Mount Pleasant Magazine July/August 2019

www.CharlestonsPrivateSchools.com | www.CharlestonSchoolDirectory.com | www.ed.sc.gov INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS CISD 185 Attracting the Best and the Brightest ACADEMICMAGNET IS NATION’S TOP HIGH SCHOOL A cademic Magnet High School is not for everyone. There is no marching band and no theater or dance program, and, though 60% of the students participate in athletics, few of them move on to compete at the major college level. AMHS is, however, the jewel of the Charleston County School District. Its students face numerous academic challenges, including a senior-year thesis. All of them earn a college scholarship, and, though many attend Clemson or the University of South Carolina, some attend prestigious institutions of higher learning such as Duke, Stanford, Yale and Harvard. The hard work and dedication of Academic Magnet’s students, teachers, administrators and support staff has paid off. Always rated near the top in South Carolina, AMHS was ranked this year by U.S. News & World Report as the best high school in the entire United States. The honor was no surprise to Catherine Spencer, principal for the past two years. “This is not a school for everyone,” she said. “You must be committed to be exceptional. I’ve been in a lot of schools, and you can feel it as soon as you walk in the door. We require well above and beyond.” Spencer pointed out that the senior thesis is the cornerstone of AMHS’ academic excellence. Eleventh graders do research and hone their writing and presenting skills, then they choose and develop the topic for their thesis, which they must defend in the spring of their senior year. The rigorous curriculum includes four years of math, science, English, social studies and a foreign language — either French or Spanish. Students also must complete at least four Advanced Placement courses and a minimum of 90 hours of community service. Academic Magnet students have had their work published in academic and professional journals, and Spencer noted that a 10th grader developed an arsenic filtration system that was used in his hometown, while a senior designed and published a brochure on dental hygiene for children in a village in Guatemala. She added that a robotics team developed a rover that searches the deep water of flooded areas so rescuers can concentrate on shallow water. In addition, AMHS has produced a concert pianist and the winners of national writing awards. “These are really well-rounded kids,” Spencer commented. Faculty openings are rare at Academic Magnet. Spencer said the school’s 40 teachers have been at AMHS for an average of 15 years. BY BRIAN SHERMAN Photo by Jess Wood.