Referendum

Mr. Schidrich's Referendum Q&A

by Laura Payne
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do some parts desperately need working on?"Yes, as we get deeper into the 21st century, our computer infrastructure is outdated.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 Weismantel
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 Martucci
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 Perez
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.