Dr. Adderly Praises SC Governor's School
- Charles Reams
- Apr 9
- 4 min read
Today Dr. Cedric Adderly, president of the SC Governor’s School of the Arts & Humanities, issued a statement about his tenure at the school.
He said, over the ten years, I’ve been pleased to see the consistent level of artistic, academic, and personal growth of our students during the time they’re enrolled at the Governor’s School.
What a pleasure to see all our students succeed. One hundred percent of our students graduate and have amazing professional careers, some in law and medicine, others in the arts.
Our student body comes from all 46 regions of the state. And all prosper.
The achievement was good in 1999, but our subsequent curriculum adjustments have propelled performance to another level. I could not be prouder of this maturation.
Our students are consistently recognized at the national level, earning honors from YoungArts Alliance and the National Scholastic Art & Writing Awards with several earning the prestigious US Presidential Scholarship in the Arts. Academically, our students rank above state and national averages in SAT/ACT scores and we have 100% graduation and college acceptance rates, with seniors receiving millions in scholarships to attend top universities and conservatories. Our alumni not only excel in arts careers, they include Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony winners and nominees. They are also highly successful in professions in other fields including law, health professions, and most every STEM program. A few of our graduates are:
Patina Miller (Drama, ‘02) - Her breakout role was as originating the role of disco diva wannabe Deloris Van Cartier in the 2009 West End and 2011 Broadway productions of Sister Act for which she earned Laurence Olivier Award and Tony Award nominations, respectively. She also starred as the Leading Player in the 2013 Broadway revival of Pippin, for which she won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical. She later returned to Broadway to star as the Witch in the 2022 Broadway revival of the Stephen Sondheim musical Into the Woods. She is also known for her role as Commander Paylor in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay films, and her starring role as Daisy Grant in the CBS political drama Madam Secretary. She has also starred in the PBS series Mercy Street (2017). In 2021, Miller began starring as Raquel "Raq" Thomas in the Starz television drama Raising Kanan. In 2024, she voiced Sera in the adult animated musical series Hazbin Hotel.
Danielle Brooks (Drama, ‘07) - Her breakthrough role was as prison inmate Tasha "Taystee" Jefferson in the Netflix comedy-drama series Orange Is the New Black (2013–2019). In 2015, Brooks made her Broadway debut in the musical revival of The Color Purple as Sofia, for which she received a nomination for a Tony Award and won a Grammy Award. In 2023, Brooks reprised her role as Sofia in the film adaptation of The Color Purple and was nominated for an Academy Award, British Academy Film Award, and Golden Globe Award for her performance. In 2021, she played gospel singer Mahalia Jackson in the made-for-television biographical film Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia, for which she was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Television Movie as an executive producer. In 2022, Brooks hosted Netflix's reality series Instant Dream Home and was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Daytime Program Host. The same year Brooks starred in the superhero series Peacemaker (2022–present), and returned to Broadway in the revival of the August Wilson play The Piano Lesson, for which she received a Drama Desk Award nomination.
Nicole Beharie (Drama, ‘03) - Best known for her starring roles in films such as the drama American Violet (2008), the psychological drama Shame (2011), the biographical sports drama 42 (2013), and the independent drama Miss Juneteenth (2020). From 2013 to 2016, Beharie starred in the Fox supernatural drama series Sleepy Hollow. She went on to appear on the Netflix anthology series Black Mirror (2019). In 2023, she joined the cast of the Apple TV+ drama series The Morning Show, which earned her a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.
Daniel Adam Maltz (Music, ‘12) - Fortepianist, based in Vienna, Austria. He is in demand worldwide, performing in 50+ cities per year as a sought-after soloist, director, Lieder accompanist, and clinician.
Latria Graham (Music, '04) - Was just awarded the prestigious American Mosaic Journalism Prize for her reporting which comes with a $100,000 award.
Andre North (Music, ‘05) - Director of Bands for Hanahan Middle and Assistant Director of Bands at Hanahan High School was named SC Teacher of the Year (2022)
Rachel Inman (Visual Arts, ‘07) - Is a lead designer for Google Earth and other Google products. She led the team that developed Google Maps Live View, which received a Webby Award in 2020. (Webby Awards are given for excellence on the Internet, by the International Academy for Digital Arts and Sciences)
Lonnie Russell (Music, ‘11) - Earned a BS in Music Performance with minors in Chemistry and Biology from the University of South Carolina. Then he earned a medical degree from the USC School of Medicine and is now a family medicine doctor in Marietta, GA.
