Horry County schools prepare for new year

By Rebekah Carter
WBTW Producer
Published: August 22, 2008

There are only two more day for students in Horry County to enjoy their summer breaks.

Come Monday, their alarms will be ringing for the first day of school.

But teachers are already back at school, putting all the finishing touches on their classrooms and lesson plans.

“The biggest part of getting ready for any school day is having the resources and finding resources that the kids will be interested in,” says Jacki Varcadipane.

Varcadipane teaches 8th grade math at Ocean Bay Middle School in Carolina Forest, and is ready for the students to come back next week.

Her fellow teacher, Leslie Rich, says the best part about the first day of classes is the excitement on the students’ faces when they come in the classroom.

Rich also admits to being a little nervous the first day.

“I don’t know if it’s actually my nerves or I’m just excited, but I get a little hot and you feel really excited for the upcoming year,” the 7th-grade science teacher says.

She says one of the biggest changes this year is a new curriculum for her class, which incorporates a more hands-on approach to learning.

Another big change for most students in Horry County is walking through metal detectors.

Every middle-and-high school student in the county will see metal detectors when they come in.

This is a new requirement for the 2008-2009 school year.

At Ocean Bay, there are two metal detectors—one at the main entrance and one in the cafeteria.

Principal Connie Huddle says she’s glad to have the additions, even if they might slow down the morning routine of getting to class.

“Like anything that’s new, we will see some delays in students entering the building,” Huddle says, “perhaps a backup that you might see at an airport.”

Students won’t have to use them the first week of school. Huddle says they’ll use the first week to explain how they work, and will use them everyday after that.

The standing devices are replacing metal-detecting wands the school has used the past two years.

Ocean Bay also has another new safety device, a driver’s license scanner that does a quick background check on any visitors that comes to school.