New School Named For J.C. Brice

The future middle school at the site of the old Easley High School was officially named J.C. Brice Middle School by the School District of Pickens County board of trustees.
In a 4-2 vote on November 26, the board elected to name the school in honor of James C. Brice Sr., a former principal and football coach at Easley High School and SDPC superintendent.
The football field at the Pendleton Street site bore Brice’s name for decades.
“Mr. Brice was very influential in education in Pickens County in the early years,” said Judy Edwards, chairwoman of the board of trustees. “He was always well respected in our educational community.”
The name was the top recommendation from a committee of community members that met on November 13.
Committee members preferred the name because of its ties to the history of Easley area schools, and the parallelism to the other middle school in Easley, R.H. Gettys Middle School, which was also named for a former
principal and superintendent.
R.H. Gettys Middle School is set to split beginning in the 2014-2015 school year, with half of the students attending J.C. Brice Middle. The feeder schools for J.C. Brice will be West End and Forest Acres Elementary.
Students from Crosswell, East End and McKissick Elementary while continue to move on to Gettys Middle.
Gettys Middle School will occupy the Pendleton street building during the 2013-2014 school year as the Gettys building is being renovated.