Chesterfield High School (South Carolina)
Chesterfield High School is a public high school in Chesterfield, South Carolina, United States, serving students from ninth through twelfth grades for the towns of Chesterfield, Mt. Croghan and Ruby. Many students also attend from other attendance areas, namely Cheraw, Pageland and even Anson County, NC, due to quality of the Chesterfield-Ruby schools. The current Chesterfield High School opened in 1969 following the consolidation of the original Chesterfield High School (which served white students), Gary High School (which served African-Americans students), and Ruby High School.
| Chesterfield High School | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
| |
401 North Page Street , 29709 | |
| Information | |
| School district | Chesterfield County School District |
| Principal | Neil Adams |
| Staff | 34.00 (FTE)[1] |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Enrollment | 433 (2018-19)[1] |
| Student to teacher ratio | 12.74[1] |
| Color(s) | Royal blue and gold |
| Team name | Rams |
| Website | CHS |
In 2007, the school was given a Palmetto Gold Award for excellence by the Palmetto Gold & Silver Program. In 2006, students at Chesterfield High scored an average of 1022 on their SATs, one point higher than the US average of 1021, in a state which ranks 49th in SAT scores nationally.[2][3]
In 2008, the report of a student plotting to bomb Chesterfield High School was caught before the plan was set into motion.[4]
Administration
Chesterfield is in the Chesterfield County School District under the direction of board chairmen James Sweeney. The principal at Chesterfield High School is Neil Adams. Other administration include Assistant Principal Carolyn Caldwell and guidance counselor Janet Kendall.
Athletics
Chesterfield High has won six wrestling state championships (in 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010) and finished as state runners-up twice (2006, 2011). Chesterfield's most accomplished wrestlers to date are brothers Dalton and Ian Harper, who both broke the all-time South Carolina record in career wrestling wins (Dalton in 2008 and Ian in 2010). Dalton and Ian are the only brothers to ever win four state championships apiece in the history of high school wrestling in South Carolina. Ian Harper currently holds the state record for most career wins (261–4) and most wins in a season (70–0 his junior year) and was a four-time individual state champion and was a member of four straight dual team championships. In 2012, the athletic department and administration at Chesterfield cancelled the wrestling program prior to the start of the season. Wrestling has since resumed at the school, starting with the 2014–2015 season.
Chesterfield also won the 2007, 2008, and 2009 1A Football State Championship and were runners-up in 2006. The football team was coached by former University of South Carolina quarterback Steve Taneyhill from 2005 to 2011. And is now under the direction of head coach Chris Arnoult. The school's rival are the Eagles from Central High. Current state rank is 142 (as of October 2016).
The Rams track & field team has been state runner-up several times, and cross country has won several regional championships across the 1A and 2A divisions.
The Lady Rams softball team has won the Class 1A State Championship three times (2008, 2010, 2012). Prior to integration, the original Chesterfield High won state championships in baseball (1962 Class 1A) and is now under the direction of coach Steven Sellers, Chesterfield's varsity baseball coach, Jimmy Weatherford, captured his 400th career win in 2008. After runner up finishes in 2008 and 2009, the baseball team won the Class 1A State Championship in 2011. The baseball team is 74 in the state (as of October 2016).
The school also has state runner-up finishes in boys' track and field (2003 Class 2A), boys' golf (2007 Class 1A), and competitive cheerleading (2007 Class 2A). Volleyball has 0–3 record for the 2016–2017 season (as of October 2016).
The girls' basketball team won state championship (1961 Class 1A), now coached by Jordan McCoy, and also had a runner-up finish (1959 Class 1A).
Band
Chesterfield High School's award-winning concert band program is currently under the direction of Steve McGinnis. Chesterfield High had the first marching band in northeastern South Carolina. The band program is a consistent winner of the South Carolina Band Directors Association Outstanding Performance Award, most recently in the 2015-2016 school year.
The Chesterfield High School Marching Pride, formerly the Marching Rams, is also under the direction of Steve McGinnis, with associate direction from Daniel Gulledge. The band is the 1A class. The Marching Pride took first place in the SCBDA 1A-3A Lower State Championship in 2014 and 2015. The band won their first SCBDA 1A-3A State Championship in 2014 and placed second in 2015.
References
- "Chesterfield High". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
- Chesterfield High School webpage Archived April 25, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- South Carolina Policy Council report
