St. James High School (South Carolina) Explained

Motto:Sharks Move Only in One Direction, FORWARD
St. James High School
Schooltype:Public secondary
Address:10800 Highway 707
City:Burgess, South Carolina
Zipcode:29576
Country:United States
Coordinates:33.615°N -79.0525°W
Campus Type:Suburban
Ceeb:411472
District:Horry County Schools
Grades:9 - 12
Enrollment:1,837 (2022–23)[1]
Faculty:106.50 (FTE)
Ratio:17.25
Principal:Ryan Poston
Superintendent:Rick Maxey
Mascot:Sharks
Colors:Blue and white
Newspaper:Shark Attack
Yearbook:Echoes
Feeder Schools:St. James Middle School
St. James IntermediateSchool
St. James Elementary School
Burgess Elementary School
Seaside Elementary School

St. James High School (SJHS) is a public high school in Burgess, South Carolina, United States, located west of Highway 17 on Highway 707 approximately six miles from the Atlantic Ocean. It is one of 13 high schools in the Horry County School District. St. James has over 1,700 students and is the home of the St. James High School Sharks. St. James Elementary, Burgess Elementary, Seaside Elementary, St. James Intermediate, and St. James Middle School feed into St. James High.

History

Due to the rapid growth in the south beach area and overcrowding at Socastee High School, Horry County Schools began planning the construction of a new high school in the Burgess community in 2002. Although the county wanted to name the new school South Strand High School, the decision was ultimately left up to a committee formed by local students and parents to select the school's name, mascot, and colors. The name St. James High School was chosen, and the school opened to students in 2003. St. James opened with 700 students, which did not include a senior class.

In 2016, St. James won the prestigious Palmetto Finest School Award.[2] [3]

Campus

The high school has eight computer labs, a media center with over 14,000 books, a 682-seat auditorium, gymnasium, mini gym, and a weight room. Its athletic facilities include three lighted practice fields, a 5,000 seat football/soccer stadium surrounded by an eight-lane track, a softball field, baseball field, four tennis courts, and an on-campus cross country course. Additionally, the boys' golf team plays at Wicked Stick Golf Links in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, the girls' golf team plays at Blackmoor Golf Club in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, and the swim team meets at Coastal Carolina University.[4]

Academics

St. James offers 19 Advanced Placement classes[5] along with Horry-Georgetown Technical College.

The English Department produces the Shark Attack school newspaper and the Echoes yearbook.[2]

A JROTC program was also implemented in 2010, with about 200 cadets annually.[6]

Athletics

St. James offers 11 fall sports, seven winter sports, 13 spring sports, and five annual sports.

State championships[7]

Fine Arts

St. James High School offers inclusive, award-winning Fine Arts Programs that consistently earn top placements at competitions, produce professional level musical theater productions, and focus on students' growth and achievement.

Alumni of St James Theatre have successfully continued with a BA/ BFA degrees in Theatre and Musical Theatre and can be seen in performance venues across the United States. [10]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: St. James High. National Center for Education Statistics. July 30, 2024.
  2. Web site: St. James High School / Homepage. sjh.horrycountyschools.net.
  3. News: School's Name Up to Community. 23 June 2012. The Sun News. 22 Mar 2001.
  4. Web site: St. James High School / Homepage. sjh.horrycountyschools.net.
  5. Web site: AP Course Audit. apcourseaudit.epiconline.org.
  6. Web site: SJHS Army JROTC . 2023-02-24 . sites.google.com.
  7. Web site: Past State Champions. https://web.archive.org/web/20130111201910/http://www.schsl.org/pastchamps.html. 11 January 2013.
  8. https://www.wmbfnews.com/2022/08/05/this-is-carolina-pride-st-james-marching-band/
  9. http://www.stjameshighschoolchoir.com
  10. https://www.horrycountyschools.net/domain/3137