John de la Howe School Sees Change on the Horizon

 

By Temple Ligon

 

The State of South Carolina runs a school, something of an orphanage, in McCormick called the John de la Howe School. The school’s property and its early funding came from Dr. John de la Howe in the late 18C. A half-century ago the school had a student population of almost 400, but now it’s less than 100.

Reportedly the student count could just about double based on the administration and the physical plant. Problem is, the physical plant is allowed to deteriorate, leaving residential cottages empty. The administration wouldn’t have to expand a whole lot if the student population doubled, but the cottages would have to be extensively restored, and the State of South Carolina prefers not to spend that kind of money.

With a small student population and all the requisite accommodation, the cost per student gets prohibitively high. The expense per capita could fall with a well-maintained campus.

The reduced student population is composed of kids who really had it tough at home, so tough the state had to pull them away from their immediate environment  for their own protection.

As a public school, John de la Howe goes up for accreditation like any other, and this last time John de la Howe did not pass. Now the State of South Carolina is asking Clemson University what should become of the John de la Howe School and its students.

The students are sort of a special needs type, which means high overhead in taking special care of special students.

A few years ago I was asked to serve on the board of the John de la Howe Foundation Board, and soon enough I was elected chairman. There is a board of trustees, and it’s their job to maintain academic standards. Our job, the foundation’s job as we decided for ourselves is to enhance the student experience at John de la Howe.

Last fall we took a full 14-seat passenger van to Auldbrass, near Beaufort, Frank Lloyd Wright’s only working plantation. Wright began construction in the ‘40s, and in the late ‘80s Joel Silver, the Hollywood producer, bought the place and proceeded to pump maybe $30 million into the compound. Once every two years, just for a weekend, Auldbrass is open for tours. The kids really enjoyed the tour.

Then the students went to Charleston for lunch on King Street and a private meeting in City Hall with Mayor Joe Riley. En route back to McCormick we taught them how to kill and grill lobster at my place overlooking Blossom Street.

This past Saturday, another group came to Columbia for ribeye steaks and linguine with fresh littleneck clams. Point being, we at the John de la Howe Foundation believe the kids should get something a little different from the daily routine. After an early supper, everybody went to the Koger Center for the opera, Verdi’s Rigoletto, which was the school’s fourth trip to the opera.

We’ve taken them to USC baseball and women’s tennis matchs. They’ve walked off the Columbia Museum of Art and they’ve accompanied me to Hand Middle School while I voted.

As we keep up the opportunities for a Saturday excursion, we also look far forward. We want to refurbish the two tennis courts on the school grounds and we need to restore the swimming pool. Every kid should be looking forward to leaving John de la Howe knowing how to swim, at the least.

These Saturday excursions cost the school nothing. The money comes from friendly and generous Columbians who want to help.

How this fits in with whatever Clemson recommends, I’m not sure.

 

 

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