Charleston County, South Carolina – Baptist Hill High School’s Career and Technology Education Department is transforming classrooms into platforms for real-world success.
The school is presently among Charleston County’s most college- and career-ready high schools. News 2’s Octavia Mitchell is in Hollywood for our Cool School of the Week.
Baptist Hill High School is all the rage. Baptist Hill High School, a Title One school in the Town of Hollywood, with almost 300 students and provides various possibilities for career and technical education.
Baptist Hill’s principal, Brion Rutherford, is in his first year of leadership. “It’s a tiny rural high school with a rich tradition in both the community and the school. We have a lot of community support around here. “We have a substantial barbering program, digital media, business entrepreneurship, construction, Army JROTC, and an introduction to biomedical engineering,” he stated. “For being a small school, we are able to offer our kids a lot of opportunities to prepare them for their post-secondary careers.”
He also noted that Baptist Hill High School’s College and Career Readiness scores on state report cards are among the highest in Charleston County.
The institution offers the only barbering program in the district. Melissa Jones-Horton, a master barber and hair care educator, travels from the Midlands to Baptist Hill every day to give the course.
“I live in Lancaster, South Carolina, so it takes me three hours, six hours a day,” she told me.
Students might obtain certification and work in the profession before graduating.
“Students can start their own business, network with other businesses, or do something related to the industry. Students may make millions in this field. This is an industry that cannot be replicated by AI or robots. Jones-Horton remarked, “You will always need a barber or master hair care stylist; we cannot be duplicated.”
Senior Jaiveonne Gathers already owns a barbershop. He elaborates: “I’m just dedicated to the program, to help develop other young barbers and to give back to the community.”
Bobcats are also exposed to entrepreneurship through business education and digital art.
Students obtain credentials, create goods, and fill genuine company orders, and the proceeds go back into the curriculum. Sarah Hogle, the CTE Department Chair, stated, “My class is really fun because it’s graphic design, and they get to learn Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop.” They also offer photography, photo editing, and video editing. We also create things using a cricket machine. We produce t-shirts, vinyl, stickers, and have a laser cutter. They gain valuable hands-on experience developing things for the real world.”
From the buzz of the hair clippers to the buzzing of the saw in construction class, these students are laying the groundwork for success.
Darrin Moore, the Construction Technology teacher, adds, “It’s an excellent class. It was added to Baptist Hill around five years ago. We teach core, an introduction to basic construction. We teach OSHA-10 construction safety, specifically electrical safety, which is quite similar to domestic electrical and general carpentry. I informed all of my kids early in the year that whether you want to do this for a living or not, it can either make or save you a lot of money. Because when you grow up, you’ll have to fix a toilet. You’ll have to replace a ceiling fan, possibly repair some sheet rock, or fix anything around the house. This offers you the skills and know-how to accomplish it, the ability to go out and serve others while earning a job, so it’s a fantastic thing to do.”
Although Senior Mikayla Walker plans to pursue a career in medicine, she states, “I want to be a pediatric radiologist.” Her key to success is having multiple blueprints. “Construction is fun for me. I hold an Intro to Construction certification. I am an electrician and OSHA-10 certified. I believe it is quite beneficial because it educates outside of school. It teaches us things we can utilize in the real world.”
Principal Rutherford anticipates ongoing progress at Baptist Hill.
“This is an excellent environment for students. There are numerous prospects here, and we are excited to see what the future holds for Baptist Hill, which I believe is quite bright. Our report grade increased by five points as a result of our students, community support, and traditions, all of which contributed to our College and Career Readiness number. I would say that all of these factors combined make Baptist Hill High School the trendiest school in the Lowcountry.”
