HARDEEVILLE, SC – Parents, students, staff, Board members, members from the Charter
Institute at Erskine team, and more gathered on September 12 for the premiere of The Wicks
Family Legacy – The Story of Royal Live Oaks Academy of the Arts & Sciences Charter School
(RLOACS).
The event was complete with food trucks, a red carpet, popcorn, and confetti cannons as the
school community came together to celebrate the founders of RLOACS, Dr. Karen and Mr. Les
Wicks. After uprooting their lives in the Northern United States to fulfill their calling to impact
the South Carolina education system, The Wicks’ family opened RLOACS ten years ago and
continues to transform the next generation of students.
Dr. Wicks believes that after weighing their options, a charter school was the most impactful
option. “We had to think of something we might be able to do [for the community]. This was a
way to give parents options for their children,” said Dr. Wicks.
Vamshi Rudrapati, the Director of the Charter Institute at Erskine, believes that the work that
they have done is bigger than just RLOACS.
“Karen and Les Wicks have left a legacy that will live on for a very long time in our
community,” said Rudrapati. “They are an inspiration to our next generation of school leaders,
and they demonstrate the impact that just two educators can have on thousands of young people.”
Watch the documentary here.
Royal Live Oaks Academy of the Arts & Sciences is a K-12 public charter school located in
Jasper County that uses project-based learning to highlight the importance of critical thinking
and problem solving. RLOACS is authorized through the Charter Institute at Erskine.
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The Charter Institute at Erskine is the fastest-growing school district in South Carolina. Serving 24
schools and 24,000 students across the state, the Charter Institute at Erskine is committed to innovative,
creative, high-quality methods of education. For more information about the Institute, please visit
www.erskinecharters.org.
