In the fall of 1997, the Carolina Forest Education Center opened its doors to students in grades 6 -10 from areas of Conway, Myrtle Beach, and Socastee. With phenomenal growth, we soon became Carolina Forest High School and began to build a tradition of excellence in academics, athletics, and the visual and performing arts. We continue to see growth after 24 years of tradition.
The 2020-2021 school year was one that brought history-making accomplishments and also was historical throughout the world. The year ended with 558 graduates; 541 received scholarship offers, totaling over $9,345,833.00. Among the many talented students in the senior class, Carolina Forest High School was privileged to have 38 Palmetto Fellows Scholarship students, and 369 students eligible for the LIFE Scholarship. Our Advanced Placement enrollment continued to increase, along with the number of AP courses offered, which reached 25. Despite the hybrid model this school year, Carolina Forest was again listed as one of South Carolina’s Best High Schools by the U.S. News and World Report magazine. We were also recognized as a Project Lead The Way Distinguished School. Athletics did well with 8 varsity teams winning the SCHSL Class 5A Region VI Championship. History was made on several occasions. State Champion swimmer Harrison Clinton set a State record in the 100m Butterfly and was the State Champion in the 100m Breaststroke as well. State Champion wrestler Braeden Bailey won his 113lb weight class. The girls soccer team went undefeated in the regular season, winning the Region VI Championship and played for the 5A Lower State Championship. Academic achievements continued to be competitive at the district and state levels, with our Advanced Placement and SAT scores continuing to exhibit high academic success. We are in our fourth year of our STEM Project Lead the Way program, which offers engineering, biomedical, cybersecurity, and architectural courses.
Our visual and performing arts programs speak for themselves. The CFHS marching band, the largest in Horry County Schools, received 3 Superior ratings, along with being one of six band programs in the state to earn the SCBDA "Program of Note". 35 CFHS students were selected to the SCBDA Region V All-Region Band, while 44 students were selected for All-County. Additionally, the orchestra program had 38 students qualify for All-County, 4 students qualify for All-Region and 1 student qualify for All-State. The orchestra program also scored a superior at the SCMEA concert performance assessment. With all the restrictions on school events and distancing guidelines, the true character of our students were on display during the 2020-21 school year. It was impressive to see our school and community embrace the opportunities that were available and make the best of a difficult year. We would like to thank our students, parents, teachers, and community members for their continued support as we progress toward our goals. Without their assistance, our continued progress would not be possible.
When you have the opportunity, I encourage you to visit our campus and see the displays of our athletic and academic accomplishments for yourself. I also encourage you to follow us on Twitter at #cfhighschool and #cfhspanthers, and take note of all the academic and athletic programs CFHS has to offer. Our students, faculty, staff, parents, and community have been instrumental in our successes.
These unprecedented times have been difficult for everyone, especially our students. I thank you all for your continued support, and I hope that you will continue to take an active part in our school. I am proud of our coaches and athletes who, both on and off the field, continually demonstrate teamwork, character, and sportsmanship that will benefit each student for years to come.
Remember, the relationships built during the school year with staff and students will last a lifetime. As we move throughout the school year, let us be mindful of the importance of being encouraging, patient, and thankful.
