Monthly Archives: December 2016
Christmas celebrations planned at Praters Creek
PICKENS — Praters Creek Baptist Church invites the community to join in two special services honoring the birth of Jesus Christ.
The first service is set for 4 p.m. Christmas Eve, and the second service is at 9:30 a.m. on Christmas morning. All are welcome. The church is located at 621 Praters Creek Road in Pickens.
For more information, call (864) 868-2300.
Educators discuss issues with legislators
By Greg Oliver
Courtesy The Journal
goliver@upstatetoday.com
COUNTY — School District of Pickens County officials met Thursday with members of the Pickens County Legislative Delegation to discuss a variety of education issues that may emerge when the 2017 General Assembly session begins next month.
But Pickens County school superintendent Danny Merck, who is also a member of the South Carolina Education Oversight Committee, told delegation members that — unlike previous years — the issues he is presenting aren’t money-related.
“I’m in Columbia all the time with the EOC, and I understand the issues,” Merck said. “There’s nothing on this sheet of paper about money.”
Instead, the issues Merck brought before the delegation during their annual breakfast meeting at the district office were ones he said will require changes in legislation. The issues included the accountability system, featuring teacher evaluations; changing the start-up date for schools to earlier in August, rather than the third week; and a reduction in testing.
As far as teacher evaluation, Merck said he recommends a point system, rather than an A-F grade.
“We want to protect a teacher’s privacy,” Merck said. “When we grew up, it was about achievement. Now, it’s about growth — of the teacher and the student.”
The testing of students is something Merck said the EOC plans to recommend “a reduction to the fullest extent possible.”
“We support reduced testing in South Carolina but, in order to do so, you’re going to have to change the law,” he said. ” (Advanced Placement) and College Board are going to test the same time every year. Every school in South Carolina wants to finish the first semester prior to Christmas so kids can go on to college.”
The Pickens County superintendent also requested that the delegation work toward changing the start date of schools.
“Probably, in my 26 years in education, I think the more we can minimize summer loss, which is the amount of time kids are away from school, you’re going to help them the most without a restrictive start date,” Merck said. “The less gap you have in the summer, the better off poor kids are.”
State Sen. Thomas Alexander, who represents Oconee and a portion of Pickens County, said he understands the concerns over the start date for schools.
“I hear what you’re saying — I hear from parents and it’s not just a coastal issue,” Alexander said. “I hear from folks who do like the later start date.”
Alexander said it appears the movement toward changing the state superintendent of education from an elected position to a cabinet position appointed by the governor is “heading that way.” But the senator added, “That is a decision the people of the state will make.”
The Walhalla native added that school safety will also “be at the forefront” of legislators following the tragic Townville Elementary School shootings in September that killed one student and injured another student and a teacher.
State Senator-elect Rex Rice, who will enter office in January, said education is the one area in the state that has changed a lot in the time he was away following 16 years of service in the State House of Representatives.
“I’m serving on the education committee, and I’m excited about that,” Rice said.
State Rep. Davey Hiott of Pickens said Pickens County “does a great job” when it comes to education.
“Everywhere we go, we don’t have a problem talking about education, because we feel we do it the best,” Hiott said.
Hiott added he agrees with the concerns over testing.
“I’ve always thought we over tested too much,” he said.
State Rep. Gary Clary, who represents the Clemson area, said he is very pleased with the steps being taken to keep Pickens County in the position it’s in educationally. Although he adds “you can never be satisfied,” the retired judge said he is passionate about legislation requiring dyslexia screening for kindergarten through third-grade students.
“Students in colleges and universities who want to become teachers would be required to take a course on reading disorders,” Clary said.
State Rep. Neal Collins of Easley said Pickens County is fortunate to not only have Merck on the Education Oversight Committee but also Easley businessman David Whittemore on the State Board of Education.
“Pickens County is well represented across the state in education,” Collins said. “I’m looking forward to working with everybody.”
Merck said he hopes the legislature will continue its excellent relationship with the EOC, saying that organization “needs to remain intact to have a voice in the general assembly and provide a voice in public education.”
Locals take part in the 2016 Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas
SPARTANBURG — Pickens County was well represented during last weekend’s Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas. Daniel offensive lineman Zac McIntosh was selected to play for the South Carolina squad, and former Pickens Blue Flame and current Hanahan head coach Charlie Patterson was selected as an assistant coach.
Live Nativity
Rocky Nimmons/Courier
Pickens First Baptist Church brought community members together on Sunday, Dec. 11, for a live Nativity, re-enacting the very first Christmas in Bethlehem. The Nativity, held at Legacy Square, was complete with live animals and featured free food, games for children and music.
Courier Obituaries 12-21-16
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YMCA soccer sign-ups set to open next month
PICKENS — The Pickens YMCA will open registration for the Bethlehem Ridge Soccer Club’s spring recreational soccer season from Jan. 1 through Feb. 10.
The program is open to kids ages 4-15. The season will begin the week of Feb. 20 and end on April 29. All games and practices will be held at the Pickens YMCA.
Registration can be completed at the Easley, Pickens or Powdersville YMCA branches, as well as online at pcymca.net . Sponsorships and volunteer coaching opportunities are also available. Contact the YMCA at (864) 878-8380 or email Clarissa Suttle at clarissa@pcymca.net for more information.
YMCA officials believe children need to be a part of something bigger than themselves to help strengthen values, sportsmanship, leadership skills and the importance of relationship building and diversity. The YMCA soccer program allows children to actively develop individually through healthy competition in a positive and encouraging environment.
Pickens PD bringing active-shooter training to Upstate
PICKENS — The Pickens Police Department and the ALICE Training Institute have teamed up to bring ALICE Instructor Training to Pickens Middle School on Dec. 28-29.
The two-day instructor course is designed to teach proactive survival strategies for violent intruder or active-shooter incidents. The goal of the ALICE program is to provide individuals with survival-enhancing options for those critical moments in the gap between when a violent situation begins and when law enforcement arrives on scene. The registration fee for the training is $595 per person and can be completed online at alicetraining.com.
ALICE stands for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter and Evacuate and is a useful strategy for everyone: law enforcement, schools, universities, hospitals, businesses, and places of worship. Completing the ALICE Instructor Training course provides individuals with certification in ALICE Training and allows them the opportunity to bring ALICE strategies back to their places of work. Additionally, registrants will gain access to exclusive ALICE resources.
ALICE is in line with recommendations from the U.S. Department of Education, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
County Officials sworn in
Five Pickens County officials re-elected last month were sworn in by Judge Perry Gravely, right, last Thursday at the Pickens County Courthouse. Pictured alongside family members during the ceremony, from left with hands raised are coroner Kandy Kelley, auditor Brent Suddeth, treasurer Dale Looper, sheriff Rick Clark and clerk of court Pat Welborn.
Rocky Nimmons/Courier
Memories of days of Christmas past
Right after Thanksgiving, Uncle Walter would come home from town with all the ingredients for the Christmas fruit cakes.
There were always two — one white fruitcake and one dark one. The white fruitcake was for Mama, because that was her favorite. It had golden raisins in it and sliced almonds instead of dark raisin and pecans. Chopping up all the fruits that went into those batters took several people sitting around the kitchen table in that old kitchen. The candied fruits had to be sliced thinly. Grandmama couldn’t abide big hunks of fruit in the batter. Everything had to be done to her level of excellence, and everything was checked before being folded into the thick, rich batter.
We never had to buy pecans, and many a Sunday afternoon was spent cracking pecans and carefully removing all pieces of shell, picking out the nut meat. And each half had to be checked to make sure it wasn’t withered or dark.
We used kitchen shears to cut everything up.
Children were good for that. Also, any available child was a willing pair of hands and legs made for running errands and bringing bowls, spoons and ingredients to the table.
And the aroma from the old oven once baking began was like no other.
That first whiff of baking fruitcakes brought Christmas into the house.
After the cakes were cooled, they were wrapped in clean dish towels and stored in cake tins in the pantry. Every afternoon Uncle Walter would open up the tins and pull back the dish towels from the cake tops. Then he’d pour a little homemade wine into a glass and slowly dribble a couple of tablespoons of the wine over the top of each cake. After this operation was complete, he’d tilt the glass up and finish off the rest. We just assumed that was part of the process. The cakes had to ripen at least three weeks before they were to the point where they were judged ready for slicing.
And then the countdown to the last day of school began.
Oh how we longed for that day. There was an electrical current running through classrooms coming straight from excited children. We’d make our list and devise ways of getting presents for the others. Many of our gifts were homemade. Fudge was a big one, and of course Woolworths in town furnished an array of items affordable for small pockets.
I still have the tin box with the picture of a sailing ship on top I bought Uncle Walter for Christmas from the dime store. It cost 25 cents. I don’t remember this, but the tag is still stuck onto the bottom of the box. I keep tape and other small items in it now. Uncle Walter used it for cuff links and tie clips.
The bubble lights were always carefully packed up every year and brought back out each Christmas. When Matt plugged them in, we’d wait anxiously to see if they still lit up. It was such a relief if they did. They’d come from the Sears store in downtown Fayetteville, the shopping mecca of the region, and it was 40 miles one way.
We only went to Fayetteville for major purchases, perhaps only twice a year. We’d go in the fall for school clothes for the new year. And on occasion, when some necessity was unavailable in Laurinburg, the closest town with stores, we’d make a special trip to Sears in Fayetteville.
They had the only escalator within a hundred-mile radius, and while the adults shopped we spent our time riding up and down. It was a real adventure for farm children who never saw any lights other than those from the stars.
Just before Christmas was a time when we traveled to Fayetteville. They had to take us with them, because we couldn’t be left at home alone, so it’s just as well we spent our time there on the escalator, ignorant of what they were buying.
Because the most spectacular thing about our Christmases was the surprises. Those crack-of-dawn Christmas mornings made irreplaceable memories we take with us down through the years.
Merry Christmas everybody.
Courier Letters to the Editor 12-21-16
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