Coach To Be Featured On WIS

I just learned that Mr. Craig Smith, a community member who helps coach baseball at Lugoff-Elgin High School and for the American Legion in the summer will be featured on the 5:30 p.m. WIS news today as a “Person To Count On.”  Craig is a great role model and an outstanding coach!  This is very well-deserved recognition.

CERRA Visits LEHS

On Tuesday, November 30, Lugoff-Elgin High School will be one of nine schools across the state and the only one in the Midlands to be visited by folks from CERRA (the Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention, and Advancement) to help celebrate the organizations’s 25th anniversary.  Three former South Carolina  Teachers of the Year will spend the day teaching classes, covering the cafeteria, and working with Teacher Cadets.  Thanks to CERRA for allowing us to be part of its celebration!

Welcome Back!

Welcome back!  I hope everyone had a great break.  During the weeks leading up to Christmas, our students and out schools will be involved in many community service projects and holiday programs.  I hope we can all support our students and their teachers in this very special part of the season.

Collaboration

ATEC Director Chet Horton shared a great story with me the other day.  Law Enforcement teacher Jeff Cooper and Health Sciences teacher Kathy Vidal swapped students for a day to give students some additional information from another perspective.  I really like this kind of collaboration!

Food For The Soul

The new “Food for the Soul” shelter and feeding facility located behind the United Way’s Holsten Center on DeKalb Street will be opening soon.  The items listed below are needed to help get the new facility off the ground.  Donations can be dropped off at the Holsten Center.

Supplies Needed:

Paper towels, paper napkins, toilet tissue, kleenex, cloth dish rags, cloth dish towels, dish soap, tall kitchen trash bags, large trash bags, baby wipes, playtex gloves, bleach, comet cleanser, glass cleaner, toilet brusher, all purpose cleaner, rag mops, industrial brooms, commercial dishwasher soap, washing  powder, feminine hygiene items, aspirin, tylenol,  bandaids, antibiotic ointment, hand sanitizer, bathroom air freshener spray, disinfectant spray, disposable diapers.

Linens Needed:

Twin flat sheets, twin blankets, bed pillows, pillow covers, bath towels, wash cloths, crib sheets, baby blankets.

Mastercam

While I was over at ATEC on Tuesday, I stopped by Mr. Walter Thompkins’ metalworking class where the students demonstrated a program called “Mastercam” to me.  This is a program used for automotive design.  I was really impressed with how the students explained the program to me and what the program is capable of doing.  I learned a lot and greatly appreciated the students taking time to talk with me.

Visits….

It was fun starting the day up at Baron DeKalb yesterday.  This is a school that gets down to business instructionally right away.  One of the things Baron DeKalb does very well is recognizing students on its marquee.  I know it means a lot to the students.

Later in the day, I visited Ms. Sandy Pace’s choir class and Ms. Nancy Neal’s band class at Camden Middle.  They were working on holiday music and sounded great.  Started getting me in the spirit!

School Board Member An “Ironman”

Congratulations to School Board member Dr. Charles King who this past weekend completed an “Ironman” competition in Augusta, Georgia.  The Ironman competition is a a grueling combination of running, swimming, and cycling.  Dr. King has trained hard for many months in preparation.  A tremendous accomplishment!

A Richly-Deserved Recognition

At yesterday’s Carolina game, Camden resident and long-time community music educator Pat Wylie was recognized for his many contributions to the USC Marching Band program.  (Pat is the “voice” of the band.)  This is a richly-deserved recognition for a man who had dedicated his life to music and exposed countless young people to the wonders of music.

Thursday…..

As always, I enjoyed the annual Kiwanis Country Breakfast yesterday morning.  Got to see lots of people from the community and learned that our colleague Allen Teal can cook a mean ham.  The Kiwanis do tremendous work for our community and our schools. 

Learned that North Central High School has been awarded a grant from International Paper to support the school’s efforts to incorporate reading into content area instruction.  Great job!

While I was at Jackson Elementary in the afternoon, I was able to watch Jackson teacher Tabitha Glover using her excellent acting ability to bring a story to life for a group of students.  She should be on Broadway!!

In the evening, my family and I enjoyed attending the annual Turkey Supper sponsored by the Lugoff-Elgin Middle PTA.  I really enjoyed the student entertainment! 

After dinner, I got to attend part of the awards ceremony for the Kershaw County Reading Council.  Congratulations to Mary Crayne from Camden Elementary, Janice Kline from Stover Middle, and Wendy Campbell from Lugoff-Elgin High School who were recognized as Reading Teacher of the Year for their respective levels,  and Dr. Gerald Gary, Principal at Jackson Elementary, who was recognized as Reading Administrator of the Year.