Volume 18, No. 6A
June 8, 2022
“A Companion for People who Live, Work, & Play in Elgin, Lugoff and Camden”
LEHS 2022 Graduation See Inside
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ng-term plans for nsider what each uickly! Do your other capacities. is wife are always elginhvac@aol.com he citizens of our (803) 272-6535 cell manner are office (803) and 419-2880 have served John our Cook ? ur town would be d by and let this s can not always nding our Elgin or! k of ar? know there ut toItime!” also share their individual views regarding current topics which impact the community. ty of column your family f this is to provide all of our town councilmen a place to not only give the minutes of anley uncilwoman Melissa Brazell-Emmons
CSD nnounces 2013 Event rkleberry Country Fair
Dine In or To Go! 803.408.2757
LEMS Students Win STEM Art Competition
Letter Submissions It is the policy of The Elgin News to encourage reader participation on its editorial page. Diverse and varied opinions are welcomed. Because of space limitations, we must limit all contributors to one letter per person per month. Letters of 200 words or less will be published unless they contain language or content that the editors feel is inappropriate. Examples of content that will cause letters to be rejected include the following: • Disrespectful comments regarding a group's or individual's ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, religion, culture, or race. • Poor taste. • Endorsements for or complaints about individually named commercial products or services. • Personal attacks. The Elgin News will not knowingly publish factually incorrect information. Only letters written exclusively to the newspaper will be published. Letters to a third party or those written to more than one newspaper are not accepted. Letters written in response to other letter writers should address the issue at hand and, rather than mentioning the writer by name, should refer to the headline and date the letter was published. Discourse should be civil and people should be referred to in a respectful manner. Letters referring to news stories should also mention the headline and date of publication. All letters must be signed and include the writer's street address or route address telephone number, which will be used for verification purposes only. We welcome your input. You may write to us by e-mail at elginnews@gmail.com or by regular mail at:
Letters to the Editor The Elgin News P.O. Box 152 Elgin, SC 29045
Cate Goff, Editor (803) 513-5108
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Fred Davidson, Sales Manager (803) 466-4604
The winners of the 2022 South Carolina STEM Education Month Art Competition hosted by the SC STEM Educators of the Year have been announced, and Lugoff-Elgin Middle School had two winners! Students were challenged with creating an original artwork depicting the theme of this year's STEM Education Month- "Where's Your STEM?" Hayden Stokes, 8th grade, won first place, and Destiny Sims, 8th grade, won second place.
Christian Home Educators of Camden Graduation
Congratulations to the Christian Home Educators of Camden, Class of 2022. A graduation ceremony was held at Springvale Baptist, with speaker Dearal Rodgers, father of graduate, Fisher Rodgers. Pictured above, back row left to right: Brian Jeremy Diehl, Tanner-Laine Stone, Mary Evelyn Herndon, Grant Samuel English, Micah James Sullivan, Jonathan William Lewis, Fisher Lee Rodgers. Front row left to right: Isabella Jayleigh Knopp, Kendal Perrine Wise, Mary Alice Woolington, Anna Grace Stephens, Amber Langston Currie, Zachary Austin Coates, and Hannah Carolina Bradley.
The Elgin News builds community and brings people together by informing everyone about local businesses, services, schools organizations, government, activities, events and other information useful for becoming involved. It helps those who live and work in Elgin to get to know each other as people and to become friends. The Elgin News accepts no responsibility for the contents of the advertisements or articles. Advertisements and articles are accepted with the full responsibility of the advertiser for worth and accuracy. Readers who wish to comment or have concerns regarding advertisements contained herein are urged to phone the Elgin News at (803) 513-5108 or (803) 466-4604. The Elgin News will discontinue accepting advertising from firms of alleged dubious reputation. Rates are net - discount agreements must be reflected on the publication order. Invoices due on receipt. Tearsheets and proofs available upon request. Advertising setup, changes and publication verification are provided at no charge. 15% agency comm. is 30-days firm. Photography charges negotiable. By-line articles are the property of the contributor and may not be reproduced without permission.
The Elgin News, PO Box 152, Elgin, SC 29045 · (803) 513-5108 Cate Goff, Editor · Fred Davidson, Sales Manager · Email: elginnews@gmail.com June 9, 2022
COVID-19 CONCERNS? WE’RE HERE
COVID-19 TESTING AND VACCINE SITES MUSC Health Elgin Medical Pavilion
MUSC Health Kershaw Medical Center
White tents left of the Urgent Care entrance.
Covered bay right of the Emergency Department.
40 Pinnacle Pkwy, Elgin, SC 29045
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TESTING HOURS
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CAMDEN SITE Tuesday, Saturday Thursday
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June 9, 2022
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Graduation Reflections and Life Lessons By: Liz Simon, Staff Writer
One of the highlights of my lifetime was watching our daughter Rhetta deliver the commencement address at LEHS on May 28th. I recognized many last names of former students who are now parents or connected by grandparents to this class. It was a full circle moment as the sun was setting and the memories of my daughter’s years at LE returned. As Rhetta said in her opening lines, she was not an honor student. She had been told that she was average, but she decided that night to rewrite her story, and I am proud of her for sharing. Here are some excerpts from her speech: Lesson# 1: Tough times don’t last, but tough people do. I know we can put a check beside the box labeled “tough”. We stand up for what we believe. Some of my most challenging moments happened during my senior year. February 22,1998, I was faced with reality that this world doesn't care about what you want. I opened my rejection letter from the College of Charleston. I was heartbroken and devastated. If you haven't felt that type of pain yet, you will. My father said, “You can give in and give up or get up and get to work.” I wiped my tears, made a game plan, and decided that no one was going to write my story except me. Days later, along with 18 recommendation letters from my teachers and coaches, I headed to Charleston to meet with president of the college Judge Alex Sanders. I'm not sure if it was something that I said, but he took my meeting, and I pleaded my case. We struck my first business deal, which always will be the deal of my lifetime. If I hit the high benchmarks Sanders set for me by the end of my first semester, I could transfer and be a student at College of Charleston. I did, and I graduated.
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For years I hid this story embarrassed by rejection. I now know that failure is a pathway to success. Tough times don't last, but tough people do. Lesson #2: Surround yourself with those who see greatness within you even when you don't see it yourself. These people become your people, challenging you, sharing worries, motivating you to take the next leap because they are your parachute. When you find these people, thank them. Don't text them, don't snap them, look them in the eyes and thank them. There's a saying in leadership if you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. The first time I experienced this was in the classrooms of Mrs. Walters, Mrs. Costello, Mrs. Johnson, Mrs. Gibson and around the kitchen table with Mrs. Susan Layton, who was my math tutor. Then on the court with Mr. Tim Hopkins and Coach Calvin McRoy. Wherever you all are tonight, thank you for teaching me how to lead and when to listen. You are part of "my people" who helped me with confidence and resiliency - two things that I didn't know I was learning at the time. I am thankful for each of you and for the teachers who love and protect our children the way that mine did for me. Lesson #3: My last lesson to share with you is simple. Look up. Look up the answer when you don't know it because “I don't know” is not an acceptable excuse. Look up from your phone and into the eyes of the people who love you more than life and who still have lessons to teach you. Look up at a friend or family member who you haven't seen lately. Look up at the sky. Clasp your hands when this world becomes too heavy, and you need strength. Give thanks for this life. Look up into the mirror each day. Remind yourself that you are worthy, that you too can rewrite your future at any moment if you remain tough, surround yourself with people who see greatness within you, and live each day with a grateful heart. Look up, Class of ‘22 and raise your L! Remember you are anything but average! (After college, Rhetta went on to work in leadership for iHeart Media, Forbes Publishing and has now co-founded marketing and consulting firm, In The Black.)
Last week students attended STEM camp with Mrs. Johnson and Mrs. Matney. They enjoyed competing in challenges with the Spheros, battle bots and pop the balloon; the Tello drones, programming challenge and flying through an obstacle course; creating with the Makey Makey and Humming Bird kits; then some fun simple STEM challenges using only one sheet of paper. The 3D printer was used to create the trophies for the winning team, (pictured above), Nathaniel Johnson and Andrew Rynbrandt. June 9, 2022
From the Chief 's Desk In this week’s Chief ’s Desk, I would like to introduce a new member of the Elgin Police Department, K9 “Thor”. Thor is a 2 year old German Shepard that was donated to us by Florida State K-9 Academy. As we all remember, we had to retire our last K9 Nala, back in December of 2021 when she was sadly diagnosed with cancer. Nala was also from, and trained by Florida State K-9 Academy. K9 Officer Randy Bass is excited to work with Thor in helping keep our community safer. The Elgin Police Dept. was utilized K9s for many years, they have been a great tool when combating illegal drugs. So please give Thor a huge Elgin welcome when you spot him and his partner, Officer Bass out on patrol.
Chief Alan Anders
Elgin Police Department Incident Reports
Stolen Lawn Furniture: Complainant called EPD regarding her green in color iron lawn table being stolen from her home. I arrived and spoke with Complainant who stated the table was still in her back yard when she left to take her granddaughter to school around 0730 hrs. and when she returned it was missing. Complainant stated the table was worth around $300. Complainant has no cameras on her home and the surrounding neighbors did not appear to have any either. I gave Complainant a victim's form and cleared the scene. Shoplifting: On 5/28/2022 I, Ofc. Delong, was dispatched to Food Lion in reference to a shoplifting incident. Upon my arrival, I met with Assistant Manager, Complainant, and the Store Manager, who stated a unknown black female and a black male entered the store at about 1155 AM. The unknown female went to isle 10 (medication) removed several items from the shelf and placed them in a white bag she had on her shoulder. The
June 9, 2022
female then proceeded to the meat section and placed a Boston Butt in the same bag. The male that entered the store does not appear to take or conceal anything. Both parties then leave the store in a white BMW displaying a SC Tag. The only item store employees know for sure were stolen is the Boston Butt. The items that were taken off the shelf on isle 10 are unknown at this time. Speeding/Simple Possession: I was running stationary radar with Ptl. Branham on Smyrna Road, in the Town Limits of Elgin when I noticed a vehicle approaching us at a high rate of speed. My radar indicated that the vehicle was running 60/35 mph marked zone. I made a traffic stop on the vehicle and Ptl. Branham assisted me. I spoke with the driver, Subject. While speaking with Subject I could smell the strong odor of marijuana coming out of the car. I asked Subject to exit the vehicle and he did and I patted him down for weapons and I asked him if any marijuana was in the car and he said yes. He stated that there was a dime
bag in the driver's door. Subject and his passenger Subject #2 stood with Ptl. Branham while I searched the vehicle. I located the dime bag and some more marijuana in the center console of the vehicle. I issued Williams a citation for speeding and a citation for simple possession of marijuana and cleared the scene. When I arrived at the department I weighed the green leafy like substance believed to be marijuana. I then placed it into BEST Kit #B340967 and placed the kit into the drug evidence drop box.
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Congratulations, LEHS Class of 2022
Some graduation photos are courtesy of Johnny Deal and BowTie Photography. See page 9 for details on ordering graduation photos.
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June 9, 2022
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Alpha Rocks Recovery Event Set for June 18
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ALPHA Behavioral Health Center will be hosting a special event, “ALPHA Rocks Recovery” on Saturday, June 18 2022 from 11 am to 5 pm at the Arts Center of Kershaw County. This event was organized to promote recovery and provide education in efforts to reduce stigma related to substance use disorders. The idea came about from individuals in recovery who shared their struggles due to family and friends that showed little to no support for their recovery due to lack of understanding. ALPHA desires to help bring awareness and provide hope for those seeking help. Recovery may be difficult but it is possible. The event will include live music by artist such as Fair Jam, Landslide, 10Cent Rich and Rusty Davis. There will be food trucks in addition to lots of giveaways and prizes. Come out and enjoy a fun filled afternoon and learn how you can be a part of the solution and learn more about ALPHA and Recovery Services. For more information, please contact ALPHA at 803-432-6902.
Second Saturday Fresh Air Market
The Fresh Air Market is open for local artists and members to sell goods and baked and farm fresh items in the heart of our community. Great parking and location! Join us at 10 am on the second Saturday of each month, at the Pine Grove Community Center, located at 833 Pine Grove Road in Lugoff. Share our newest tradition with neighbors and friends! Vendors are always welcome, no applications needed. Easy pop up shopping experience for $10 per space.
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Small business workshops return in person at the Camden branch of the Kershaw County Library this summer, after having been virtual for the last two years. City of Camden Main Street Manager Katharine Spadacenta will lead four workshops for small business owners and any member of the public wishing to attend. The Downtown Camden Main Street Program is a certified Google Partner. Workshops will be held on alternate Wednesdays in June and July, from 6:00 to 7:00 pm. All workshops are free to attend in person at the Camden Library Branch, 1304 Broad Street. June 8 – Getting Your Business Online June 22 – Building Your Brand July 6 – Basics of Google Ads July 20 – Use YouTube to Grow Your Business For more information, and for more specific details on what each workshop will cover, please visit www.kershawcountylibrary.org or www.cityofcamden.org/businessresources.
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803.513.5108 • elginnews@gmail.com June 9, 2022
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Kershaw County Sheriff ’s Office
School Safety and Security Will Always Be Top Priority On My Watch
The most valuable resource in Kershaw County is our children. This is why school safety & security will always be top priority on my watch. Our schools are the most secure buildings in our county. For the first time in history, every Kershaw County school has a School Resource Officer (SRO). Every SRO carries a firearm. Every SRO has been trained to use their firearm in defense of our children. Should an assailant enter a Kershaw County Sheriff Lee Boan school, an SRO will confront them and several other armed law enforcement officers will stop everything they’re doing to rush to the defense of our children. We don’t want to kill anyone. But if an assailant forces us to pick between their life and the lives of our children, it will not end well for the assailant. We do not bear the sword in vain. "For he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer." - Romans 13:4 School is now out for everyone except your KCSO School Resource Officers. As teachers and students started their first week of summer break, your KCSO School Resource Officers had a full week of in-service training, PT tests, firearms training & qualification, first aid, required academy updates, and much more. They will also receive the latest active shooter training and attend DARE school later this summer. Your SROs are very committed to their training for our children. WE WILL DEFEND OUR SCHOOLS.
KCSO School Resource Officers start the summer break with a week of in-service training, PT tests, firearms training and qualification, first aid, and required academy updates. Above left, KCSO Resource Officers in the classroom, and above right, during field training.
KCSD Hosts First Future Educators Signing Day
On Tuesday, May 17, fifteen seniors representing Camden, Lugoff-Elgin, and North Central high schools participated in Kershaw County School District’s first Future Educator Signing Day. The event, sponsored by KCSD’s Teacher Forum, was intended to celebrate students who have decided to pursue careers in the field of education. The signing day provided a chance for students, their families, and their educators to gather together in one room and honor the impact of teachers past, present, and future. “As a KCSD graduate who returned to teach in the classroom at LugoffElgin Middle School where I attended as a child, it was a fulfilling experience to watch high school seniors dedicate themselves to the process of becoming educators,” Brad Brazell, Teacher Forum Vice Chairperson, said. “Future Educator Signing Day is a tangible way that KCSD Teacher Forum demonstrates its commitment to teacher leadership and to facing the teacher recruitment crisis,” Brazell said. “The future educators who participated expressed that they were proud to be honored by their district. It seems likely that when they are ready to begin their careers, KCSD will be at the top of their lists to consider. They know that they will be supported by Teacher Forum in the classroom as they were when they were future educators.” June 9, 2022
Above: (left to right): Keliese Graham, Savannah Mullis, Kylee Bankson, Olivia Spivey, Rebecca Branham, Marcy Davis, Eden Mock, Hannah King, Emma Sims, Mackenzie Nelson, Hayley Russell, Gracie Parsons, Lily Roberts, and Emily Hall. 11
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