Connecting schools considered in Johnsonville revitalization plan

A central focus point to connect schools in Johnsonville is one idea listed in a plan to revitalize and restore the small Florence County town.

Florence School District 5 Superintendent Dr. Dale Strickland recently presented information on a suggested focal point for the district’s three schools in a town plan.

The plan was produced with a collaborative effort from the SC Mayors Institute for Community Design, the state Design Arts Partnership, the Clemson Architecture Center in Charleston and the Charleston section of the American Institute of Architects.

In January, a design workshop was conducted to create ideas for a new master plan aimed at revitalizing Johnsonville’s downtown central business district, as well as a Francis Marion Heritage Park along Lynches River.

“The basic concept (of the plan) is that you tie in all three of our schools together with, kind of, a focal point,” Strickland said in a telephone interview. That focal point is a traffic circle ... all roads lead to one central point to our schools and that leads to the main street in Johnsonville.

“At first I didn’t think it had a lot of potential, but the more I looked at it, the more feasible it (looked),” he said.

District administrators will continue to look at the plan and see if there is a possibility of funding in the future for the project, Strickland said.

In other district news, Randy Smiley, assistant superintendent for the district, has updated school board members on the installation of the district’s latest SMART Board purchases. SMART Boards are interactive white boards that use liquid crystal display (LCD) projectors.

The board made a commitment that it would fund SMART Boards to teachers who takes the initiative to learn about the new technology, Strickland said.

Any teacher is interested in receiving a SMART Board would have to go through a grant process, he said.

There are 11 SMART Boards at Johnsonville Elementary School, three at Johnsonville Middle School and five at Johnsonville High School.

So far, there are 54 SMART Boards, with 33 already in classrooms and 21 being installed.

More than 50 percent of teachers in Johnsonville will have SMART Boards in the classroom in the coming school year.

The district has invested about $200,000 for the new equipment.

The board also received updates on summer projects at the middle and high school, and approved a field trip request for the high school’s JROTC program and a Title I grant application.

On the Web

AIA Charleston, http://www.aiacharleston.com

Clemson University, http://www.clemson.edu

South Carolina Arts Commission, http://www.southcarolinaarts.com