Rock Hill names welcome center after first Black principal of fully integrated high school
Rock Hill Schools voted this week to name the welcome center at Northwestern High School after Samuel Foster, a 93-year-old educator who became the first Black principal of a fully integrated high school in South Carolina. Foster began his tenure when the York County school first opened in 1971.
Naming the welcome center is a rare exception for the region, which has had a long-standing policy against naming its facilities after individuals.
School board members suspended the rule to specifically recognize Foster’s legacy as a leader who guided the school through its early years of integration.
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The Rock Hill Schools Board of Trustees finalized the decision to honor Foster at a meeting this week. While the district maintains a strict policy against naming its facilities after people, board members decided Foster’s historic contributions warranted a rare exception. The district immediately reinstated the naming policy following the vote.
Foster became the first Black principal of a fully integrated high school in South Carolina when Northwestern opened in 1971.
He reminded that the integration process faced significant challenges from the local community at the time. “When this school was built, there were a lot of people in the community who didn’t want it,” Foster said.
Despite this resistance, Foster said he sees his leadership as a way to help the country move toward its social ideals.
“I saw the opportunity to come to Northwestern as an opportunity to do what the nation strives to be. Be a more perfect union, okay?” Foster said.
Foster explained that she felt it was necessary to take this position so that Black students could have a mentor they could look up to during the transition.
“I ultimately chose to go the Northwestern route because I knew if I didn’t, some of our kids, maybe all of our kids, wouldn’t have anyone to care for during the transition,” Foster said. He noted that students need someone to encourage them and provide a sense of direction during the transition.
Speaking about his career, Foster said he discovered that students value safety and justice above all else. He said that they attach most importance to programs that will help children have a safe atmosphere and be successful while having fun. Foster said he was honored to have the district’s work recognized.
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