Even as the Governor's School for Agriculture continues to bounce back from the effects of Hurricane Helene, the administration has set the date for our Aggies to return to campus.

Dr. Tim Keown, our agency president, released the following statement this afternoon (Monday 10/7):

Working closely with a team from Gregory Electric Company, Inc., we have been able to restore electrical service on the campus of the South Carolina’s Governor’s School for Agriculture at John de la Howe! This is a giant step forward in our ongoing effort to reopen the John de la Howe campus.

As today (Monday) is on the calendar as a school holiday, our administrative team feels it is in the best interest of student safety and comfort to keep the campus closed for the remainder of this week as announced last week. There is no need to cut corners and take chances with student well-being.

This will give our facilities staff a chance to assess the reliability of our power grid and perform any necessary minor repairs and cleaning at residence halls. It also will allow our cafeteria staff to clean and restock our kitchen for a seamless transition back to classes next Monday, Oct. 14. Residential students should make plans to return to campus Sunday afternoon, Oct. 13 between 4-8 p.m.

Our significant progress after Hurricane Helene is thanks in large part to a team effort by our entire staff. We were aided by Gregory Electric’s highly-skilled line crews and by a team from the South Carolina Forestry Commission, who helped clear large trees that fell across power lines and damaged our infrastructure. We could not be this close to reopening without the hard work of all these community partners.

Stay safe this week. Take care of each other, and we look forward to welcoming our students back to the farm this coming Sunday to continue this history-making year! Through the storm and beyond, we remain Aggie Strong!