Hammond School (South Carolina)

Hammond School is a preK through 12 college preparatory day school in Columbia, South Carolina. Founded in 1966, the school is renowned for the strength of its academic program, as well as impressive arts, athletics, and community service components.

History

Hammond School in Columbia, South Carolina, is a college preparatory day school enrolling boys and girls in Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12. The largest independent school in Columbia, Hammond is located in the southeastern section of Columbia, South Carolina. The city is the state's capital, home of the University of South Carolina, and has a variety of cultural and educational resources enjoyed by students and faculty on field trips.

Hammond School was founded as James H. Hammond Academy by a group of white parents from rural lower Richland County interested in developing a segregated college preparatory school with a rigorous curriculum that would help prepare their children for acceptance into the college or university of their choice. The school opened in September of 1966 with an enrollment of 260 students. Since that time, it has more than tripled to its current enrollment of over 900. In 1989, the Board of Trustees changed the school's name to Hammond School and voted to adopt a global focus to prepare students for the larger world they will enter as adults.

Hammond is widely renowned for its rigorous academic curriculum which begins in the earliest grades. Hammond was the first independent school in South Carolina to adopt a one-to-one iPad initiative, insuring every student in each grade has an iPad for classroom use. The college acceptance rate is 100%, with typical academic scholarship offerings exceeding $4 million per graduating class. In addition to a strong focus on community service, superior arts and athletics programs supplement and enrich the curriculum while helping nurture the individual student's talents. The school holds 116 State Championship titles and set a record in 2012 for the most consecutive football state champions for any independent school.

Hammond places a strong emphasis on experiential education and begins taking field studies in the earliest grades. By grade four, students participate in an overnight field study, with similar off-campus class trips occurring every year thereafter. For the global studies component of the curriculum, the school selects a country to study and gears its programs toward the people and culture of that land. One faculty member from each of three divisions (Lower, Middle, and Upper School) travel to the chosen country, immersing themselves in the culture and history of that country. Members of the 11th grade travel to Costa Rica, Central America, for a ten-day visit each spring. The School's mission is to provide students with the finest college preparatory curriculum, while inculcating in them an understanding of other peoples and cultures.

Hammond has adopted five imperatives that form the basis of the Hammond experience:

• 1) Rigorous academic standards that prepare and push
• 2) Challenges that build the mind, body and spirit
• 3) A culture of high expectation
• 4) Meaningful connection to the larger global community
• 5) An environment that enhances, rather than impedes, possibility.

The school is a nonprofit organization governed by a self-perpetuating Board of Trustees including parents, alumni, and community leaders.

Administration

The school is a nonprofit organization governed by a self-perpetuating Board of 28 Trustees including parents, alumni, and community leaders.

Athletics

Hammond boasts 116 state championship titles in sports such as:

Fall-Tennis, Cheerleading, Volleyball, Golf, Football, Swimming, Cross Country, Hunt Seat Equestrian, and Western Equestrian

Winter- Basketball, Wrestling, and Cheerleading

Spring- Soccer, Softball, Track and Field, Lacrosse, Golf, Tennis, Baseball, and Sporting Clays

Most of these sports are offered to both girls and boys for Middle School, Junior Varsity or JV, and Varsity.

Notable Alumni

• Kelsey Chow - Actress
• Charlie Todd - founder of Improv Everywhere

References

External links

• Hammond School Website