A collaborative meeting regarding the future Moore Innovative High School was held on Friday, Feb. 28, in Van Dusen Hall at Sandhills Community College (SCC) with Moore County School representatives, Dr. Tim Locklair, Dr. Mike Metcalf and Dr. Ashlee Ciccone, as well as Sen. Tom McInnis and Rep. Neal Jackson from the General Assembly of North Carolina.
Additional guests in attendance were Nick Picerno, vice chairman of the Moore County Board of Commissioners; Robin Calcutt, chair, and Shannon Davis, vice-chair of the Moore County School Board; Larry Caddell, chair, and Tim Carpenter, vice-chair of the SCC Board; representatives of the SCC Foundation Board, and SCC staff.
In a press release, SCC announced the purpose of the meeting was to review steps that have led up to the Moore Innovative High School’s concept; how the funding was obtained; and how the team expects to execute the plan over multiple phases related to academics and future space moving forward. The high school focuses on at-risk students who may drop out.
Presentations were made by Ciccone who was proud to announce that there are 10 students who have already applied when applications only became available on Feb. 28. She shared that she has visited all interested eighth graders in the district as well as at charter, private and home schools. She believes talking to the parents is important to the process in finding the right students who will thrive in this small high school environment and be successful.
In addition, Provost Dr. Rebecca Roush, Executive Vice President Dr. D.J. Farmer and President Dr. Sandy Stewart from SCC shared information related to increased enrollment of high school students; course curriculum pathways and opportunities; and steps to design and construct a facility.
The first class will start this fall by welcoming a freshmen cohort on the second floor of Van Dusen Hall with an anticipated inaugural class of 70. Staffing, courses, meals and transportation will be provided by the school system. The advanced planning phase is underway with an expected report to the SCC Board of Trustees in April. The board will have options to consider for site placement, size, scope, and projected costs of any building projects. The next phases will be design and construction on the SCC campus, with the goal of completion by fall of 2027.
While those phases are taking place, the second floor of Van Dusen Hall will host at least the first two cohorts of students, expected to be around 70 apiece. This concept will be like the efforts at Sandhoke Early College High School in Hoke County but serve a different population of students while offering additional experiences on campus and in the classrooms.  By the students’ junior and senior year, they will start integrating classroom and hands-on experiences within the college environment with the potential of earning an associate degree as a super senior if they wish.
McInnis noted that North Carolina has been recognized as the No. one or No. 2 state for business for the past three years, bringing a surge in job demand.  By 2031, there are projected to be 576,000 annual job openings in the state and 68% of those will require a postsecondary or high-quality credential.
“By funding and focusing on these in-demand workforce skills and trades, the new high school and SCC will continue to propel the pipeline talent and open doors for students in our region,” said SCC in a press release.
Feature photo: Leaders from Moore County Commissioners, Moore County Schools, SCC and the North Carolina Assembly, gathered Friday, Feb. 28 in Van Dusen Hall on the campus of SCC to discuss plans around the new Moore Innovative High School. The first cohort of freshmen students will start fall 2025 on the campus at SCC with instruction and support services provided by Moore County Schools.Â
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