds the Richland Country District record for most state championship wins (eight), has coached 14 golfers who have gone off to play for college.

Baseball

The A.C. Flora baseball team has multiple state championship and Upper State Championship wins in the past 10 years, and won the 2012 South Carolina 3A State Championship. They were ranked top 70 in the nation by MaxPreps at the end of the 2012 season. They won the 2013 International Paper Classic, a tournament held in Georgetown, SC. The A.C. Flora Baseball team has produced college players for the University of South Carolina, Clemson University, University of North Carolina, University of Tennessee, College of Charleston, University of South Carolina at Sumter, and many other schools. The Falcons won the 2014 International Paper Classic for the second year in a row and are currently ranked second nationally by Collegiate Baseball.

Basketball

The A.C. Flora basketball team is coached by Joshua Staley, cousin of the University of South Carolina Women's basketball head coach Dawn Staley. During the 2012–13 season, they won the Region IV-AAA Championship and made it to the Upper State semifinals. In 2014, the Boys' Varsity team won its fourth State title with a 51-42 OT win against Darlington High School. In the summer of 2014, Leon Brunson stepped down as Head Coach and A.C. Flora hired Staley as head coach. The following season, Staley lead the Falcons to a second straight State Championship appearance, where they would lose to the Midland Valley Mustangs 62–56. In the 2015–2016 season, Staley would lead the Falcons again to its third straight State Championship, where they defeated defending champion Midland Valley 60–50. This would become A.C. Flora's second championship in 3 years and 5th overall for the school. As of February 2015, MaxPreps ranked A.C. Flora 3rd in the State of South Carolina.. Legendary coach Carl Williams led A.C. Flora's juggernaut boys' basketball program in the 1980s, producing state champion teams in 1981 and 1986 and a state runner-up finish in 1985.

Math Team

Under the coaching of Patrick Rybarczyk, the team has received honors at The USC Math Contest,[4] the Furman Wylie Math Tournament,[5] the Carolina Panthers Numbers Crunch,[6] the Clemson Calculus Challenge,[7] the College of Charleston Math Meet,[8] and made up one third of the South Carolina ARML team, which won the Division B team award at Penn State and won the Site award at the UGA site.[9]

Notable alumni

References
  1. "A. C. Flora High". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  2. "Watson Talks on Discipline". Florence Morning News. 9 October 1970. p. 5. Retrieved 8 February 2017 – via newspapers.com.
  3. Billy Hathorn, "The Changing Politics of Race: Congressman Albert William Watson and the South Carolina Republican Party, 1965-1970", South Carolina Historical Magazine Vol. 89 (October 1988), p. 234
  4. "Math in the Community - Department of Mathematics - University of South Carolina". Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  5. The Furman Wylie Math Tournament
  6. "The Official Site of the Carolina Panthers". Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  7. The Clemson Calculus Challenge Archived September 20, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  8. The College of Charleston Math Meet Archived 2011-08-23 at the Wayback Machine
  9. The ARML official website Archived October 12, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
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