Horry County Schools breaks ground on construction for new middle school site in Conway

Construction crews broke ground Monday afternoon on a new 39-acre site in Conway for the historic Whittemore Park Middle School.

The $58 million replacement school is estimated to complete construction in May 2024 and welcome students the following school year. The building will have capacity for about 1,200 students, according to Horry County Schools spokeswoman Lisa Bourcier.

Conway’s Black community holds the current Whittemore Park Middle School building in high regards for its history as the formerly segregated Whittemore Park High School during the 1960s. The replacement middle school will dedicate a legacy wall to the former equalization school.

Calep Brown graduated from the Whittemore Park High School in 1964 and represented the Whittemore Park Alumni Association at the groundbreaking ceremony.

“We are so proud and happy to see a new facility coming up,” Brown said. “It’s important that they know the history of the school. It’s important that we get the word out so that they know and better themselves.”

The Whittemore schools have been a hot topic for its former students, since the City of Conway deemed the Whittemore Park Elementary school too expensive to save last year due to damages suffered from Hurricane Matthew in 2016. The site of the elementary school sits behind the current middle school, whose fate is currently unclear.

The replacement school will be located at 500 El Bethel Road.

Ken Richardson, chairman of the HCS school board, said carrying on the legacy of the Whittemore Park schools was important.

“Whittemore has a tradition, and it’s a very proud group of people,” Richardson said. “They will not be forgotten, and this school is a prime example of that.”