“Do what is best for kids” was Lucy Beckham’s motto. It has also been Lucy Beckham High School’s (LBHS) mantra since opening as Charleston County School District’s newest high school in Fall of 2020. The 24-25 school year marked our fifth year and our third commencement of over 400 graduates. It was the culmination of a vision set forth many years ago by our namesake but brought to fruition by our students, staff, families, and community.
The mission of LBHS is to live by the “I’s” of the Bengal Tiger-Intelligence, Integrity, and Involvement. The goal is to enable all students to become well-rounded, self-aware adults who are truly college, career, and life-ready. In our fourth year, LBHS has continued to earn notable achievements and set a high academic bar. Many students are enrolled in Honors and Advanced Placement coursework, and showed strong performance on End of Course and PLTW exams.
While LBHS has high expectations for student achievement, it also nurtures students by ensuring they enjoy school. One such example is CREW (Creating Relationships and Exploring Within), a student advisory period; based on research that connects a sense of belonging and community with higher achievement, CREW sets aside time for students to build relationships, strengthen literacy, serve their community (food and clothing drives, Angel Tree, pet rescues, etc.), and prepare for college and post-secondary careers. These moments together, along with independent learning time and extended lunch period, have proven to foster a positive school and community culture which will be built upon for years to come.
With a full student body of 9-12th graders, LBHS fielded a myriad of sports teams and moved into the 5A division for athletics. This was a banner year, winning four state championships in our first year of 5A. Bengals captured its 1st state championship in Men’s Volleyball, 3rd state championship in Women’s Tennis as well as its 1st state championship in Women’s Lacrosse and 4th state championship in Men’s Lacrosse. Our musicians earned multiple seats in Regional and All-State band, orchestra, and both Band and Orchestra were given Outstanding Performance Awards. Our Theatre groups competed successfully and we expanded our Dance, Ceramics and Interior Design offerings. Students competed in regional, national, and international competitions such as the Coast Guard JROTC National Color Guard competition and our animal rescue, MeowDog took multiple accolades in only their second year. LBHS has over 50 clubs and organizations and contributed almost 11,000 service hours this year. Our Senior class earned on average more than 30 Carnegie units, maintained an average GPA of 4.01 and received $19.4M in scholarships to colleges and universities locally, nationally and internationally.
As important as content knowledge and achievement are for students, everything they do should be embedded with 21st century skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, and collaboration. These skills were modeled with students throughout the year; they learned to work together, problem-solve, and adjust to a myriad of situations while maintaining strong performance in all areas.
The success students and LBHS achieved would not have been possible without the consistent support from families and the community, including the Town of Mt. Pleasant, East Cooper Medical Center, and our parent organizations, PTSO, Athletics Foundation, Arts Foundation and Bands of Beckham Boosters. They provided athletic and arts support and made funding available to remove barriers and make certain all students, staff, and families were able to experience the benefits!
Doing what is best for kids, we are one team, one family, one Beckham!
Anna Dassing, Principal
Brantli McMillian and Erin Scheffer, SIC Chairs
