Sandhills School breaks ground with construction on a major building project funded by the Darnall W. and Susan F. Boyd Foundation

The $2.1 million dollar project is an investment in the future of South Carolina and the current and future students of Sandhills School, bright, college-bound children who need a different approach to teaching and learning.

Boyer Construction will complete the new Boyd Foundation Building, designed by Lambert Architecture, this Spring, and will enlarge and update existing classrooms to welcome additional students for the 2021-2022 school year. The Boyd Foundation Building will provide nine state-of-the-art classrooms, eight specially designed Orton-Gillingham reading intervention rooms, a science lab, a flexible use community space, and a covered patio for outdoor classes overlooking a pond on the beautiful 23-acre Southeast Columbia campus.

“It is our pleasure at the Boyd Foundation to support Sandhills School in this endeavor. This is going to be a wonderful gift to the community that will allow this school to continue to provide its wonderful service to even more members of our community… this school can change lives”

-George Bailey, Boyd Foundation

The Darnall W. and Susan F. Boyd Foundation promotes and supports projects of specific interest to the Boyd Family, such as education, beautification, creation of outdoor recreational opportunities and enhancement to benefit the quality of life for citizens of Columbia and the Midlands.

“This incredible gift from the Boyd Foundation represents faith in our students, in our expert Orton-Gillingham teachers, and in our mission to unlock the gifts and unleash the potential of students who learn differently. Just like our students, this new building is filled with promise.”

 -Erika Senneseth, M.Ed., Head of Sandhills School

Started by parents in 1970, Sandhills School is a vibrant, independent college-preparatory school serving students in first-twelfth grades with dyslexia and related learning differences. It is the only Orton-Gillingham accredited school in the Midlands and one of just seventeen in the nation, with students from 25 local zip codes and families who have relocated to Columbia from eight states for their child’s education.

Students lined the school entrance on Hallbrook Drive off Garners Ferry Road with hard hats and signs that expressed their gratitude, welcoming the Boyd Foundation in the final day before winter break. Not even the crisp weather or the masks could hide the excitement in one hundred students’ eyes as they jumped up and down and cheered with happiness, confidence, and school pride, their colorful shovels at the ready to dig up the dirt and do their part in breaking ground.