A.C. Flora High School

A. C. Flora High School

A.C. Flora High School
Address
One Falcon Drive
Forest Acres, South Carolina
United States
Coordinates 34°1′2″N 80°58′58″W / 34.01722°N 80.98278°W / 34.01722; -80.98278Coordinates: 34°1′2″N 80°58′58″W / 34.01722°N 80.98278°W / 34.01722; -80.98278
Information
Type Public
Principal Richard McClure
Faculty 87
Enrollment 1350
Schedule type A/B day block scheduling
Athletics 4A
Mascot Falcon
Rival Dreher, Chapin
Website flora.richlandone.org

A. C. Flora High School is a high school in Forest Acres, South Carolina, United States. It is part of Richland County School District One. The school has won many athletic state championships and numerous academic awards. Its enrollment as of 2011 is 1350 students.

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." 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.[1]

Academics and awards

Activities

Athletic championships

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 Leon Brunson. 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 Joshua 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.

Math Team

Under the coaching of Patrick Rybarczyk, the team has received honors at The USC Math Contest,[2] the Furman Wylie Math Tournament,[3] the Carolina Panthers Numbers Crunch,[4] the Clemson Calculus Challenge,[5] the College of Charleston Math Meet,[6] 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.[7]

A.C. Flora Band Program

A.C. Flora Band Program is noted for having the smallest music program in Richland County School District One. The program extends through a state renowned jazz and concert ensemble and a county renowned marching ensemble. All ensembles have received multiple Superiors in a span of the last 3 years. The Falcon Band currently has 75 members total in all programs. The Marching Falcon Regiment has changed from hi-step to traditional drum corps style marching and has stayed like that to this day. In 2016, The A.C. Flora Concert Band received the Superior with Distinction rating, The highest rating that can be given at a state level Concert Festival. This was the first time in 20 years (the earliest records of any band in the SCBDA Archives)

Notable alumni

References

  1. ↑ 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
  2. ↑ "Math in the Community - Department of Mathematics - University of South Carolina". Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  3. ↑ The Furman Wylie Math Tournament
  4. ↑ "The Official Site of the Carolina Panthers". Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  5. ↑ The Clemson Calculus Challenge Archived September 20, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.
  6. ↑ The College of Charleston Math Meet
  7. ↑ The ARML official website Archived October 12, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.
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