Mount Pleasant Magazine July/August 2017

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second-largest number of students attending its public
schools in the state. As we all know, the Mount Pleasant
portion of the district has always been bursting at the
seams; in fact, a news article by David Quick from The
Post and Courier dated June 17, 2000, stated: “If the
population growth continues at its current pace in this
town, the public schools can expect to have 2,600 more
students packing into its current schools and proposed
new high school in 15 years.”
At that time, Cario Middle and Pinckney Elementary
were new, and Wando High School had 14 trailers on
its old campus on Whipple Road. So, in other words,
the need for more space to educate in East Cooper is
a continuous one. And even though Moultrie, Jennie
Moore, Laing, Sullivan’s Island and the old McClellanville
Public School are either demolished, remodeled or
hosting new entities, it’s important to remember their
earlier stories.
MOULTRIE HIGH AND MIDDLE
The original Moultrie High School was located on
Pitt Street in the Old Village. The school found a new
home on Coleman Boulevard in the 1944, with a new
wing added in 1953. An article written by Harriet Broom
in 1957 stated: “The new building was connected to the
old in such a way as to leave a patio in the center of the
construction. The members of the Mt. Pleasant Garden
Club have recently put a lot of hard work into making the
patio a place of which the school can be proud.” In 1973,
following desegregation, high school students relocated to
Wando High School (on Whipple Road) and the former
building transitioned into Moultrie Middle School. It
was demolished in 2007 to make way for the snazzy new
Moultrie Middle we know and love today.
LAING HIGH AND MIDDLE
Another middle school in Mount Pleasant, Laing, has
a rich history. The school was started by Cornelia Hancock
for the purpose of educating freed slaves. It soon evolved
to Laing Industrial School, an institution for educating
kids in practical trades and funded by Henry M. Laing,
and became a feeder school for the new Laing High,
located at the spot on Highway 17 North that Home
Depot just purchased. After desegregation, high school
kids went to Wando and Laing became a middle school.
The newest version of Laing, a magnet school open since
fall 2015, is located on Bulrush Basket Lane and garners
continued accolades in the field of STEM education.
Moultrie High School found a new home on Coleman
Boulevard in 1944. A new wing was added in 1953.
After desegregation, high school kids went to
Wando and Laing became a middle school.
re Elementary School.
Laing High School.
Lincoln High School.