Monthly Archives: August 2016
PES Golf Classic scheduled Oct. 8 at Rock at Jocassee
PICKENS — For almost 15 years, the Holly Springs community helped support the “Puttin for PAWS” golf tournament to benefit Holly Springs Elementary through the school’s PTO.
The recent school consolidation closed Holly Springs Elementary in June, causing many teachers and students to change schools. Starting at the beginning of the 2016-2017 school year, Pickens Elementary found itself the new home to several teachers and students, as well as principal Donna Harden. In an effort to bridge the two school communities together, the golf tournament is going to continue under the new name the Pickens Elementary Golf Classic, or PES Golf Classic for short.
The tournament will be held this year on Saturday, Oct. 8, at the Rock at Jocassee Golf Club. In previous years, the golf tournament proceeds have been the primary financial support for the PTO. The PTO contributes and supports several things in the school such as classroom and school improvement, student awards and recognition, staff appreciation events, and other needs the school has that aren’t directly budgeted from regular budget.
“We are looking forward to putting this event on and we appreciate all of the support that the Holly Springs family has received from the Pickens Elementary family as several of our staff and students have merged together,” Harden said. “We are looking forward to a great day on Oct. 8.”
There are several ways that people from the community can contribute and participate in the event. You can play in the tournament on a golf team. Teams are made up of four individuals, and the fee per team player is $85. The fee includes 18 holes of golf with a cart, breakfast, lunch, mulligans and red tees.
Also, anyone with a hole in one will have a chance to win an XRT 850 Utility Vehicle. Another way to contribute without participating is to help sponsor. Any amount would be welcome but starting at $100 you can be a silver sponsor and advertise your family or business name on each golf cart used by participants. Also other levels of sponsorship are available including a hole sponsor for $150, gold sponsor for $250, which includes your name on each lunch or breakfast bag, a hole sponsorship as well as silver sponsor benefits. Platinum sponsorship is $500 and includes being the name sponsor for a watering hole as well as gold and silver benefits. This year’s corporate sponsor is Ivey’s Furniture in Pickens. They will have a team represented as well as co-owner Alicia Ivey serving on the board for the tournament. She said the company is “very excited to be able to give back to an event that will help bring the families and students of these two schools together”
A silent auction with lots of donated events from local businesses will also take place to help raise funds for the golf tournament. The items will be on display and available for bidding at Ivey’s Furniture, located at 502 Ann St. in Pickens, from Saturday, Oct. 1, through Friday, Oct. 7, during their normal business hours.
For more information, contact PES PTO president Lynette Brackett at (864) 704-0484 or vice president Tom Kelley at (864) 430-8743.
Flowers make everything better
Tom Butcher lives in Liberty now, but he was born Dec. 11, 1948, in Flint, Mich. He lived there on a 40-acre dairy farm. He said he was [cointent_lockedcontent]five years old the first time he milked a cow. When he was 7 years old, his dad sold the farm and bought a 180-acre dairy farm in Byron, Mich.
Tom graduated from Byron High School in 1967. While in high school, he played basketball, baseball and football. He graduated from Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant, Mich., in 1973. He majored in biology and minored in physical education. He received a degree in teaching.
Four days before he graduated from college, he bought 20 cows and rented a 100-acre farm. He ran a dairy there for three years. In 1976, he bought a 65-acre farm. He worked at that farm for 10 years, but in 1985, he sold the cows and started teaching school.
Tom taught at Byron Middle School. He taught seventh- and eighth-grade general science. He also coached girls’ and boys’ varsity basketball and track. He retired in June 2010, after 25 years of teaching.
In 1994, he took a year off from teaching and bought a round-trip ticket to England. He spent 88 days there. He went to London, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Stratford-Upon-Avon. He toured Shakespeare’s home, Stonehenge and many other historical places. He rented a car in Switzerland and drove to Paris, France, and Florence, Italy. He said he took hundreds of pictures while in England, and looking at them now brings back so many good memories of the places he toured.
In 1997, Tom married Jackie Dye. They have one daughter and two grandchildren.
Their daughter, Marilee, married to Mark Hendricks, lives in Six Mile. Tom and Jackie wanted to be close to their daughter, son in-law, and grandchildren, Olivia, who is 8 years old, and Gracie, who is 5 years old. In 2011, Tom and his wife moved to Liberty and bought a house.
Tom started riding a motorcycle when he was 15 years old. He owns a 1996 Harley Sportster, which he calls The Iron Horse. He said he likes to ride the motorcycle in the mountains and the backroads of Pickens. He loves to be outside on the open road.
Twice a month, on the first and third Monday, Tom meets at the Pickens Library with a group who likes to write. He is a talented writer, but he said he has no intentions of ever trying to have any of his writings published. He writes for self-satisfaction.
Tom said flowers make everything seem better. He grows day lilies. He has 130 varieties of colors growing in his flower garden. He said his favorite time of the year is spring, because that is when the flowers are in bloom.
Easley resident Carol Baker highlights interesting local residents and helps us get to know more about the fascinating people who call Pickens County home. If you have someone somewhere who you think people should know about, contact us at news@thepccourier.com.[/cointent_lockedcontent]
Tickets now available for annual Clusters for Kids Oyster Roast
EASLEY — Friends of Pickens County Guardian ad Litem cordially invite the community to the third annual Clusters for Kids Oyster Roast.
The event will be held Saturday, Oct, 22, from 5-9 p.m., at Arran Farm, located at 820 Lenhardt Road in Easley.
Honorary chair of the third annual Clusters for Kids Oyster Roast will be S.C. House District 3 Rep. Gary Clary.
Proceeds from the evening will assist in funding the Friends of Pickens County Guardian ad Litem programs to ensure that no child in Pickens County goes without the love, care, and necessities to have a safe, happy and healthy childhood while a part of the Guardian ad Litem Program. Programs funded include annual Heart and Sole Back to School Shopping, new clothes closet for children coming in to placement, annual Children Spring Fling and numerous other requests for the children and program.
“There are approximately 400 children with a Guardian ad Litem in Pickens County, with over 240 of these foster and kinship children being eligible for this year back to school clothing day at Belk and Rack Room Shoes,” event chair Tammy Clark said. “There is no better feeling than to have a teenager to write and say ‘I really appreciate the money to shop for clothes today and all you’ve done for me’ or receiving a note from Miracle Hill saying ‘our boys and girls are thoroughly enjoying their new clothes and shoes! It’s wonderful that they will have new things for a new academic year. We are excited to see our kids learn and thrive!’
“With our county being one of the highest in the state when it comes to neglected and abused children, making a different one child at a time, especially when you see the different through the eyes of the child.”
The evening of Saturday, Oct. 22, will include roasted oysters and southern style buffet, music, silent auction and more.
Ticket prices are $50 individually and $90 per couple, with a limited number of tickets available at the door for $75 each, and may be purchased online at friendspcgal.org.
Since 2002, the Friends of the Pickens County Guardian ad Litem has been providing holistic support to abused and neglected children and court appointed volunteers for the Pickens County Guardian ad Litem program, encompassing volunteer-centric events and community awareness. Friends of the Pickens County Guardian ad Litem programs ensures that no child in Pickens County goes without the love, care, and necessities to have a safe, happy, and healthy childhood while a part of the Guardian ad Litem program.
Visit
friendspcgal.org to learn more about the Friends of Pickens County Guardian ad Litem.
Pitt to head student nutrition services
COUNTY — The School District of Pickens County’s Student Nutrition Services Department will have a new but familiar leader this school year.
Jenaffer Pitt, who has served as the field trainer supervisor in the department since 2011, was approved as the new director of the department on Monday, Aug. 23.
“Mrs. Pitt was a perfect fit for this position, and she’ll be ready to keep our food service running effectively from day one,” said Dr. Stephanie Lackey, SDPC’s executive director of Human Resources. As Field Trainer Supervisor, Pitt became familiar with every aspect of school food service management, including budgeting, menu planning, performance evaluation, and nutritional regulations. “The SNS director positions requires a very unique set of knowledge and skills, which Jenaffer has. Just importantly, she loves our students and is dedicated to making sure that every child leaves our lunch rooms full, happy, and healthy.”
Pitt came to SDPC in 2010, and served for one year as the cafeteria manager at Liberty Elementary School before being promoted. From 2001 to 2010, she was the owner and operator of Carolina Creme of Easley. She holds a B.A. in Business Administration from University of South Carolina Upstate.
Pitt will be succeeding Sally Nicholson as director, who has accepted a food services director position in another school district. During Nicholson’s tenure as director, she established and maintained excellent financial health for the SNS department. She also led the way toward several HealthierUS School Challenge Awards for several schools by creating healthier school environments through promotion of nutrition and physical activity.
BHSPC Youth Board take part in Leadership Training
COUNTY — On Aug. 12-14, the Behavioral Health Services of Pickens County Youth Board participated in its annual Leadership Training at Bonclarken Conference Center in Flat Rock, N.C.
Ernie Dandeneau, chairmen of the Board of Directors at Behavioral Health Services of Pickens County had this to say about the training, “The Prevention Department of BHSPC completed 
another successful young adult leadership training to teach them how to spread the word to youth across the county about the negative impact of narcotics, prescription drugs, alcohol, and tobacco on their lives and others. These young adults play a key role in the prevention and education of Pickens County youth for BHSPC.”
This year, the Pickens County Youth Board has adopted the model of One Voice Youth Empowerment from Dover Youth2Youth in Dover, New Hampshire. This model helps to train student leaders to gain knowledge about substance abuse, acquire skills such as public speaking, and then take action to combat the misuse and abuse of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs. Youth Board members began training in this model over the course of the weekend, and training will continue throughout the entire school year. Members also enjoyed several guest speakers throughout the weekend including Raven Magwood, local author and motivational speaker, who spoke to the students about the “3D’s of Success” and David Griffin who spoke to students about his career in Law Enforcement. Other guest speakers were brought in to teach a class on prescription drugs, marijuana, alcohol, and tobacco. A panel of past Youth Board members were brought in to speak to current Youth Board members about how important the program was to them and how it helped them throughout college and into their professional careers. Students were broken up into groups and researched data from surveys done in their schools to choose a substance that their group wanted to try to tackle. Students made excellent plans to address these issues in the future. Youth Board member, Aleah Gramblin, had this to say about the training, “It only took me all of three days to gain the wisdom of four years. The Youth Board Training really helped me grow as a person inside and out while also allowing me to meet great new people.”
The Pickens County Youth Board consists of 20 middle and high school students from across Pickens County. They are: Juan Burgess, Ashley Clark, Krista Just, Savannah Perry, and Reagan Turner from Pickens High School; Julia Dandeneau, Aleah Gramblin, Jordan Hendrix, Quentin Kominiarek, and Makenzye Patterson from Easley High School; NaAdrian Mayes from Gettys Middle School; Britton Blackwell and Cal Finley from Liberty High School; and Skylar Grant, Victoria Hudson, Mac Kerswell, Fiona Newell, Kay O’Roy, and Alexis Willis from Daniel High School. Others present for the Leadership Training included Cathy Breazeale, Director of Prevention Services; Jessica Gibson, Youth Board Coordinator and Prevention Specialist; Alexander Dukes, Prevention Specialist; and Ryan Breazeale, College Staff. For more information about Youth Board or how your teenager can get involved in taking a stand for substance abuse prevention, call Jessica Gibson, Youth Board Coordinator at (864) 898-5800.
SWU education degree program responding to teacher shortage
CENTRAL — Enrollment in education degree programs at Southern Wesleyan University continues to grow – something that the university’s School of Education hopes will provide relief to schools struggling to place an adequate number of teachers into their classrooms.
“Southern Wesleyan University, because of the qualifications of our graduates and the 
reputation of the School of Education programs, has had wonderful success with graduates securing jobs even before they officially graduate,” said Dr. Sandra McLendon, dean of Southern Wesleyan’s School of Education. “This year the combined recruitment efforts of the Admissions Office and the School of Education faculty has resulted in one of the largest pools of education majors in a number of years to help fill the needs for k-12 teachers.”
In public education, turnover is fueled by a large number of teachers from the baby boom generation retiring, with fewer new teachers being prepared to take their places. A report from CERRA (Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention and Advancement) cited a 10 percent decline in teacher education graduates nationwide, with some states reporting as much as a 40 percent decline.
Greenville County, home of South Carolina’s largest public school district, still has numerous openings for teachers, especially those who are qualified to teach secondary math and science, special education, speech therapy and foreign languages. At the same time, rural schools across the state are experiencing high turnover rates and shortages in critical subject areas.
Dr. Kimberly Jedlicka recently joined Southern Wesleyan’s faculty, coming from the School District of Oconee County, where as a human resources professional, she screened, interviewed and hired teachers.
Jedlicka commented that finding qualified candidates for positions such as elementary and early childhood education – positions that traditionally have been easy to fill – has become more challenging.
“We always struggled with secondary science, secondary math, special education, speech language therapists and school psychologists. We have, in the past, not really had to struggle to recruit elementary and early childhood folks because generally they came to us,” Jedlicka said.
Many school districts are struggling to fill openings in secondary science, secondary math and special education. Jedlicka said that courses are available for teachers to add a special education certification and funding from SC Create can pay the cost of tuition and books.
McLendon noted that offering new majors – Secondary Social Studies, Physical Education in Coaching and Aging and Early Childhood Family Studies – has garnered increased interest in Education careers.
Jedlicka said that degree programs such as those offered at Southern Wesleyan University consistently turn out teachers ready to enter the classroom after the expert instruction and mentoring from faculty who have extensive experience at the school and district level.
Southern Wesleyan’s School of Education also seeks inventive learning opportunities, instilling in teacher candidates a strong ethical framework through a “Christian ethic of care” towards self, learners, colleagues and the community.
According to Dr. Mona Thornton, associate dean at the School of Education, CAEP (Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation), the school’s new accrediting body, has a specific standard for recruitment requiring that Southern Wesleyan has plans and goals to recruit and support completion of high quality candidates from a broad range of backgrounds and diverse populations to accomplish the School of Education’s mission.
“Our admitted pool of candidates have to reflect the diversity of America’s P-12 students,” Thornton said.
Each year, numerous graduates are recognized by their schools and districts by being named “Teacher of the Year” and awards graduates received have included the prestigious Milken Educator Award and other honors at the district, state and national levels. The Call Me MISTER program at Southern Wesleyan is beginning to make an impact as its graduates enter lower performing schools and serve as effective role models.
Beyond the undergraduate level, Southern Wesleyan offers master’s degree programs in classroom leadership and administration and supervision both on-site and online.
Also, Southern Wesleyan’s education faculty are actively engaged in leadership roles related to educator preparation and advancing education best practices at regional, state and national levels.
For details about education degrees offered by Southern Wesleyan, go to swu.edu.
It’s easier to find a good nursing home
Medicare’s Nursing Home Compare website now has the long-awaited star ratings. Announced months ago, the site has added six more quality measurements and has added the star features, making it easier to do comparisons when the time comes to pick out a nursing home.[cointent_lockedcontent]
To find the nursing home ratings, go online to www.medicare.gov and put “nursing home compare” in the search box. Put in your ZIP code, and you can compare up to three at a time.
The devil is in the details, as always. Look for tiny items like the number of minutes of physical therapy per resident per day, dates of last inspections, residents rights deficiencies, any mistreatment complaints, pharmacy service deficiencies and any penalties and fines in the past three years. Be sure to click and read the actual inspection reports. You might find that cleaning materials and foods were comingled, or that food was left uncovered in the freezer.
What’s concerning is that not all the inspection reports are there. You’ll need to know if a facility has eight fire-code deficiencies, or that the ceiling over the food-prep area has peeling paint, or that insulin wasn’t kept at the correct cold temperature or had expired.
One thing lacking in the ratings is that nowhere will you find resident or family satisfaction. The data is mostly self-reported by the nursing homes themselves and the measures aren’t necessarily comparable between facilities, especially the ratings that don’t include full inspection reports.
While the star rating is a good place to begin, it shouldn’t be the end of your research into a good nursing home. Ask for recommendations from your doctor or people you know.
(c) 2016 King Features Synd., Inc.
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Saving your sanity before November
There’s a lot of talk going around about people leaving the country for Canada if their candidate loses the presidential election. People can do that if they want to. But I don’t want to leave no matter who gets elected.
I doubt Congress would cooperate with anybody elected to the office, so unless every single thing passed was an executive order, it would be hard for either candidate to run the country.
If people make good on their threats, it may be the Canadians who will be building a wall.
I hope that all this is just loose talk, because we need our citizens here at home.
Even if things look hopeless to you, please remember they never really are.
If you want to feel more optimistic about the future, there is a simple solution. Stop watching the news. But, if you’re serious, according to a report from “60 Minutes” it is recommended that you visit Canada before moving.
To become a Canadian citizen, you must pledge your allegiance to Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain, because Canada is part of the English Commonwealth.
Also, you must learn their national anthem and learn something about their history. Another important thing to know is that French is the primary language of 7.3 million Canadians, and it’s useful to speak and understand it.
Winter sports are big in Canada. If you plan to relocate, it’s a good idea to learn how to ice skate. You would have to buy a new wardrobe and accustom yourself to wearing toboggans and boots for many days each year.
There are different kinds of festivals and foods there, and the weather is much colder than what we are used to.
There are many pluses enjoyed by Canadian citizens. Their prescription medicine and health care is affordable and good. They have socialized medicine.
Ice hockey is hugely popular there, and if you have children they will probably be in a hockey league.
Lacrosse has been the national game of Canada since 1859, and Parliament passed an act in 1994 officially declaring lacrosse the national summer game and ice hockey the national winter sport.
What about the education system? Well, this may surprise you, but out of 700 countries, Canada is ranked sixth in the world for its education system. America is number 12. There is little difference in the performance of low-income and high-income students. Teachers are better prepared, paid and secure than those in America. They are unionized.
Also, there doesn’t seem to be an obesity problem with Canadian children. Their school lunches don’t contain nearly as much salt, starch, fat or sugar as American school lunches. Also, the national government stays out of education. There is little difference in funding among school districts, unlike here.
But, although Canada is a wonderful country with very nice people, I don’t plan to relocate there.
I’m an American even if I don’t always like our political system and don’t always agree with everything that is done.
But I don’t plan on deserting my country in its time of need. It’s important to stay at home and write critical letters to all our elected officials. If I leave, it will not be by choice. They’ll have to deport me. I suppose they’d send me to Wales, as that’s where most of my ancestors lived. The only problem with that is the fact that I don’t speak the language, probably can’t learn it and would never be able to drive on the wrong side of the road. If they come to get me I guess I’ll just have to hide out in the Horse Pasture. That might work.
Courier Letter’s to the Editor
The truth
Dear Editor,
We all must face many hard things in this world we live in. Two of the hardest to face are the truth and death. We all must someday face both. Everyone dreads death, however the truth is the hardest to face. You can run from it, but you cannot hide. You can bury it, however deep matters not, for someday it will surface.
It will remain when all of creation is gone, for it is eternal and never changing. The truth cannot be bought nor sold, for it has no price put on it. When facing people with it, they will become angry and possibly kill you simply for showing them.
There is a reason the truth is called bitter yet a lie so sweet. The truth — so small a word yet so mighty — has destroyed many a person in history. In life, everything has two sides. When you talk only one side and ignore the other, you are not on the side of the truth. It shows weakness.
People need to hear both sides to make an honest, balanced decision. So many only want their side told, which makes them look all-knowing and powerful. I’ll consider taking the part of the silenced party when this happens.
Evil runs from the truth. I’ve always heard it said, “for lo the evil flee when no man pursue.” I wonder why? What an awful place our world would be if the truth didn’t exist. You could not believe anything, for all would be a lie. Chaos would be constant. No rest for the weary if not for the truth. Our world could never survive if not for this small word called the truth.
P.S. It would be great if politicians and their supporters got to know it better truly. John 8:32.
Eddie Boggs
Westminster
Heartening interaction with Clark
Dear Editor,
An incident happened to me the other day which was quite disturbing and also touched my heart.
I’m an 80-year-old disable woman who takes a walk early morning in my driveway and across the road to the mailbox. I use oxygen and rollator.
The traffic was really bad, and I had a hard time getting across. I finally got across to mail my cards, but then the traffic was worse than earlier. Every time I tried to cross, a car would come over the hill and I would back up.
I finally got across to my driveway and thanked the Lord and got up to my ramp when the sheriff of Pickens County, Rick Clark, pulled up and got out. He asked me if I was OK and said he was concerned when he saw me trying to get across the road. He turned around and came back to check on me.
That touched my heart, because all you hear now is bad things about the police, but you don’t hear the good. That’s why I’m telling this — because I am grateful for our police and thank them for their protection and what they do every day in our community.
P.S. Needless to say, I’m changing my walking schedule!
Dena Young
Pickens
Clarifying earlier letter
Dear Editor,
I sent a letter to the editor on or about Aug. 10. The last paragraph made a remark that some people swell with pride when they send a backpack of food home with an underprivileged child. I continued that every time teachers and administrators get a raise, the parents of these kids are pushed deeper into poverty. It’s true that tax revenue pays for raises within the district.
My mouth keeps me in trouble. When I was on the school board, we voted to allow Feed a Hungry Child to come into the schools and supply these backpacks of food. The food is supplied by Golden Harvest. There is absolutely no cost to the school district. This organization is currently helping to feed around 600 hungry kids in the county. I never meant for anyone to think that I meant that this organization had anything to do with all the numerous raises given to teachers and staff. The school board, and only the school board, did that. That is, all except Alex Saitta, and I applaud him for not spending every cent of the budget for raises.
Feed a Hungry Child has a wonderful heart and purpose. They and many other charitable organizations in this county provide food, clothing and services to those who cannot afford those things. When I ran for the school board, I went door to door and was totally surprised by how many people in Pickens County live in poverty. There are kids who eat at school on Friday and don’t eat again until Monday at school. My deepest apology to all of you who donate your time and money to those who need you. I wish I could be as selfless. Thank you, Feed a Hungry Child, and thanks to those of you in the school system who make sure hungry kids have food for the weekend. Next time I’m writing, I’ll try to think at the same time.
Jimmy Gillespie
Central
Courier Community Calendar
• Annual Ross reunion scheduled for Sunday
The annual Andy R. and Bessie Shelton Ross reunion is planned for Sunday, Sept. 4, at Kings Grove Baptist Church near Six Mile. Plates and cups will be provided.
