Greenville Technical Charter High Planning Next Phase of Expansion Project
Expansion Plans
With a primary goal of accommodating its growing student population, Greenville Technical Charter High School (GTCHS) has unveiled plans for the second phase of its expansion project. These plans envision a significantly larger cafeteria and additional science labs for the 25-year old charter high school located on the Greenville Technical College’s campus.
In recent years, the school has experienced substantial student growth, causing space issues that now demand address. Recognizing this necessity, Mary Nell Anthony, the outgoing principal of GTCHS, has been at the forefront of the school expansion project.
“Our extensive waitlist made it clear that we had to increase our capacity to accommodate more students not only in numbers but also in terms of the facilities they deserve,” Anthony explains. Over time, she has seen the student population grow from 440 to 540 students.
At present, the charter school operates out of three different buildings situated on the college campus — Building 119, Building 120’s ground floor, and its Student Learning Center, inaugurated in 2021. Helping in this school expansion endeavor, Greenville Tech plans to extend more space to the charter school on the third floor of Building 120.
Anticipated Improvements
The upcoming expansion in square footage would enable the school to renovate and create a dedicate cafeteria space capable of accommodating 50% of its student population. As of now, the school hosts two lunch periods, each catering to approximately 250 students. Currently, students have the option to sit in the school’s 60-person capacity cafeteria or the outdoor dining area during their lunchtime. However, inappropriate weather often coerces students to choose hallways or teachers’ classrooms to have their meals, a situation that isn’t ideal.
With a dedicated and larger indoor cafeteria, Anthony believes students will be brought closer to each other, instilling a strong sense of community among them. Moreover, such an expansion provides an opportunity to add three more science labs in building 120. At present, all four science teachers share a single lab, which sometimes impacts the optimization of student learning experiences.
“Instead of planning the labs based on student learning needs, we are being forced to plan around lab availability,” says Anthony, emphatically pointing out that student learning has to take precedence. The proposed expansion aims to optimize student learning experiences, making their education more effective and efficient.
Funding and Timeline
Funding for the phase two renovations requires $2 million, with approximately $1.1 million so far being secured through donations, grants, and annual campaigns. GTCHS is currently in talks with the college to finalize renovation plans, after which building 120 will be handed over.
Renovations are expected to commence immediately after Memorial Day in 2025 and are estimated to be completed within 12 weeks. “We are deeply grateful for the continued partnership and support from the college that has made this expansion project feasible,” Anthony says.
Previous and Future Expansions
In its first expansion, the school garnered a $7 million student learning center in 2021 that included a gym and weight room, a black box theatre, fine arts program classrooms, computer labs, and the Aircraft Owners and Pilot Association STEM program.
Long-term plans for facility development entail increasing classroom sizes to meet the minimal size requirements, establishing a counselor suite equipped with office spaces for school counselors, career development facility, the school’s therapy dog program, and a mental health worker.
Fun Fact: Greenville Technical Charter High School stands as the pioneer of public charter schools in South Carolina since its establishment in 1998.
