Chapman High School was visited by some guests that were of major importance on Nov. 18. They were representatives for SCASA who every year give a school the prestigious Palmetto’s Finest Award.

The visit had been planned and people had been preparing for the visitors for a while.

“We as a leadership group had been talking about the award for about a year,” said Assistant Principal Andrew McMillan.

The leadership group then were given roles and duties to prepare for the visit.

“My role was assisting the teachers as they began to write the application,” McMillan said. “It was a team effort to collect evidence.”

“I helped the teachers start to create the presentation for the visitors,” said Instructional Coach Amy Driggers. “It was very supportive and touch and go.”

The group created a room full of evidence that showed examples of work from classes.

“We needed good representation for all programs,” said Driggers. “We provided evidence for how great Chapman was.”

The representatives came on Nov. 18 and were able to visit every classroom as well as being able to see the work and pictures from fine arts and athletics.

“I hope that the visit was a success,” said Principal Ty Dawkins, “but I measure success on if we get a second visit.”

The school now must wait and see if they are able to get a second visit, but the leadership group is being positive about it.

“We all know that Chapman is fantastic, but when we presented it to the representatives it warmed our hearts, (and) it made us proud,” Driggers said.

“I think that the visit was a success,” McMillan said. “I think that the award will bring validation for our school.”

The best thing about the award and the visit was being able to see the achievements of the faculty, staff and the students.

“It is our culture, it’s who we are and we are proud of it,” Driggers said.