Magazine

2024-2025 State of Our Schools

Front Cover

From the Desk of Dr. Richard O'Malley

Hello Neighbor,

It is my great honor to have another opportunity to share with you the story of Florence 1 Schools and to reflect with you on what we accomplished during the 2023-2024 school year. Our world moves fast and I believe it takes a retrospective look to truly be able to appreciate everything we have achieved.

I am appreciative of the hard work our staff and students put in every day to make our school district and community a great place to live and learn. The gains we have made would not be possible without their dedication. As you will see in the pages of this magazine, we are in an unprecedented period of growth in our district in terms of facilities, programs, and innovative opportunities that we could only have dreamed of ten years ago. It is an exciting time to work in Florence 1 Schools and an even more exciting time to be a Florence 1 student.

The momentum we have gained over the last six years will propel us forward as we continue to strive for excellence in all areas. We know there is hard work ahead but we believe that with the support of our parents and guardians, as well as the Florence community, our goals are within reach. As we embrace the 2024-2025 school year, please join us in making it the best school year yet!

Sincerely,

Richard O'Malley, Ed. D.
Superintendent, Florence 1 Schools

Student Achievement

We're Rocking Student Achievement

2024 SC Ready Meets or Exceed
Grades	Math	ELA
3rd	60%	57%
4th	58%	50%
5th	57%	54%
6th	47%	33%
7th	45%	27%
8th	45%	31%
District	52%	42%

Graduation Rates

South Florence High School - 94.7%
West Florence High School - 93.4%
Wilson High School - 90.3%

Did you know?

In new data released by the S.C. Department of Education, Florence 1 students showed exceptional growth on standardized tests, exceeding state growth on the SC READY tests as well as End of Course exams.

Student Achievement Data (continued)

In Florence 1 we are sparking a love of learning, evidenced not only in the excellent student growth we have achieved, but also in the recognition our district is receiving. Both Moore Middle School and Delmae Elementary School have been named Palmetto’s Finest, meaning they are top ranked schools in South Carolina. Our Students First motto is more than just a saying: it is the catalyst for everything we do.

South Florence High School
1,585 Students Over 240 college credits earned through Dual Enrollment
End of Course Exam
Algebra 1	26% Increase
English 2	4% Increase
US History	8% Increase
Biology	10% Increase
College and Career Readiness
6% Increase

West Florence High School
1,837 Students Over 270 AP Scholars and 20+ STEM Graduates
End of Course Exam
Algebra 1	11% Increase
English 2	10% Increase
US History	4% Increase
Biology	6% Increase
College and Career Readiness
8% Increase

Wilson High School
1,372 Students 70+ IB Diploma students, 71% pass rate on IB exams, 13 IB Diplomas
End of Course Exam
Algebra 1	7% Increase
English 2	10% Increase
US History	7% Decrease
Biology	2% Increase
College and Career Readiness
2% Increase

Florence 1 Adult Education
839 Students
165 Graduates - 132 Diploma - 33 GED	36% Increase
173 Workforce Development Credentials	28% Increase
76,515 Attendance Hours	14% Increase
147 WIN Career Readiness Credentials	32% Increase
32% Increase in enrollment

Finance

Thanks to a continued strong financial plan and enhanced revenue streams, such as interest earnings which reduce tax burdens, Florence 1 Schools has been able to make millions of dollars of investments in renovations and upgrades across the district over the last several years. Over the last six years we’ve accomplished our financial goals by increasing our millage (operating and debt service) only once with two subsequent debt service decreases thereafter. The tax millage will remain unchanged at 255.7 mils for the current fiscal year.

Many of the projects we have completed have also translated into investments in our community. During the 2023 fiscal year, nearly $14 million dollars was contracted with small, locally-owned businesses in the Timmonsville, Florence, and Effingham zip codes alone.

This year’s budget also includes a $3,000 pay increase for teachers for the 2024-2025 school year.

“This budget funds our aggressive educational plan that we have created in Florence 1 Schools,” said F1S Superintendent Richard O’Malley. “The achievements and unprecedented progress that we have seen over the last several years have been accomplished because we have made investments in our students and our staff. In order to remain one of the top districts in the state, we must continue to make those investments.”

$47 million in facility and maintenance upgrades
Over $7 million spent in contracts and services during FY 23 with minority vendors
74% of construction dollars with minority vendors
Over $14 million total funds spent in local zip codes for FY 23

Our State Risk Assessment Score is 11 with the lowest possible score being 9.

We've had no audit findings with over a dozen randomly selected audits and two required audits.

Revenue Sources

49.40% Local Tax Revenue
47.75% State Revenue
2.85 Misc. Revenue

Over the last five years, Florence 1 has opened five new facilities:

Southside Middle School
Compass Academy
Williams Middle School
West Florence High School - Ninth Grade Wing
North Vista Elementary School

International Baccalaureate Program

IB Program

Brian Howell - IB Program Coordinator
Holly Hardee - MYP Program Coordinator

The IB program is celebrating 25 years in Florence 1 Schools

The IB program boasts nearly 450 students

Since 1996 the IB program at Williams Middle School and Wilson High School have awarded nearly 800 students with International Baccalaureate (IB) Diplomas.

Over the years, the Florence 1 IB program has garnered recognition for its rigorous curriculum, which challenges students to explore diverse perspectives, engage in inquiry-based learning, and cultivate a deep understanding of their subjects.

The Florence 1 IB program continues its standard of excellence, being named the largest program of its kind in South Carolina, with more students participating than ever before and achieving new heights. Reflecting on the journey of the IB program at Wilson, coordinator Brian Howell remarked, "We are immensely proud of the impact this program has had on our students and the broader community. Our unwavering dedication to academic excellence, global awareness, and service embodies the core values of our school, and we look forward to continuing this legacy for generations to come.” Find out more at f1s.org/IB

Students in the IB program take advanced and unique courses:

German
Global Politics
Philosophy
Visual Arts
Advanced Mathematics
Sciences

Benefits

Helps students to develop essential skills like time management, research, and public speaking
A challenging international curriculum with global perspectives
Opens doors to top universities and scholarships

Fine Arts

In 2024, Florence 1 Schools was 1 of just 7 school districts in South Carolina to earn the Best Communities for Music Education award from the NAMM Foundation.

Over the last six years, millions of dollars have been invested in arts programs across Florence 1 Schools elevating curriculum, equipment, and learning spaces for all students. Our staff and students were also offered professional development opportunities and a trip to New York City, both of which broaden horizons and provide inspiration for the future.

Florence 1 Schools students, educators, and administrators have won state-wide arts awards in recent years, highlighting a district dedication to supporting both students and arts educators, as well as the investments that have been made in our staff with increased stipends and incentives.

Several schools have earned first-in-the-district recognitions, such as the Williams Middle School Orchestra which earned the highest honor an orchestra in South Carolina can earn: a Gold Outstanding Performance Award (OPA) from SCMEA. The district has also broken its own records: 57 Florence 1 students earned a Superior rating this year for performances evaluated at State Solo & Ensemble Festival.

Three Arts Magnets Schools

Brockington Elementary School
Southside Middle School
South Florence High School

Over $1.7 Million Spent

$416,500 from grant funds
$1.1 million from special funds
$247,738 district funds

$786,253 Musical Instruments, Cleanings, and Maintenance
$114,970 Art Supplies
$36,142 Curricula and Curricular Materials
$283,751 Facility Improvements
$381,674 Student Experience and Professional Development
$117,239 Performing Arts Supplies and Mats
$11,600 MISC Supplies, Awards, and Printing

Notable Arts Accomplishments

43 All-State Musicians
48 Students selected for ArtFields
83 State and Region Honor Band, Orchestra, and Chorus Students
West Florence High School earns 23-24 Lower State Champions
West Florence and Moore Middle School Bands earn Superior with Distinction from SC Band Directors Association
Williams Advanced Orchestra received a Superior with Distinction evaluation from SCMEA concert performance assessment
Wilson High School and South Florence High School Bands earn Excellent ratings and 1st place trophies
First year ever, Sneed Middle School Choral program earned Superior evaluation from SCMEA
South Florence High School Chorus invited to perform at American Choral Directors Association State Conference
Amber Harrar received the Mary Whyte Award from SCAEA

Athletics

Our student-athletes have been putting in the work, in the classroom and their sport. From the tennis court to the wrestling mat and everywhere in between, all of our student-athletes are taking their skills to the next level. We are proud to highlight all of their accomplishments for the 2023-2024 school year and look forward to seeing where their hard work leads them next.

346 - SCHSL Scholar Athletes (GPA 3.5 or higher)
2 - SC Track State Champions
4 - SC Strength and Conditioning Individual State Champions
10 - State Championship Appearances
11 - Lower State Championship Appearances
3 - SC Lower State Champions (Football, Softball, and Boys Track)
1 - SC Womens Wrestling Lower State Champion
1 - SC 4A Softball State Runner Up
3 - State Players of the Year
2 - Shrine Bowl Athletes
6 - North South Athletes
2 - Consensus All American Athletes
34 - All State Athletes
185 - All Region Athletes
14 - Region Players of the Year
16 - Senior All Star
2 - Baseball Select Team Athletes
31 - Collegiate Athletes
1 - SCACA Coach of the Year
7 - Region VI AAAA Coaches of the Year

South Florence High School Softball 1,000 program wins

85% High School Head Coach Retention Rate

Champions

South Florence High School
- Football

West Florence High School
- Softball
- Girls Tennis
- Girls Soccer
- Boys and Girls Track

Wilson
Girls and Boys Basketball

Advantage Academy

At Advantage Academy, nearly 1,000 Florence 1 high school students have the opportunity to gain first-hand knowledge in 21 fields of study like Mechatronics, Turf Management, Electrical Lineman, and Hospitality/Tourism preparing them for a career after high school. Ten new programs have been added in the last five years.

Students at Advantage Academy benefit from the expertise of their instructors and also gain knowledge from a wide range of local business partners.

Over a dozen of those partner businesses have gone on to hire students after they have completed their course of study at Advantage Academy.

Thank you to our community partners who hire our students:

Ag Education:
Altman Farm & Mill

Automotive:
Evening Shade and Mike Reichenbach Ford

Electrical:
Santee Electric Company and Walkup Electric

Healthcare:
MUSC and McLeod

Welding:
Steel Fab

Aviation:
RiseAero

Building and Construction:
Charles Ingram Lumber

Cosmetology:
The Studio

Culinary Arts and Hospitality Tourism:
McCall Farms and Raines Company

Digital Art & Design:
Savvy Magazine

Early Childhood Education:
Woods Road CDC

HVAC:
Quality Service Company

PLTW Pre-Engineering:
GE Healthcare

State Assessment Report
Perkins Indicator	SC Dept. of Ed. CTE Goal	Required 90% SC CTE Goal	Advantage Academy
Student Graduation Rates	91.50%	82.35%	100%
Academic Proficiency Reading/ Language Arts	67.80%	61.02%	83.10%
Academic Proficiency Mathematics	73.50%	66.15%	83%
Academic Proficiency Science	71.70%	64.53%	50%
Post Program Placement	93.70%	84.33%	95.40%
Nontraditional Enrollment	12.20%	10.98%	13.60%
Postsecondary Credential Graduation	35.70%	32.13%	80.50%

STEM

Science - Technology - Engineering - Mathematics

Over $1 million dollars has been spent on STEM programming across our district. Through our newest investments middle school students can solve real-world problems and learn about potential future careers with PICO VR headsets.

Our explorers all across the district learn about STEM using:

A state-of-the-art STEM bus available to all students
Drone classes at all grade levels
Virtual reality goggles used in STEM courses and other courses like English Literature
3D printers and 3D pens
Robotics kits & teams
STEM Magnet Schools
Biomedical Science courses
Video Game Design classes
Elementary STEM Labs
Flight simulators
Cybersecurity & Computer Programming
Drone Coding classes
7 Cognia Certified STEM schools
2 STAR Labs (mobile planetarium)
ABii tutoring robots

Exceptional Education

Florence 1’s Exceptional Education staff meets students where they are while providing them with the resources they need to reach their individual goals. Students have a variety of therapeutic resources and learning opportunities available in our schools, as well as community-based programs with partner organizations.

Services Offered:

Orientation and Mobility
Physical Therapy
Speech Therapy
Occupational Therapy
Sign Language Interpreters for Deaf/Hard of Hearing
Partner with SC School for the Deaf/Blind to offer services

2,100 Students
225 Staff

Did you know?
In 2021, hearing impaired services returned to Florence 1 Schools after more than 30 years.

Unique about F1S

3 Special Education Supervisors
Audiologist
Parent Liaison
2 Teacher Consultants
2 Compliance Monitors
Autism Coordinator
3 Autism Consultants
- 2 Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBA)
Safety Care Training for de-escalation techniques

Facilities

Sensory Rooms at various locations
Adaptive Playground equipment (6 locations)
Compass Academy
Pepsi Market
2 Project SEARCH Locations (McLeod & Raldex)

Project Search

Project SEARCH is a post secondary transition program that focuses on transition from the school to the work environment. Through this program, student interns gain valuable job skills that are preparing them for competitive employment at the conclusion of the school year program.

Project Search Locations: McLeod Health and Raldex with over 50 student interns

"We average approximately 70-80% of our previous student interns that complete the year long program not only gaining employment after their Project SEARCH year, but continuing to sustain employment years after they complete the program." - Kandee Shelor, Transition Coordinator

Mental Health

Innovation takes many forms in education, from technology to building creative learning spaces. In Florence 1 Schools, innovation also means recognizing the impact that mental health has on a student’s ability to obtain their education and finding ways to remove as many barriers as possible. Last school year, Florence 1 launched a brand new student-initiated webpage with mental health resources available to all students.

“If what's been tried in the past hasn't worked, it's time to do something different. That's what we are doing at Compass Academy. We are providing students with a variety of supports and services to help build the skills, self confidence, and self esteem they need to be successful students and feel good about themselves as individuals.” - Patricia Nunnally, EDSC Teacher

Compass Academy

Compass Academy is a Florence 1 Schools Program that serves students with mental health needs in grades 1-12. It provides quality, school-based educational and therapeutic services in an integrated manner to children whose mental health, behavioral and learning concerns hinder their ability to succeed in the traditional school setting.

Equine Therapy

Students participate in equine therapy at Stirrup Hope, creating a bond with horses through brushing, walking, and playing with them. In equine therapy, students are happy and calm, building confidence and a sense of responsibility.

“Florence 1 Schools has led the way in the state with innovative steps to provide mental health services to our students. It's amazing to reflect on the past 6 years as our district has undergone such a vast expansion in student mental health services. This expansion has led to over 500 students receiving therapy services yearly from district-hired School Based Therapists (SBTs).” - Krystle Graham, Coordinator of Clinical Services

838 Crisis situations averted due to services provided by F1S school-based therapists.

F1S is the only district in the state that employs a school-based therapist in every school.

27 School Based Therapists
6 Licensed Practitioners of the Healing Arts
2 Licensed Addictions Counselors
2 Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisors
2 Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor Candidates
2 Behavior Interventionist

Community Based Partners

The district also partners with eight community-based agencies for additional support for our students:

SC Department of Mental Health
Wellspring Psychology Group
MUSC Arts in Healing Program
MUSC Institute of Psychiatry
PACE Center for Girls
Justice Works
HopeHealth
National Alliance on Mental Illness

Transportation

The Florence 1 Schools Transportation Department plays a crucial role in education, serving as the essential link between school and home for the students who rely on the bus each day. Their hard work and dedication make a difference in the lives of students, sometimes through a simple smile in the morning or an encouraging word as students enter and exit their bus.

Serving more than 7,500 bus riders
Driving more than 375 daily bus runs
Driving more than 10,500 miles per day
66 full time, 14 part-time, and 27 staff bus drivers

“Our department motto is “We Keep Education Rolling” because, through every challenge we face, our goal remains the same: putting Students First. For the Transportation Department, that means keeping safety at the forefront of what we do. Each day we encounter new obstacles, but I am thankful for my staff and their commitment to the success of our department and our students who depend on them to arrive at school safely every day.” - Mitchell Washington, Director of Transportation

A Cool Fact
All 100 of our buses are equipped with air conditioning

Bus Driver Perks

$2,000 sign on bonus
Quarterly bonus
Paid training

Culinary Services

Fresh, Free, and Healthy Food

Our culinary services partner, Chartwells, also recently received national recognition and was named the Chartwells 2024 National Account of the Year. Florence 1 was chosen to receive this award out of over 700 accounts nationwide. Our local team is comprised of a network of passionate individuals, who take great pride in serving our students nutritious and delicious meals.

$2,000 bonuses for culinary staff
Over $4 million in school nutrition upgrades

Recipes for Success

Global Eats - Students experience culinary flavors from around the world
Mood Boost - Students connect what they eat with how they feel
Discovery Kitchen - Students discover new foods

Events

24 Food Truck Events
19 Mood Boost Events
28 Discovery Kitchens
7 Global Eats
8 Student Choices

Back Cover

About Florence 1 Schools

The Road to the Future
One Vision. One Voice. One Future

16,344 Students
842 Classified Staff
1,406 Certified Staff Including Administrators

14 Elementary Schools
2 Preschools
1 Therapeutic Center
1 Career Center
1 Adult Education
1 Farm
1 Alternative School
3 High Schools
4 Middle Schools

Board Members

District 1
Mr. Barry Townsend

District 2
Mr. John Galloway

District 3
Rev. E.J. McIver

District 4
Dr. Gloria Bracey

District 5
Mrs. Kimrey-Ann Haughn
Secretary

District 6
Mrs. Trisha Caulder
Vice Chair

District 7
Mr. S. Stewart
Chairman

District 8
Pastor Bryan Chapman

District 9
Mr. Davy Gregg

Cabinet Members

Dr. Richard O'Malley
Superintendent
romalley@fsd1.org

Michelle Wynn
Assistant Superintendent of Pre-K - 5th
michelle.mcbride@fsd1.org

Gregory Hall
Assistant Superintendent of 6th - 12th
ghall@fsd1.org

Brian Denny
Assistant Superintendent of Exceptional Education
bdenny@fsd1.org

Kyle Jones
Deputy Superintendent
kylejones@fsd1.org

Laura Showe
Chief Financial Officer
lshowe@fsd1.org

Larry Reynolds
Director of Maintenance
lreynolds@fsd1.org

Lisa Justice
Director of Adult Education
ljustice@fsd1.org

Nathaniel Marshall
Chief Personnel Officer
nathaniel.marshall@fsd1.org

Ashley Watson
Executive Director of Marketing and Talent
awatson@fsd1.org

Contact Information

Download our free app in the Apple App Store or in Google Play Store

Website: F1S.org
Telephone: 843-669-4141
Address: 319 South Irby St., Florence, SC 29501
Follow Us on Social Media: Flo1Schools

In This Section

Archived Magazines

2024-2025 State of Our Schools

2024-2025 State of Our Schools

Front Cover

From the Desk of Dr. Richard O'Malley

Student Achievement

We're Rocking Student Achievement

Finance

International Baccalaureate Program

IB Program

Fine Arts

Fine Arts

Athletics

Athletics

Champions

Advantage Academy

Advantage Academy

STEM

STEM

Exceptional Education

Exceptional Education

Mental Health

Mental Health

Transportation

Transportation

Culinary Services

Fresh, Free, and Healthy Food

Back Cover

About Florence 1 Schools

Board Members

Cabinet Members

Contact Information

Logo Image