Embedded Files
Edition 16 is out now. Check us out on YouTube at Seahawk News Network (HHIHS) and Instagram.
Meet the architectural firm www.littleonline.com/about/
6 locations including Charlotte and Charleston. HHIHS is working closely with the Charleston team.
Information on the 2023 Bond Referendum https://target.brightarrow.com/Attachments2/2C7F2E4A71834C1081951CD4C8C02886/230914084205.pdf
Some Possible Renderings from Little
AP Computer Science drone takes pictures from the sky to document the construction process. This picture includes setting the foundation of the construction team trailers, fencing off the parking lot and the early stages of tearing up the parking lot.
Seahawks Break Ground for New School Building BY: Spring Journalism 1 Class
On a sweltering Wednesday afternoon on May 8, 2024 the Seahawks had the official groundbreaking for the new school building.
The ceremony was short, intimate, and reminiscent of the old building and contained hope for the new one. Mr. Schidrich, principal of HHIHS; Dr. Rodriguez, BCSD Superintendent; and a board member spoke at the short ceremony. The HHIHS honors choir sang and the guitar class also performed.
Three long-time teachers, all serving HHIHS for over 28 years were also present at the ceremony. Those teachers included two from the math department, Mrs. Scharfenberg and Dr. Gray, who have been at HHIHS for over 30 years, and ROTC instructor Commander Pheiffer.
Mr. Schidrich, Dr. Rodriguez, students from the ninth grade, board members, representatives from the architectural firm, and representatives from the construction company all tossed dirt for the official groundbreaking.
he construction process is expected to take roughly four and a half years. The early construction stages of the new three-story academic building have already begun with more heavy construction expected to start this summer. The entire ceremony has been posted to the SNN YouTube Channel.
The Seahawks are soaring into the future as the new building is expected to start rising into the Carolina blue sky soon.
HHIHS Begins Construction of New Building and Parking Changes BY: Kelly Bolchoz
HHIHS is currently undergoing a five-year construction process to completely renovate the school and surrounding parking lots. This construction means that the school’s staff and student drivers will have to adapt to the loss of the front entrance and parking lots.
MB Khan, the construction company hired by the district to build the new school, has fenced off most of the front parking lot. This leaves the athletic entrance as the official front entrance to the school for the next few years.
The surrounding parking lots are also still available, leaving staff to enter through the entrance on D-Hall next to the Black Box. Students who park in the elementary school lots can also use this entrance in the morning.
Because of the changes, there are new procedures regarding student pick-up and drop-off to ensure safety for all. One of these procedures is the addition of a new car-line for the morning drop-off, located at the elementary school lot. Parents can drop-off their children near the footbridge, and administrators will be outside to assist when the students cross School Road and enter the aforementioned D-Hall entrance. This is only an option during the morning drop-off, as the elementary school has aftercare pick-ups in the afternoon. Students now park at the elementary or middle schools, or around the HHIHS athletic fields.
arents can also do pick-up and drop-off at the athletic entrance or Island Rec Center. They just have to follow the new traffic patterns. In the midst of this construction process, the HHIHS staff is asking for everyone’s patience while they adapt to the change in parking and car-rider lanes. The adjustments will be worth it when there is a beautiful new school building standing in the old one’s place.
Re-Imagining HHIHS: The Referendum Has Passed By: Maggie Simms
On Tuesday November 7th, citizens of Beaufort County voted on a referendum to improve schools in the district. The largest project is Hilton Head Island High School, with a new three story building and a tear down of most of the original building. The results came out positive for Hilton Head High, as more than 72 percent of voters approved the referendum. Students are extremely excited, even those who are graduating and won’t see the new building. Lucy Morales, a senior at the high school stated, “I'm excited because the new building means change for our school that could benefit the upcoming generation of students.”
The principal of Hilton Head Island High School, Mr. Schidrich, is also very excited about these changes. In an email sent out to all of the parents of Beaufort County District from the district office stated, “Beaufort County voters today approved a $439 million school bond referendum aimed at improving school safety, rebuilding or replacing inadequate facilities, population growth, and adding Career and Technical Education space to address academic needs.”
There will also be more areas to learn technical skills for those going into the workforce. New potential CTE programs could include areas like health sciences, marine tech, or automotive. The hospitality and culinary classrooms will also be updated. There will also be a news studio for the journalism class with updated cameras and green screen. The new building will also include collaborative spaces on each floor.
All students, teachers, and faculty are excited for these upcoming changes at HHIHS. Construction is due to start this spring with a goal to finish phase one in 2026-2027. All phases should be complete around 2029. Superintendent, Dr. Frank Rodriguez, is excited for this new era of Hilton Head Island High School. He stated in a parent email, “This is the largest bond referendum in our district’s history, and its approval represents a strong show of support for our 21,500 students and their futures.”
Re-Imagining HHIHS: The Plan to Rebuild By: Maggie Simms
At Hilton Head Island High School, there has been a discussion on whether to renovate the building. For at least three years, this plan of action has been under development. The school district plans a $439 million bond to set the renovations into motion for different schools all around the district. Schools will undergo significant changes as a result of this referendum. It will result in improvements to safety and security, building maintenance and structural issues, facility enhancements, and the expansion of classroom space and resources. The vote is November 7, 2023.
On September 18th, Beaufort County School District Superintendent, Dr. Frank Rodriguez held a townhall discussing the referendum. In this meeting he explained how the school’s renovation will affect the community. Many citizens were concerned that the referendum would raise their millage, a tax that goes to district and county funds. Mr. Schidrich explained, “The district hired a finance associate to know how much money we could put into the referendum without raising the millage. Basically this money that is being borrowed is not going to raise people's taxes.”
As Mr. Schidrich explained, the millage will not be raised if the referendum passes.
The renovation budget for HHIHS is roughly $169 million. The first phase of the renovation of HHIHS would be a new three-story classroom wing and a renovated art wing. The three story building will have multiple new classrooms, collaborative workstations, and a new media center. The library will have two stories, spanning between the first and second floors, with a professional news studio for the journalism program. The first floor will have the administrative offices and special education classrooms.
The second and third floor will have career technical education and science laboratories. In phase two, there will be another new wing of the building, which will be where the current building stands. There will be added space for high bay career technical education and dining. The gym and health classroom will also be renovated as well as NJROTC. The front entrance will have new and safer security. The SCC will get technical upgrades such as lights and an updated sound system, but it will not be torn down
Update from Don Baus
Written by Emily Bocialetti
Don Baus returned to HHIHS, bringing the staff together to give them an update on the plans for the new HHIHS school building. Since the last staff meeting with the builders, there have been over 1000 responses to the survey. Many groups of people involved with HHIHS from students, teachers, parents, and teachers have voiced what they think would be the best for the future school building. Things such as the incorporation of Gullah culture, clubs, history of the island, and art, as well as education, community, technology, athletics, safety, outdoor areas, and natural light within the new HHIHS, have all been heard.
There is a lot of excitement about the new building. It is certain that a top priority is to have community spaces and lots of natural light. Other notable things such as a contemporary exterior design, outdoor seating with canopies, group/team learning spaces within classrooms, and collaborative small group/flexible spaces have all been noted and taken into account. With that all out of the way, a polished school design was presented to staff.
The design is a three story classroom wing, with a main hallway between new and old school parts. The cafeteria, CTE (Business classes), and culinary classroom will be relocated to where the back of the school lies now, by the current bus loop. The main entrance will be in between the current SCC and D-hall; the entrance would lead into a ‘hall of fame’ which celebrates everything that makes HHIHS unique. Wilborn Road will potentially be expanded to three lanes with a roundabout and there are plans for parking along the side of the new building but this still needs to be worked out. A courtyard along with a mezzanine (a low-ceilinged platform between two main stories of a building) on the back of the new wing.
Within the new building there will be 75+ classrooms, sizes will be 900 square feet, and 1200-1500 square feet for labs. Within each classroom there will be built in storage. The media center will be at the central part of the school along with the elevators. The media center will have a mezzanine as well as the second floor and it will be in front of a new glass wall. The current cafeteria will be converted to a physical ed space. Wrestling and dance will now be separated. The art wing will be gutted, classrooms will be resized, outdoor access, and larger spaces for band and dance. There will also be collaborative spaces in the hallways and will not be visible from classrooms to prevent any distractions. Private testing rooms are planned but have not been placed within design. The implementation of a new class track, Health Science, will be on the third floor and the new building has the potential of bringing automobile and marine tech programs to HHIHS. There are plans that the culinary program will be able to support and provide food to the community since we do have licenses and permits for cooking for the community. The SCC and blackbox will be refreshed but will stay the same size and the ROTC hall will stay where it is currently.
At this point in time, it is planned that construction will begin in April 2024, if the referendum passes in November 2023. Phase one is said to take approximately 12-18 months, but overall the entire building will take about five years to complete.
The Students and the Architects: The First Meeting
Written by Emily Bocialetti
Student government put on their hard hats on Tuesday, February 28th when they sat down with builders from the Little Diversified Architectural Firm, to give their input on what they think the new HHIHS building needs to accommodate future Seahawks and what current students would like to see.
SGA put forward ideas such as: more courtyards, outdoor learning areas, a new cafeteria assembly, flexible lunchroom seating, more parking, an indoor track, and even an indoor pool. The meeting was described as very good and enjoyable. Lots of conversations took place during the meeting and SGA was able to get an inside look at a possible layout for the new HHIHS.
The builders were very nice and open to all suggestions posed by the students. They were also very truthful, letting the students know what suggestions could fit within the school and what could not due to space limitations or budget.
The SGA believes that the Little Diverse Architectural firm is a great fit for the construction of the possible new HHIHS building. SGA member and senior, Elizabeth Monzon said, “The new school is going to have a huge impact on the community, so I hope everyone is on board with it.”
The Little Diversified Architectural Firm returned on Tuesday March 14, 2023 to meet with staff and provide updates from the initial visit. To the left are examples of the first draft of the new building design idea. The current draft, which is subject to change shows a 3 story academic wing, with CTE, Physical Education, and the cafeteria at the back of the school, a renovated arts, gym, and ROTC wing, a completely renovated and re-designed media center, and a multi-use outdoor courtyard.
The Little Diversified Architectural Firm meets with faculty and representatives from the student government (SGA) during the month of February 2023 to begin the stages of the new school design process. With over 50+ years in designing schools Little Diverse Architectural Firm has designed 40+ high schools, 30+ middle schools, and 60+ elementary schools. The next update with the staff will come mid-March 2023.
News Stories from 2022-2023
Seahawk Staff Meets the Architects
Written By Emily Bocialetti
Recently, teachers and staff all came together to talk about the new school building and what they would like to see implemented. The meeting was called “Re-imagining HHIHS” and was orchestrated by Don Baus- who represents Little Diversified Architectural Firm. The LDAF has six locations, including one in Charleston, and 50+ years in designing schools (40+ high schools, 30+ middle schools, and 60+ elementary schools), it can be said that the construction of the new HHIHS is in good hands.
The primary focus of the meeting was to get staff input on: safety and security implementations throughout the process and the end product, education, student success, and inspiration/engagement. During the meeting, all staff participated in writing down ideas on sticky notes and categorizing them based on: needs, wants and concerns. Another activity staff collaborated on was placing green or red stickers on images and/or concept boards to determine what staff liked or did not like. This was to help develop ideas for the new building under the categories: engage, collaborate, gather, regenerative, dining, career tech, exterior, athletics, create, learn, discover, and outdoor connection. Staff also did a variety of online survey activities.
The atmosphere among the staff was upbeat and exciting. The design process is now starting and all the thoughts put forward by teachers and staff will give architects ideas on how to improve the potential design of the building. There is a plan to gather all the staff to meet again around late February or March.
Three teachers at HHIHS gave their thoughts about the possible new school building. All of them were excited for the new school building. They talked about new collaborative spaces for both students and teachers and new art rooms with better technology. Journalism teacher, Ms. Spisz, mentioned that she hopes for areas around the school that would allow for different styles of teaching. All teachers said that the new school building would motivate them to stay longer at HHIHS. Some more than others, mostly depending on when they would retire and how quickly the school would be completed. Even though a new school is exciting and very necessary, HHIHS holds the history of 40 years worth of high school students. On almost every wall here, there is a mural representing a senior class or an art student's vision. Most of the art is painted on the brick so most, if not all, will not be able to be saved physically, but art painted on boards attached to the wall will be salvaged and moved to the new building.
Of course with a 40 year old building, there are things that will not be missed once the building is torn down. Things brought up by the teachers were leaky ceilings, bad plumbing and outdated bathrooms, dim lighting, bad air conditioning, and the worst of all the rats that live in the walls of HHIHS. They love to steal food from unsuspecting teachers. The sight or the smell of a decaying rat is luckily not a problem for a large percentage of the student body, but for those who work in a highly rat-active classroom it is almost a weekly occurrence.
On a more positive note teachers hope for flexible teaching locations such as an outdoor space, and they hope to have large windows that would allow for soft natural light to help brighten up their classrooms.
New Brinks, New Plaster, More Opportunities
Written By Emily Bocialeltti
This coming November there is a big decision for HHI citizens that will forever change Hilton Head Island High School. The 2023 school referendum, if passed, will allow for the construction of a brand new school building with the money from local taxes. HHIHS has been standing since 1983, since then improvements have been made to the school; however ,a little paint and new floor boards can not cover up the decay of time.
Mr. Schidrich, the principal of HHIHS, sat down to discuss all the benefits that a new school building will have on, not only the community of HHI, but the future of education at HHIHS.
Since the 2019 referendum, Mr. Schidrich stated that new lighting, a new turf football field, and bidirectional antennas have been installed at HHIHS. He goes on to explain that these new antennas improved the radio communication and “it allowed better communication throughout the building.” There have also been security improvements made through the construction of the brand new front entrance, along with fencing improvements around athletic fields.
However, the money from 2019 has not been fully utilized yet and there are plans to use the remaining money to upgrade cameras around the school building, and there will potentially be new dugouts for the girls softball field and the boys baseball field. Mr. Schidrich also said that renovation on the old field house will potentially be done along with the possible construction of a brand new field house. Lastly, a new ticket office will possibly be built near the concessions on the side of the football field. In summary, the 2019 referendum allowed for radio improvements, security improvements, and athletic improvements.
With construction in the near future, deciding on the firm to take on the task had to be done as this was part of the 2019 referendum. When asked, Mr. Schidrich said that the firm chosen for the construction was “Little Diversified Architectural Group located in Charlotte and Charleston.” They were chosen based on a rubric in which they gave a presentation which was graded and compared with other firms.
Of course, when voting is involved, there is always room for doubt. Mr. Schidrich said that he is “a little worried” about the vote for the bill. His fear mostly revolves around fear that the voters will not vote for the referendum and “it would prevent us from creating a school that best meets the needs of the students at HHIHS.” However, Mr. Schidrich believes that the voters will vote in favor of the referendum because “they will see that it will benefit the community.”
With a new school building, school improvements are bound to be underway and Mr. Schidrich listed some of the improvements he is most excited for. Things such as potentially bigger classrooms, more modern technology, more career technology programs, and Distant Learning Labs which are spaces in a classroom for hands-on learning which will change up the traditional classroom setting of one smartboard and 30 desks. He then elaborated on how excited he is about more safety measures being put in place, that the ceilings will no longer leak, and that plumbing will be improved throughout the school.
The design plan of the new school will allow more room for more class and elective options at HHIHS. At the moment, IB and AP classes take place at HHIHS today and will forever remain part of the school curriculum, but Mr. Schidrich stated that he hopes that having a new school building will help “implement classes that aren’t even around at the moment.” In relation to this, the new school building will be able to adapt and change with the times and bring new programs to HHIHS.
The construction of the new school building will take a long time to plan as well as complete. This means that current students at HHIHS will not see the completed building or even the beginning phase of construction. So the new school building will primarily be more beneficial to the future generation of kids at HHIHS. As the principle, it is Mr. Schidrich's job to “pitch” this new school to future families who will put their kids through the HHI school system. He stated that the new building will “give your children, your grandchildren, nieces and nephews a better education and more opportunities” beyond what can already be achieved at HHIHS. Mr. Schidrich also talked about how beneficial the school will be for the economy as students will come out more job ready and will be more tech savvy. Overall a more educated workforce can be achieved with an improved school building.
Since the new building will be most utilized by future HHIHS students, what will future generations hope to achieve with the improved school building? Mr. Schidrich said that he hopes “students will be more competitive and have more access to jobs all around the country and the world. With a more advanced and bigger facility students will be exposed to more career ready programs that range a large variety of jobs.”
Construction moreover demolishing the school building can be very inconvenient for teachers as they will all need to relocate. Mr. Schidrich elaborated on his opinion about teacher retention and if it will be affected by construction. He goes on to say that since one of his jobs as principal is to market the school to potential teachers and staff members, by telling them that staying here at HHIHS through three-four years of construction, you will have a better environment to work in “a more modern, healthy, and cleaner school compared to our old and outdated school,” will help to retain teachers.
Mr. Schidrich also went into depth of how relocation of teachers will be worked out and he said it is possible teachers won’t need to relocate. That a three story building will possibly be constructed in the front parking lot and this building is where everyone can hopefully relocate too when the building is being gutted out. This building will make it so that teachers will not have to relocate to trailers but instead will get to be moved to a brand new classroom. This building will ultimately be interconnected with the regular school building when all construction is complete.
Mr. Schidrich is very excited about the improvements that will possibly be made to HHIHS in the next couple of years. This is not only because of his leadership position but his own personal connection will HHIHS. Mr. Schidrich said he first started working at HHIHS 24 years ago as a teacher. Now he’s married and has two successful children. He remarks that “I grew as a person here, it feels like home.” He also spoke on personal mottos he lives by, how he tells others to choose professions they enjoy the same way he did. This school has helped him grow as a person and he wants this place to be something that he can look back on with pride when he retires, and be proud of the environment he helped create within the new school building. If anything he wants to leave HHIHS better than when he first started.
It's Survey Time!
Surveying Students
Written By Emily Bocialetti
On Wednesday, February 22, students participated in a survey asking for their input on designs for potential facilities planned to be built. Most of the designs offered a modern high school look with collaborative spaces, communal areas, flexible classrooms, flexible lunch room seating, and multi-use outdoor areas. All of it looks beautiful and open with lots of natural light. Two current HHIHS students were asked to talk about the necessity of a new school building and their thoughts on the importance of student opinion.
Juniors Maggie Simms and Angie Hernandez both agree that a new school building is necessary and that HHIHS is lacking compared to the other schools around us. “We are a decently old school and things don’t last forever,” Maggie stated. Both juniors hope to see new bathrooms and more diverse class options implemented into the new school building. Even though construction of the new school building will not be started until 2024, and will not be finished until three-four years in the future, means all students that attend HHIHS now won’t be able to attend a new healthy school building. So are their opinions even necessary? Both Maggie and Angie believe that they absolutely do! Angie stated that if they had surveyed people who had the potential to attend HHIHS when the new school was built, they may give a completely different viewpoint from students who actually attend HHIHS and what they need. Maggie shared a similar sentiment that the survey made students feel included, and allowed them to voice what HHIHS actually needs.
There is a lot of excitement about the potential for a new school building/ Both juniors expressed that they are disappointed they will never get the opportunity to attend a more adaptable school since a referendum has yet to pass. However, they both agree that it is beneficial for the future generation of HHIHS students and will provide them with what they need to succeed. They are very excited to see a new school even though they will not attend it and even hope to come back to see the final product. Angie exclaimed that, “I know a lot of the students that attend the high school [who] have younger siblings who will get the chance to see the new building!”
Students and staff participated in surveys during the month of February to help the architects get an idea of what HHIHS likes, does not like, and what the needs of the building are. Staff took multiple surveys, parents and the community also got to participate in a survey as well. So far students only took one survey that was a condensed version of what staff, parents, and the community did. Below are some examples of questions students took:
Updates from the 2019 Referendum
The front Entrance Renovation
The front entrance of HHIHS was renovated during the summer of 2022 for security updates provided by the 2019 Referendum. The renovation was delayed one year due to COVID-19 and the supply chain impact on supplies. HHIHS is loving the newly renovated from entrance, but cannot wait for a new school building!
The HHIHS Football Field renovation
Another part of the 2019 Referendum was for the football field renovation. HHIHS used to have a grass field that flooded when it rained, turning the field into a muddy mess for football, soccer, track and lacrosse athletes. HHIHS now has a beautiful turf field thanks to the community voting YES to the 2019 Referendum. The stadium not only got a turf field, but a brand new track, sand pit for field events, lights, and upgrades to fencing. The Seahawks are grateful for these updates, but more needs to be done, which is only possible with a YES to the 2023 Referendum in November.
News Stories from 2021-2022
Renovating The Learning Experience: Coming Summer 2022 By: Alex Coley
Summer is often a time where people make changes for the next year, and Hilton Head Island High School is no different. The summer of 2022 will bring a lot of changes to HHIHS, and the theme of the season is safety!
Mr. Schidrich, principal of HHIHS, outlines the changes that are going to be happening while the students are out for the summer. He says that “we have some blind spots that we want to cover to provide a bit of security...a bit of safety for our students and staff,” and these blind spots are HHIHS’s top priority for the renovations this summer.
He goes on to list all the improvements that are going to be made to the building including additional security cameras, bidirectional amplifiers for administrative radios, new bleachers in the gym, and renovations to the front entrance. In his words, these improvements are “definitely [going to] improve safety and keep the building secure,” which is something that all parents want for their children---security.
The renovations to the front entrance will make it safer for the ladies at the front desk. Most schools built after 2000 have a "holding tank," or 3 doors of entry before entering a school. This provides an extra layer of defense and time to analyze individuals before allowing them into a school building. The new front entrance will have a form of this "fish tank" layer of security.
Although these renovations may seem minor to some, there is a reason. While safety is one of the highest things on HHIHS’s checklist, the school is also trying to think ahead. “When we borrowed the money [from the 2019 Referendum],” Mr. Schidrich explains, “there were plans to upgrade the security and safety of our school, but with the potential for a new referendum in November of 2023, we didn’t want to put something new in the building only to have it knocked down two or three years later,” as that would be “a waste of taxpayers money.”
With these thoughts in mind, the school has chosen to focus on safety instead of improvements that would be included in the new facility, like cosmetic improvements to classrooms and any structural changes. Mr. Schidrich elaborates stating, “the [money] was put on things that will keep us safe [and] will keep our technology similar to other schools.”
In regards to why the school is choosing to complete these over the summer, the reasons largely revolve around the COVID-19 pandemic. These renovations were supposed to have occurred during the summer of 2021. However, last summer a lot of materials were not available to the school because of supply shortages. Many of those issues got resolved, but not until school had already started. According to Mr. Schidrich, “[the materials] were available at some point during the school year, and some of these things could have been done during the school year, but that would have been disruptive to the instructional process.” At HHIHS, the focus is on teaching the students as efficiently as possible, so making changes to the learning environment would most likely only distract students from their studies. However, the installation of the bleachers will not be completed until after students return to school.
Students, staff, and families of HHIHS are excited as almost all the renovations are predicted to be completed before the start of the 2022-2023 school year. However, in order to bring HHIHS into the 21st century on all modern security measures, technological infrastructures, 21st. century classrooms and building layout, there needs to be a new school building. This is why the November 2023 Referendum is so important to the community, and HHIHS needs the community's help to get a new school building. HHIHS is currently the oldest high school building in Beaufort County, having been built in 1983.
Here is where it all Began. in 2019 the Community voted to pass the 2019 referendum. 4 months after the vote, the world changed forever when COvid-19 became a pandemic. The world shut down, but hhihs saw this as a time to embrace an opportunity. in the middle of a gloabal pandemic we started the Seahawk times to inform the community about all the great things happening at hhihs amid a lot of negative news, and to provide updates on the 2019 referendum. Below are the first news articles published about what a referendum is and what the 2019 referendum entailed. These articles were published during the 2020-2021 school year.
News Stories from 2020-2021
The Word of the People & How it Impacts HHIHS
by Alex ColeyThe Word of the People & How it Impacts HHIHS
Referendums are defined by the Webster Dictionary as “the principle or practice of submitting to popular vote a measure passed on or proposed by a legislative body or by popular initiative” but they are more important than their definition. The reason referendums exist, according to Secretary of State, Kim Wyman, is to “give voters an opportunity to approve or reject laws either proposed or enacted by the Legislature.” Referendums are basically the public’s way of putting their opinions into the government through their voice and not through elected officials. So how does that impact HHIHS?
The majority of the funds for the school comes from taxpayers, so it makes sense that they would have a say in where that money goes. Hilton Head Island High School principal Mr. Schidrich states, “When the county wants to borrow money from the taxpayers, the taxpayers vote on it because the taxpayers are the ones who pay for it.”
In years prior, the voters have elected to not allow the county to borrow money for the schools’ renovations and upgrades, but recently that changed. This last referendum was the first in 13 years to pass allowing the school system to borrow money to improve their schools. And that money went mostly to building a new school for May River and River Ridge Academy. A sum of that money also went to HHIHS for the school to plan new renovations for the school. According to Mr. Schidrich, “For Hilton Head High School, we’re going to be the big project on the next referendum, which we’re hoping is going to be in 2025 or 2026.”
There are two options for the school, the first would be to build an entirely different school and the other would be to make changes to the existing building. The latter option is the one more likely to occur. As Mr. Schidrich said, “we are currently the oldest school in the county, this is our 37th year, so our building is old and it needs a lot of upgrades.” Some of the upgrades would be security upgrades, technological upgrades, and renovations to the school’s athletic facilities.
According to Mr. Schidrich, “When we make the design, we’re going to get everybody involved. In other words, teachers are going to get involved, parents are going to get involved, students are going to get involved. Everybody’s going to have an opinion and we’re going to take all those opinions into account when we design this new building, so it’s going to be a community project.”
Mr. Schidrich says “When I leave here as principal, if all this works out, by the time I retire I want to hand the next principal a new building” and if the next referendum passes, that may very well happen. Referendums are incredibly important to Hilton Head Island High School and referendums are the community’s hope for a better future for the school.
All About the Referendum
by Ellie MastroroccoAll About the Referendum
Referendums are defined by the Webster Dictionary as “the principle or practice of submitting to popular vote a measure passed on or proposed by a legislative body or by popular initiative” but they are more important than their definition. The reason referendums exist, according to Secretary of State, Kim Wyman, is to “give voters an opportunity to approve or reject laws either proposed or enacted by the Legislature.” Referendums are basically the public’s way of putting their opinions into the government through their voice and not through elected officials. So how does that impact HHIHS?
Mr. Schidrich, the principal at Hilton Head Island High School, gives insight on referendums and says how important referendums are especially for schools.
As each state has their own constitution, so do schools and other groups/organizations. A referendum allows a community to vote on issues themselves. Just as you would vote for a president or senator in November, a referendum is also included on a ballot.
For schools, there is a bond referendum. This allows for renovations, upgrades, extensions, and improvements to be done. Money has to be borrowed for these improvements, so a bond referendum is needed. A bond asks to borrow money from the public. One key component required for a bond is trust. Mr. Schidrich says, “you have to be responsible with the money.
About every five to seven years, a new bond referendum is needed. The latest improvements done to the school will eventually need to be upgraded again. The longer the wait for the new renovations, the harder it is for the school to hold out.
“It makes it difficult to have a modern school system without having the money for improvements and upgrades,” Mr. Schidrich says.
Every school eventually begins to wear down.
A referendum typically covers topics such as new schools, extensions/construction, security upgrades, athletics upgrades, etc.
Hilton Head Island High School, will have a bond referendum in 2025/ 2026.
A school referendum is a bond referendum, which allows improvements to happen and education to become more accessible.
The Rare Referendum
by Sophia WeismantelThe Rare Referendum
Mr. Schidrich, principal at Hilton Head Island High School, believes referendums are an important part of the school community.
He explains that referendums are common in state governments. For example, to amend the state constitution there must be a referendum where the people decided on a proposed amendment. There are different kinds of referendums, but Mr. Schidrich focused on a bond referendum for schools.
Bond referendums are when taxpayers pay for these new additions that would positively affect schools and educational institutions. They are organized by the district and managed by the superintendent. Mr. Schidrich explains, “Bond referendums are when the county borrows money for school improvements, additions, and new construction. The referendums are organized by the district. The money is ___ through a community oversight committee.”
In the referendum passed in 2019, Robert Smalls International Academy will receive a new building. River Ridge Academy and May River High School will receive new additions to the existing buildings.
“Hilton Head Island High School is receiving upgrades to our security, technology, and athletic facilities. Over 5 million dollars will also be used to design a new HHIHS or renovate the current building,” Mr. Schidrich reveals.
HHIHS is now the oldest high school in the county. The school has been open for 37 years.
“The new design for the school may be used to build or renovate HHIHS in the next referendum,” Mr. Schidrich says.
Mr. Schidrich is excited for the potential at HHIHS and he has high hopes for a positive school year and the future of the school.
Mr. Schidrich's Referendum Q&A
by Laura PayneMr. Schidrich's Referendum Q&A
Q: Do you have any plans to improve the school over the summer? "Yes, during the summer there are some referendum projects that are going to be done. They’re going to redesign our front desk to make sure it safer and more secure. We are getting improvements to our athletic fields, as well as improvements to our security cameras and our computer infrastructure over the summer."
Q: Would any specific parts of the school be remodeled? "Yes, right now the front office. We are going to add an extra layer of security at the front desk. The football field is going to look very different next year: we are getting a turf field, we are getting a new track, and we are getting new lights; so that is going to look different too.”
Q: Even though the school is in good, working condition, do some parts desperately need working on?"Yes, as we get deeper into the 21st century, our computer infrastructure is outdated. All of the servers go into the data room. The data room is not big enough and we need more room. The current room is too small. Our air conditioning systems are older, our plumbing is sometimes not in good, working order, and our roof leaks a lot. People do not know this, but we are the largest single-story structure in Beaufort County; that means we have a lot of roof. We are spread out, so we have more opportunities for leaks. Our air conditioning system leaks a little bit too, so we are old. This building has a lot of wear-and-tear on it. By the time the next referendum comes in, this building will probably be somewhere between 43 and 45 years old.”
Q: How is SIC involved with the plans to improve or remodel the school?"Well, the SIC is made up of parents, it is made up of community members, it is made up of teachers, and it is made up of students. We want the parents to weigh in, we want the teachers to weigh in, we want the students to weigh in about what this building should really look like when we remodel it, or whether we rebuild it. The SIC is required by state law to exist. They primarily help the principal improve the school. Each year, the SIC establishes initiatives to improve the school. Some are one year initiatives, while some might be long term. One of the initiatives is to help us create or redesign the school to make it a modern 21st century building.”
Q: What are the structural needs of the school?“We need to improve our security; we need to have security cameras, more lighting in the parking lots, a stronger and better roof, a better air conditioning system, better technology, and better infrastructure. We need to update a lot of the old electrical. We need to build a structure to help prepare our students for not just college, but also for industrial skills. I am thinking about building an automotive shop, maybe a boat repair shop, since we are in a beach and boat community. This would teach our students to be able to go out and work in the boat repair business. The newer schools that are being built have Career and Technology programs that have appropriate facilities. We hope to create more classroom space to teach these skills.”
the Referendum & The Impact on School Art
by Sophia Weismantelthe Referendum & The Impact on School Art
A new mural was recently added to the halls of Hilton Head Island High School. Principal Schidrich sat down to discuss its message and how the upcoming referendum will affect school artwork as a whole.
Inspiration for the new mural goes back to the time of the Civil War, depicting free slaves with the Union Army. Mr. Schidrich goes into detail about the mural, stating, “This area (HHI) was in the hands of the Union Army for most of the Civil War, so a lot of escaped slaves came here to seek protection,” he says, “that’s where the Gullah population came from; it is a combination of African, American, and Christian beliefs all mixed together, and a lot of our native African-American population are descendants of the Gullah people.” He continues, “It is a tribute to the history and legacy of Hilton Head Island.”
When asked if the referendum will change any artwork around the school, Mr. Schidrich states, “that is going to be one of the things that will be a challenge. We are going to try to preserve as much of the art as possible.” Mr. Schidrich also offers a new perspective saying, “it also depends on how you want to look at it as well, because we do have a lot of art in the building done by students who graduated five, ten, fifteen, twenty years ago, so this is an opportunity for the next generation of students to put their stamp on the school.”
Mr. Schidrich describes the process of deciding where the art will be placed around the school, “Mrs. Dobbelaere (HHIHS art teacher) is the one who spearheads a lot of this, and she identifies spots where she thinks a mural or some sort of art should go.” He continues, “you want the building to show off the talents of our students, so the art department finds the appropriate places for the artwork.”
Mr. Schidrich shows his excitement for the visual arts students of Hilton Head Island High School; it will be interesting to see how new students make their mark on this school with its upcoming renovations.
A Mural's Purpose
by Marisa MartucciA Mural's Purpose
Hilton Head Island High School has recently revealed a new mural in X-Hall. It depicts the history of the Gullah people, and their importance to Hilton Head Island history
Mr. Schidrich, the current principal at HHIHS tells why the mural was put in place. “The mural is about the celebration of the Gullah population, language, and culture.” The Gullah people originated as enslaved people escaping to the coastal islands, and there is still a prominent amount of Gullah people still in Hilton Head Island today. The mural is used to depict art of their life and images, while also celebrating the current descendants of the Gullah.
When asked about the possibility of more murals of this kind, Mr. Schidrich says, “Yes and no.” With the new referendum associated with the school, which includes the expansion of the current school building, he fears that the expansion would destroy fresh art. Mr. Schidrich does want to add more murals after the renovations to inspire students to create and celebrate everyone and their histories.
The HHIHS Referendum Plans Are Still In Affect
by Kevin PerezThe HHIHS Referendum Plans Are Still In Affect
The Referendum has been affected by the pandemic in some ways but most of the plans for the Referendum are still intact. The Referendum, passed in 2019 has not been majorly affected by the pandemic at Hilton Head Island High School.
The construction timeframe of the Referendum has been affected because of a shorter summer. Mr. Schidrich, principal of Hilton Head High School, states, “Right now we have money from the last Referendum and we also got a late start too,” and “we have less time to do construction in the summer because it is short, plus we don’t want to bother the learning environment because of the construction.”
Mr. Schidrich says that the referendum has not been impacted by the pandemic. Mr. Schidrich also states, “Yes one impact is there will be less time to work on the Referendum projects because of the shorter summer.”
The pandemic has also not removed any changes to the Referendum plans the school has because there is a law to make changes for the Referendum. Mr. Schidrich says, “No because we have to make the changes because it is the law and they are still deciding what we are going to do first for renovations.”
The pandemic has not given the school any new ideas for the Referendum because they are still working on what renovation plan they are going to do for the school. Mr. Schidrich states, “Not currently because there are long ways to go for finishing renovating the school.”
The school is still going to do everything they were hoping to do this school year for the referendum because they want to improve the school. Mr. Schidrich states, “We still are going to do all we are hoping to do.”
Hilton Head Island High School Referendum remains the same and current projects are on track. The high school will still have its renovations and more are still in the planning stages.
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