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Building Our New School

A New School for Robert Leadership Academy

Concept art of new building exterior
Concept art of new building play area
Lobby Interior
Groundbreaking Ceremony Group Picture
New Building Lobby Staircase
Classroom in new building

In 2019, voters approved the countywide referendum which includes building a new school for Robert Smalls Leadership Academy. The school will be built behind the current building on the athletic fields. The old school will be demolished and new athletic facilities created in its place.

News Release - August 7, 2023

BEAUFORT – School and government officials, students, Board of Education members, and community supporters gathered at a momentous ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the unveiling of the district’s largest project funded through the bond referendum approved by county voters in November 2019.

The $63 million construction project for Robert Smalls Leadership Academy (RSLA) includes:  

  • Two floors and four wings
  • Outdoor learning pavilions and spaces
  • Two-story lobby that pays tribute to the life and journey of Robert Smalls
  • Corridor with a historical timeline depicting the school’s history as well as significant local, state, and national events
  • New ball fields to be completed January 2024
  • Increased parking and additional space for car riders
  • Exterior detailing resembling the C.S.S. Planter, the ship commandeered by Robert Smalls

Speakers at the ribbon-cutting ceremony included Board of Education Chair Christina Gwozdz, Superintendent Frank Rodriguez, school principal Bradley Tarrance, and the great-great-grandson of Robert Smalls, Mr. Michael Boulware Moore.

“The Board of Education sincerely thanks everyone who played a part in seeing this project to fruition,” said Board Chair Christina Gwozdz, who also noted that in addition to being a war hero and holding state and national office, Robert Smalls “served on the Beaufort County School Board early in his career.”

Superintendent Frank Rodriguez thanked the voters of Beaufort County for overwhelmingly supporting the 2019 Bond Referendum. “Your commitment is so important because it allows us to provide our students and teacher with a state-of-the-art learning environment.” In the legacy of Robert Smalls, Rodriguez said the new facility will be “a place where students can be leaders, share their genius, own their learning, and develop their full potential.”

Over 400 people were in attendance, making this one of the largest ribbon-cutting ceremonies in the district’s recent history.

“As we cut this ribbon, let it serve as a constant reminder of the power of education to transform lives,” said Principal Tarrance. “Let it remind us of our duty to ensure that every student who walks through these doors is given the opportunity to thrive and succeed.”

Kansas City-based J.E. Dunn Construction is the contractor for the renovations and the designer of record is LS3P Associates Ltd., of Charleston. 

All referendum projects and expenditures are being independently monitored by the Citizen-Led Oversight Committee.

Supporting video footage.