Dent Middle School cut the ribbon on a brand-new creative and fine arts building on October 28, pairing the opening with a rededication ceremony that marked 100 years since the Dentsville community school first opened its doors. The event folded Dent's own history into Richland School District Two's broader centennial celebration, which is honoring a full century of the district under the theme “Learning, Leadership, and Legacy.”
According to richland2.org, Dent is the oldest school in Richland Two, and it has evolved from a five-classroom rural schoolhouse into the campus standing today. Over its ten decades, the district says, Dent operated under several different configurations, serving students from first through twelfth grade at various points, and functioning at times as a high school and later as a junior high school before becoming the middle school it is now.
The school's roots trace back even earlier, according to Dent's own historical account. The Dent Middle School history page notes that in 1922, the Dentsville district was served by a two-teacher school housed in a small frame building in the community. The same account says the student population grew rapidly between 1930 and 1950, a surge driven in part by the consolidation of the Pontiac, Messers, Shady Grove, and Fort Jackson Districts with Dentsville. The Columbia Star reported that the school's history reflects growth from that original five-room schoolhouse into the sprawling campus Dent occupies now.
A Building Years in the Making, Shaped by Dentsville's Past
The new fine arts building was designed by Craig Gaulden Davis PBK Architecture and constructed by Hood Construction, per the district's announcement. District officials framed the project as a direct extension of Dent's identity as the oldest school in Richland Two, built on a campus with ties stretching back to the Dentsville Consolidated school founded in August 1926. That original school, according to the Columbia Star's earlier reporting, opened on February 14, 1927, after delays tied to a lack of running water and heat.
Principal Tamala Ashford spoke to what the milestone means for the school she now leads. “Being entrusted with a school with such a remarkable legacy is an honor,” she said, according to the district's account of the ceremony. Ashford also said Dent remains committed to providing a quality education despite changes in the world, a message the district tied directly to the opening of the new creative and fine arts space.
Centennial Address Frames Building as Commitment to the Whole Child
Mark Huhtanen, Richland Two's Senior Chief Operations Officer, delivered the centennial address on behalf of Superintendent Dr. Kim Moore. Huhtanen described the new building as a physical manifestation of the district's belief in educating the whole child, and said it would teach empathy and resilience while giving students a place to discover their talents and complete their own artwork. The district framed the event as a renewal of Richland Two's commitment to preparing what it calls future “Blue Diamonds” to lead, innovate, and succeed.
The ceremony came as Richland Two continues marking its hundredth year under the “Learning, Leadership, and Legacy” banner, a theme the district has used throughout 2026 to connect its history to its current priorities. A photo caption from the event identified Richland Two school board member Gary Dennis, board chair Niki Porter, and board secretary Shelley Williams as attendees.
Arts Programming Already Part of Dent's Identity
The new building adds physical space to arts and enrichment programs that have long been part of Dent's campus life. A South Carolina school report lists band, orchestra, chorus, digital keyboarding, graphic arts, computer graphics, and dance among the electives offered through Dent's Fine Arts and Media Enrichment program. The same report notes that Dent also has a Steel Drum Band among its extracurricular offerings, giving students another outlet beyond the traditional classroom.
For a school that began as a two-teacher operation in a small frame building nearly a century ago, the new creative and fine arts building marks another chapter in a campus that has repeatedly reshaped itself to meet its community's needs. District officials say the opening represents Richland Two's broader dedication to arts education as the school and the district continue their shared centennial year.
