Oct. 18, 2022 • Volume 25, Issue 20 • Complimentary • BlufftonSun.com
INSIDE • Friends remember Lowcountry culinary legend 12A • New food service offer students more tasty options 18A • Surprise bouquet deliveries spark many smiles 20A • Concours celebrates 20th anniversary 22A • Bluffton residents help raise funds with Walk for Water 24A
Partnerships help students regain progress lost during COVID By Gwyneth J. Saunders CONTRIBUTOR
A little after 3 p.m. on a Tuesday afternoon, a Beaufort County school bus dropped off 16 young students at Mount Carmel Baptist Church in Seabrook. Although they had just spent all day at James J. Davis Early Childhood Learning Center, they were eager to get on with the next three hours, beginning with a snack and a juice cup. One by one, the 10 excited students in April Smalls’ pre-kindergarten to first grade after-school class told her how they did in school that day. There were a lot of A-plusses earned for accomplishments from doing homework to being quiet. There was even an A++ for math.
Malachi, 5, likes coming to the program because he likes the singing. Akeena, 4, is learning letter shapes and vowels. A lot of the students said they like math. In the room two doors down, Sholonda Simmons finished reading a story to her six students who range from second to fourth grade. Their first task after story time was using words written on separate pieces of paper to create a sentence. The next activity is either doing homework or pulling out a storybook. The church is one of 10 sites county-wide that are participating in the Beaufort County School District’s Extended Learning Community Partnerships in an effort to regain ground lost during the
Please see PARTNERSHIPS on page 8A
PHOTOS BY GWYNETH J. SAUNDERS
In the after-school program at Mount Carmel Baptist Church in Seabrook, teacher April Smalls gets the daily report on how everyone’s day went. Smalls is a pre-K teacher at James J. Davis Early Childhood Learning Center, which is where the students are bussed from.
Kids fishing tournament set for Oct. 22 at town dock As part of the Historic Bluffton Arts & Seafood Festival, a free fishing tournament for children 13 and under will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Oct. 22 at the town dock at the end of Calhoun Street at Wright Family Park. Parents should plan on fishing with their children. Bring your own fishing equipment
Kayaking AT THE MARITIME CENTER
if possible. Some fishing equipment will be available on a first come, first served basis. Registration will begin at 9:30 a.m., with the tournament beginning 10:30 a.m. Weigh-in will begin at 12:30 p.m. Prizes will be given for first, second and third biggest fish. A nature trivia game will be held from OCT 20 | 10:30 AM OCT 25 | 2:30 PM $35 (ages 5-12) $50 (ages 13+)
Join a PRSF Naturalist for a 2-hour guided kayak tour! Designed for all experience levels. Kayak provided.
Please contact Jessica, jkochman@portroyalsoundfoundation.org to register for this program.
310 Okatie Highway (843) 645-7774 PortRoyalSoundFoundation.org
12:30 to 1 p.m. There will also be a casting competition. Each participant will receive a gift package including a soft tackle bag, fishing rod and reel combo.
All participants will adhere to all SCDNR rules and regulations. To pre-register, contact Tom Bulcock at 912-210-1222.