Five Charleston county schools gain partial magnet status

Five Charleston County Schools will open as partial magnet schools next year. It's part of a plan to give parents more choice.

By Octavia Mitchell
Published: November 24, 2008

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Five Charleston County Schools will open as partial magnet schools next year. It's part of a plan to give parents more choice.

The district awarded partial magnet status, which allows schools to create new themes that will serve students within their attendance zones and beyond.
The five schools include Memminger Elementary, a predominately African American school in Downtown Charleston. The school will partner with the College of Charleston to incorporate a global studies theme.

Principal Anthony Dixon says the change will create more diversity and opportunities for students. He says, "What it will mean to Memminger is one we're hoping to provide families downtown and in the Charleston community another choice, another option for schools. Also, give a new innovative approach to instructing our students. We will be social studies enriched, but we will make sure that it's thematically placed through out english language arts, mathematics, and science."

Margaret Chanler teachers first grade at Memmingner. She says, "Hopefully it's going to add a lot of diversity in the classroom. We're going to be bringing in a lot more information and education on global studies and international studies, and we're very excited about it." Parent Julie Hussey says her son will start kindergarten at Memminger next year. She says "Magnet school is a wonderful way to bring in diversity. We're excited about him coming to his neighborhood school, and the fact that his neighborhood school will be a magnet that's connected with the College of Charleston, also a school that is focused on thinking about the world, how he fits into the world, neighborhood, city, region, the world is exciting."

The other schools approved for partial magnet status are Chicora Elementary, Haut Gap, Mitchell Elementary, and Laing Middle school. The five schools will receive extra financial and staffing support, and will be accepting applications as early as next month.