District 50 teacher of the year: All instructors
bring special talents to classrooms

May 6, 2006

By VIC MacDONALD
Index-Journal regional editor

Teachers in Greenwood schools who are preparing their students to be “life-long learners” were honored Friday by the teacher judged as District 50’s 2006-07 Teacher of the Year.
A computer/business teacher at the G. Frank Russell Career Center, Kay Beggs received the honor during the district’s annual Teacher of the Year luncheon.
Though she said she was left “speechless,” Beggs said all the district’s teachers bring their special talents and experiences to their students’ learning experiences.
“It is a really challenging job — to make our students productive citizens and life-long learners in this technological era,” she said.
Beggs has worked at the Career Center for 10 years and has 21 years of teaching experience. She is working on coursework for an education doctorate with an emphasis on teacher leadership through Walden University, where she received her master’s degree. She got a bachelor’s degree in business education from Lander University.
She described her greatest contribution in education as “the opportunity to reach so many lives in sharing my knowledge of computers with the adaptation of real world application ... using technology as a tool for continuous learning.”
First-Year Teacher Award recipient Erin Mathews called the school year coming to a close this month “the best year of my life.”
She said she would cry if she talked about “my kids.”
“We have such an impact on the community and the future,” said Whitaker, a third-grade teacher at Lakeview Elementary who earned her bachelor’s degree from Winthrop University in Rock Hill. “My kids, they have grown so much.”
The District 50 teachers gathered for the awards luncheon and education celebration at Piedmont Tech were praised for their dedication. “I brag about you throughout the state,” said Dru James, District 50 board chairwoman. “I hold you up against teachers anywhere in the state.”
“It’s the teachers and the classrooms that make this district what it is,” said Pat Ross, District 50 assistant superintendent for instruction. “Children are at the forefront of every decision made. We value your daily work. My son is a second-year teacher in Brooklyn and he told me, ‘Walk a mile in my shoes.’ I told him, ‘I have.’”
Ross said the first-year teachers have a lot to look forward to in “a rich career,” and she encouraged the veteran teachers to “embrace the changes” they will go through as public education evolves.
The event was sponsored by District 50 and the Greenwood Teacher Forum to “celebrate excellence in teaching.”
“My celebration this year is you,” said Jennifer Adams, 2005-06 District 50 Teacher of the Year. “I am so proud of the community of educators we have right here in Greenwood District 50. The honor is at your school — what kind of teacher you are, what kind of colleague you are, not being teacher of the year. I am so proud of you.”

Lady Vikes beaten in OT

EHS girls climb out of 2-goal hole but never get over the top

May 6, 2006

By RON COX
Special to the Index-Journal

The Emerald High School girls soccer team’s run of consecutive Class AA/A Upper State appearances came to an end Friday night at Frank Hill Stadium.
Morgan Thomas finished with a hat trick, including the eventual game-winner with less than three minutes left in the second 10-minute overtime, to lead Southside Christian to a 3-2 over the top-seeded Lady Vikings in the third round of the playoffs.
Thomas lined up to take a corner kick in the 97th minute. Her low near-post drive bounced off the pile of players back toward the end line. Thomas recovered the ball and launched a long bending shot that banged off the far post and into the net to send the Lady Sabres to the Upper State finals.
“It came off a long rebound. It was more of an act of God than anything and that’s what it took tonight because in the last 20 minutes we were spent,”
Southside Christian coach Jeff Coppins said. “We had no pressure on us at all. We’re a one A school and for us to come in and beat a AA school that out-sizes us and, most of the time, out-matches us is huge.
“We’ve got some skill players and those skill players came up big for us.”
The Lady Vikings, who overcame a 2-0 halftime deficit to force the overtimes, had a solid chance a little more than a minute later. Emerald senior Erika Bishop took possession at midfield, then passed out wide to fellow senior Lacy Hastings, who centered the ball for forward Kayla Sears. The Emerald sophomore missed on a shot attempt, but was taken down inside the six-yard box by Southside Christian keeper Kaylyn Nagelkirk.
The ball was cleared away and no foul was called.
Seconds later, Bishop, who provided the Lady Vikings’
first goal of the match, went down for the second time in the game. After some time, the senior walked gingerly off the field.
However, Bishop, who will head to play soccer at Wofford College next season, laid prone on the sideline as the final seconds ticked away.
“I’ve said all along to win anything you need health and you need luck, and luck deserted us tonight,”
Emerald coach Paul Dodd said. “And I think the last goal was the epitome of that. Luck played a large part in the proceedings tonight. But the game should never have gone to the stage where luck became a factor.”
The Lady Vikings had the misfortune of having to battle back from a two-goal deficit.
Thomas struck twice in the first 30 minutes of play, getting both scores when the Lady Vikings had trouble clearing the ball from the penalty area on two separate occasions.
“We knew exactly what they were going to throw at us, but we got caught with poor defending on two occasions,” Dodd said. “Obviously, when you go two goals down early in the game, you put yourself up against it.”
“We challenged the girls at halftime to dig themselves out of the hole and they did more than that.”
Emerald opened the second half with a flurry of scoring chances, forcing the first corner just 15 seconds into the new half.
After eight minutes of attacking, Bishop put Emerald on the board with a shot to the right corner of the net.
Two minutes later, the Lady Vikings struck again.
Sweeper Amanda Rowland set up for a free kick 75 yards away and launched a deep pass to fellow senior Kasie Sears. The program’s career scoring leader ran under the ball inside the penalty area and after Nagelkirk came out of her goal to defend, Sears simply popped a shot 15 feet in the air that bounced harmlessly into the goal to tie the game at 2 with 29 minutes remaining in regulation.
“There is character in this team,” Dodd said. “We knew we weren’t out of it. We got those two goals in quick succession and put them on their back foot.
Immediately after, we created chances that we just didn’t put away.”

Opinion

Looking out for animals sure to take a heavy toll

May 6, 2006

The staff and volunteers at the Greenwood Humane Society shelter do a tremendous job under trying circumstances. Despite having to somehow find the wherewithal to feed, medicate and generally care for animals that don’t have anyone to love or care for them, especcially dogs and cats, they overcome the odds day in, day out. Still, it really gets down to a community responsibility, so any help anyone can give is always needed.
It’s not an easy life these folks have chosen. The emotional stress that comes with involvement is a fact of life - and death - and is always a soul-searching reality. Still they go on, even when it’s hard to see through the tears and survive the mental agony of the realization that euthanasia brings.
The abnse never ends, either. Everyday all over South Carolina it’s painfully obvious. Remember these cases and situation?

“IT MAY BE NOTHING MORE than imagination, but it seems cruelty to animals is a growing disgrace that diminishes all our lives.
“A major concern of the Greenwood Humane Society, of course, is how people treat animals, especially dogs and cats .....
“Recent acts of cruelty to dogs prove that ‘civilized’ society, after all the centuries, still hasn’t learned to live civilized lives. We have too many uncivilized people who prove that too many humans are still part of the ‘animal’ world.
“A dog owner, it is remembered, buried a litter of puppies and a day later the mother dog dug them up and saved some of them.
“What was civilized there, the dog or the man?
“There have been recent cases of dogs being burned on purpose. Is that what civilized means?

“NOW THERE ARE A COUPLE of other cases that give new meaning to cruelty. In one, a man tied a rope around a little dog’s neck and hanged it in front of two 13-year-old girls. In another incident, a boy strung up several puppies, then cut off their heads.
“Those are not nice things to read about. They are disturbing. However, they paint a graphic picture of what some people will do.
“Dogs and cats don’t know the difference between cruelty and anything else. People are supposed to know. Sometimes you have to wonder why humanity is so inhumane.”
These things happened a good while ago. Still, they are indicative of the cruelty involved. Shelter workers see the worst. But, they also see the best when we help with contributions of money, supplies and time. Visit the shelter behind the Civic Center. Give. The residents will appreciate it. So will the staff.

Obituaries

James ‘Bobby’ Elledge

WARE SHOALS — James “Bobby” Elledge, 76, of 55 E. Honea Path St., husband of Corrine Saxton Elledge, died Friday, May 5, 2006 at Wesley Commons.
Services will be announced by Parker-White Funeral Home.

Pat Gable

McCORMICK — Pat Gable, 58, of Ellison Street, died Thursday, May 4, 2006 at Humana Hospital in Augusta, Ga.
A son of the late Arthur and Bernice Hudson Gable, he was a retired carpenter and lived in the McCormick and Troy area all his life.
Survivors include two sons, Ronnie and Jamie Gable, both of Beaufort; two sisters, Patsy G. Lester of Troy and Mildred Ballentine of Greenville; two brothers, Tommy Gable of Troy and Bubba Hudson of McCormick; a grandson.
Graveside services are 11 a.m. Monday at Troy Cemetery, conducted by the Rev. C.B. Love.
Visitation is 7-9 Sunday at Strom Funeral Home.
The family is at the home of a sister, Patsy G. Lester, Highway 10, Troy.
Strom Funeral Home is in charge.

Robley Lee ‘Bob’ Moore

IVA — Robley Lee “Bob” Moore, 78, widower of Betty L .Moore, died Friday, May 5, 2006 at his home.
Services will be announced by Harris Funeral Home, Abbeville.

Tater Riser

SALUDA, SC — Larry Woodrow “Tater” Riser, 60, of 341 Larkin Rice Rd., died Thursday, May 04, 2006 in Saluda Nursing Center.
Born in Augusta and a son of the late Gurney Boyd and Mamie Lee Attaway Riser. Mr. Riser was a carpenter and painter.
Surviving are his son, Larry A. “Tony” Riser of Saluda, a brother, Rev. George M. Riser of Greenville and four grand-children, Haley, Woody, Torie and Aylie.
A sister, Patricia Forrest and a brother, David Eugene Riser, preceded Mr. Riser in death.
Funeral services will be 11AM, Saturday, May 6, 2006 at Ramey Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Steve Justice and Rev. Burton Campbell offi-ciating. Interment will follow in Little Angels Memorial Park.
PAID OBITUARY

Bessie Lee Schuler

ABBEVILLE — Bessie Lee Schuler, 67, formerly of 207 Lane St., widow of Robert Schuler, died Friday, May 5, 2006 at McCormick Health Care.
Born in McCormick County, she was a daughter of the late Walter and Mozella Parks Taylor. She was a homemaker and a member of Rockford AME Church, Woman Home Aide Society No. 86 and Mount Carmel Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star.
Survivors include three daughters, Linda Lyons of Mount Carmel, Lonnetta Schuler and Elizabeth Thackson, both of Abbeville; three sons, Jessie Taylor of Columbia, Walter Lee Brown of Due West and Clarence Taylor of Abbeville; two sisters, Oralee Hill and Leila Lyons, both of Abbeville; 15 grandchildren; a great-grandchild.
The family is at the home of Linda and Samuel Lyons, Lyons Road, Mount Carmel.
Services will be announced by Brown and Walker Funeral Home.

John F. Warren

BATESBURG-LEESVILLE — Services for John Farrel Warren, 73, will be conducted at 3:00 p.m. Sunday from Barr-Price Funeral Home Historic B-L Chapel with the Rev. Elton Dunbar officiating. Burial will follow in Ridge Crest Memorial Park. Pallbearers will be Tommy Epting, Ray Keisler, Jim Savelle, Tony Chavis, Jackie Hite, Paul Beverly, and Terrell Dubea. Honorary pallbearers will be grandchildren. Visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday at the funeral home. Memorials may be made to the American Diabetes Association, 2711 Middleburg Drive, Suite 205, Columbia, SC 29204 or the American Heart Association, PO Box 6604, Columbia, SC 29260.
Mr. Warren died Thursday, May 4, 2006. Born in Saluda, County, he was a son of the late John Henry and Nettie Lois Courtney Warren. He was a former building contractor, owner and operator of Warren Lumber and Building Supply and Thunder Valley Speedway. He was the owner and operator of Mileage Maker Motors.
Surviving include his former wife and companion, Lou Ella Warren Sullivan; son, John H. (Buckshot) Warren, Sr., of B-L; daughters, Sherry (Wayne) Craps of Saluda; Susie W. Langdale of B-L, Wendy (Robert) Helmick of North Myrtle Beach, Ruby (Ed) Bullard of Fayetteville, NC; brother, Henry Warren of B-L; sister, Sallie Thurman of B-L, 11 grandchildren, 4 great-grandchildren.
He was predeceased by a brother, Edward Warren.
Online register at www.barr-price.com
PAID OBITUARY