Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School

Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School
Location
601 Bruin Pkwy Orangeburg, South Carolina 29118 United States
Coordinates	33°31′26″N80°50′11″W / 33.5239°N 80.8364°W / 33.5239; -80.8364
Information
Type	Public
Established	1971(54 years ago) (1971)
School district	Orangeburg County School District
Principal	Dr. Patricia Moultrie‐Goldsmith
Grades	9–12
Enrollment	1,000~ (2025–2026) [1]
Colors	Maroon, orange, and white
Mascot	Bruin
Website	owhs.ocsdsc.org

Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School is located in Orangeburg, South Carolina.

It is a part of the Orangeburg County School District. It is home to the Mighty Bruins/Bruinettes and also an International Baccalaureate World School. ^[2]

History

Delano Middleton, a student at Wilkinson High School, was one of those killed in the Orangeburg Massacre.

Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School was formed with the merger of Orangeburg High School and Wilkinson High School in 1971. ^[3]

Rivalry between Bloods gang members and Folk Nation members escalated into a fight that lead to three students being shot and wounded on the school campus on Aug. 18, 2021; a 14-year-old male shot the students on the front lawn area of the school, and was later charged in adult court with three counts of attempted murder. ^[4]

Media appearances

In 2016, the school was featured in the six-part BBC documentary series Segregated America: A School in the South. ^[5]

Notable alumni

Miscellaneous

• Shelton Benjamin, professional wrestler signed to the WWE, was a 2x NCAA wrestling All-American at the University of Minnesota ^[6]
• Marianna W. Davis, professor and author who wrote about black women ^[7]
• Michael Hackett, professional basketball player ^[8]
• Jaime Harrison, politician, chair of the South Carolina Democratic Party (2013–2017) ^[9] and Democratic National Committee (2021–2025) ^[10]
• Mike O'Cain, American football coach ^[11]
• Eugene Robinson, newspaper columnist and an associate editor of The Washington Post ^[12]
• Bakari Sellers, politician ^[13]
• Mike Sharperson, MLB infielder and 2x World Series champion ^[14]
• Herm Winningham, MLB player and 1990 World Series champion with the Cincinnati Reds ^[15]
• Beverly Buchanan, artist

NFL players

• Donnie Abraham, NFL cornerback and Pro Bowl selection in 2000 ^[16]
• Alex Barron, NFL offensive tackle ^[17]
• Woodrow Dantzler, NFL running back and safety ^[18]
• Arturo Freeman, NFL safety ^[19]
• Deveron Harper, NFL defensive back ^[20]
• Dwayne Harper, NFL cornerback ^[21]
• Albert Huggins, NFL defensive tackle, 2x CFP National Champion with Clemson ^[22]
• Tim Jennings, NFL cornerback and 2x Pro Bowl selection ^[23]
• Maurice Kelly, NFL and Canadian Football League defensive back ^[24]
• Max Runager, NFL punter and 2x Super Bowl champion, ^{[25] [26]}
• Rusty Russell, NFL and Arena Football League offensive tackle ^[27]
• Jonas Seawright, NFL defensive tackle ^[28]

References

1. "Orangeburg Wilkinson High". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved February 25, 2025.
2. "EChalk". Archived from the original on 2009-01-22. Retrieved 2009-02-01.
3. The origins of Wilkinson High School | The Spot | thetandd.com. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
4. Carter, Maegan. "14 year old Orangeburg Wilkinson High School shooting suspect charged as an adult". WACH.
5. "BBC Three - Segregated America: A School in the South". BBC.
6. (Mar 20, 2005). Grant Jr., Thomas. It didn't come easy - Orangeburg's Shelton Benjamin shares his thoughts, views about life as a WWE' Superstar. thetandd.com. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
7. "Dr. Marianna Davis dies - Davis was the founder of the Black History Teleconference". 23 September 2021.
8. Michael Hackett Player Profile, Jacksonville, NCAA Stats, Awards. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
9. (June 4, 2020). Blakeney, Barney. Can Jamie Harrison Beat Lindsay Graham in South Carolina?. The Charleston Chronicle. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
10. "Former South Carolina Senate candidate Jaime Harrison elected DNC chair". www.cbsnews.com. January 22, 2021. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
11. Coach Mike O'Cain - Clemson Tigers Official Athletics Site. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
12. Eugene Robinson - South Carolina African American History Calendar. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
13. Arielle Hayes (March 21, 2014). "Lt. governor candidate Bakari Sellers tells Claflin students he is ready for next step as change agent". Claflin University . Retrieved March 3, 2016.^{[ permanent dead link ]}
14. Mike Sharperson Stats. Baseball-Reference. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
15. Herm Winningham Stats. Baseball-Reference. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
16. "Donnie Abraham". Pro-Football-Reference.com . Retrieved May 3, 2020.
17. "Alex Barron". Pro-Football-Reference.com . Retrieved May 3, 2020.
18. "Woodrow Dantzler". Pro-Football-Reference.com . Retrieved May 3, 2020.
19. "Arturo Freeman". Pro-Football-Reference.com . Retrieved May 3, 2020.
20. "Deveron Harper". Pro-Football-Reference.com . Retrieved May 3, 2020.
21. Dwayne Harper Stats. Pro-Football-Reference. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
22. Albert Huggins, Orangeburg-Wilkinson. 247Sports. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
23. "Tim Jennings". Pro-Football-Reference.com . Retrieved May 3, 2020.
24. "Maurice Kelly". Pro-Football-Reference.com . Retrieved May 3, 2020.
25. "Max Runager". Pro-Football-Reference.com . Retrieved May 3, 2020.
26. Sielski, Mike (November 18, 2017). "Hero's life, lonely death: Max Runager suffered because he no longer had football". The Times and Democrat. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
27. "Rusty Russell". Pro-Football-Reference.com . Retrieved May 3, 2020.
28. "Jonas Seawright". Pro-Football-Reference.com . Retrieved May 3, 2020.

External links

• Official web site