Elgin News - 1B 2023

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.

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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

Kindergarten Round-Up

The Kershaw County School District (KCSD) will open its online pre-registration process for fourand five-year-old kindergarten classes for the 2023-2024 school year on February 1. Families are able to complete the process online but can also attend in-person help sessions if needed on Thursday, February 23. The online system will be open February 1-28.

This online Kindergarten Round-Up is for families of four- and five-year-olds who are new to KCSD and will be four or five by Sept. 1, 2023. Students qualify to attend 4K based on family income levels or academic needs.

Families of students who have been served in either 4K or 5K this year do not participate in the Round-Up process. All new and returning KCSD students will complete registration this summer. Families can access the online paperwork at www.kcsdschools.net/roundup. Families who need assistance with completing the process can attend a help session on February 23, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. or 3 to 6 p.m. at the school where their child is zoned. To determine a child's zoned school, persons can visit www.kcsdschools.net/zoning.

Families can upload vehicle, financial and residence documents needed to verify residency along with a parent’s photo ID, recent utility bill, child’s birth certificate and child’s certificate of immunization. If applicable, a Medicaid card and SNAP acceptance letter can also be uploaded. Documents can be digitally scanned or photographed. Each document will need to be uploaded individually.

For more information, contact KCSD Elementary Education Director Ginger Catoe at virginia. catoe@kcsdschools.net or 432-8416 ext.1264.

United Way of KC Matching Gift Challenge

With the start of a new year, the United Way of Kershaw County greatly appreciates the support that has brought us to $625,000 raised! As we enter 2023, we are excited to announce a matching challenge gift of $50,000 that with community support will get us to our goal of $725,000. The generous anonymous donor and friend of our United Way is hoping our community will join him in giving. His challenge “While I have already given this year, I want to do more, and I want to challenge others to do the same. Even if they’ve given, maybe they will join me and give a little more.”

“This year, we found ourselves $100,000 short of where we want to be,” says President, Donny Supplee, “and a friend of our United Way has stepped up to provide a matching gift challenge of $50,000 to get us to our goal so we are extending our campaign to February 15th .”

When the donor suggested that his matching gift could encourage others to give, he shared that his reason for wanting to give more was that he is so pleased with the difference our programs are making in our community.

In 2022, the United Way of Kershaw County assisted many homeless Kershaw County individuals and families in transitional housing at New Day Transitional Housing Program, fed thousands of families through the Mobile Nutrition Center and has provided transportation to Kershaw County residents to service their health, food and social service needs through the Vehicle Access Network. The final push for funding will further equip our United Way to grow and expand our reach and services throughout Kershaw County.

“For the 3rd year in a row, our United Way has come to the end of campaign in need of more funding to reach our goal and each of these years a generous donor has stepped up to make us whole!” said Donny Supplee.

The United Way of Kershaw County is thankful for every donor and volunteer that helps us make an impact in Kershaw County. Your individual donations combined give people the hand-up they need to recover and thrive. The United Way of Kershaw County encourages the Kershaw County community to give so that we can serve those who need us most!

Please give by sending a gift to United Way of Kershaw County, P. O. Box 737, Camden, SC 29020 or by donating online at uwkc.net. You can know that your gift is doubled dollar for dollar as you help us help others! If you have any questions, please call Lori Arledge at 432-0951.

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

Meet Katie Guinn, KC Council Chair

By: Liz Simon, Staff Writer

Over 30 years have passed since a secondgrade girl in an Ohio classroom dreamed of flying airplanes to faraway places. January 3, 2023, Katie Guinn stood before an overwhelming crowd of supporters, civic leaders, and family to take the oath of office to represent Kershaw County as its first female County Council chairperson in the historic Robert Mills Courthouse in downtown Camden. South Carolina’s first female Lieutenant governor Pamela Everett presided over the ceremony. Pamela said, “It is inspiring to see women run for office and create change within their community. May God bless and guide her in her work.”

Katie describes herself on her social media Facebook page as a Christian and all things Kershaw County. She is wife to Camden native Tripp Guinn who is the chef and co-owner with Katie of The Catery on Broad, parents of Lilli (14) and Eli (3), sister to Courtney who is four years younger, and daughter to Joan.

Mother Joan Collins said, “I can't express how proud I am of my daughter. Katie has always been a determined person. I remember when she was five or six when I asked her what she wanted to do when she grew up. She said, ‘I'm going to be a pilot.’ Twenty-five years later she took me on my first ride in a helicopter. With Katie, it's never I want to do this. It's always been I'm going to do this. She has always been able to achieve anything she puts her mind to. I am so proud of Katie and all her achievements and excited for the future of Kershaw County.” Mrs. Collins held the Bible as her daughter Katie was sworn in that morning.

As Chairman of the Kershaw County Council, Katie's duties include informing the council on communication, having constant contact with the administration, building relationships with surrounding counties, lead meetings as the Parliamentarian, along with preparing the agendas for the twice monthly council meetings, and meeting with citizens, and attending civic activities.

Katie has been in orientation classes studying to prepare her for this role.

Katie believes her strongest leadership traits are her ability to delegate, talent management, and having empathy toward others. She believes you must know the people you are leading and have compassion for others.

Katie expressed concern for the taxpayers in the county. She wants to address the sewer debt and the increased fees that were added last year. The Supreme Court has ruled that it is unlawful to use fees as a tax. Katie also wants to address the parks and the recreational needs.

Katie said, “Tourism is a big asset for our community, and we need facilities here to host events. The economic impact will embrace the county and the plans we make for years to come.”

Katie moved to South Carolina in 2007 to attend the College of Charleston to pursue a Bachelor of Science degree. While there, she was encouraged by a friend to join the South Carolina Army National Guard where she became a medic.

After completing her military training, Katie deployed overseas to Afghanistan in 2012. She loved being with her unit. She earned her combat medical badge for providing aid under fire. Katie’s duties included having to call for support from the Apache Helicopter Command. She risked her life many times in Afghanistan.

The US armed forces has female soldiers like Katie attached to the Special Forces Division to engage with the women/young girls living in the small villages. Katie had to collect intelligence information. The women would only give information if they feared for their family.

After serving one year in Afghanistan, Katie returned and entered flight school. She was promoted to Chief Warrant Officer. Katie followed her dream and learned to fly the Apache helicopter. She was then stationed at Fort McIntyre Air Force Base in Columbia. She is only one of 40 females in the world to be certified to fly the Apache.

In 2016 Katie met her husband Tripp because he was catering an event for Ted Cruz’s presidential campaign that Katie was attending. They texted for over a year until they had their first date. From that chance meeting and a year of communication, their love story was highlighted with a beautiful wedding on the cliffs of Greece overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.

Katie Guinn will correspond in future issues with The Elgin News readers as our new Kershaw County Council Chairwoman.

Sweet Rewards of Reading at Doby's Mill

2nd graders in Mrs. Dixon's class, who have been learning about the many ways reading is important, worked with the DME cafeteria staff to learn how to read a recipe, measure and mix the ingredients, and follow step-by-step directions to create delicious cookies.

From the Chief's Desk

In this week’s article, I want to talk about Community Policing. Community policing is a collaboration between the Police and the community. It helps identify and solve community problems. With Law Enforcement’s duties constantly expanding and changing, all members of our community become allies in the effort to enhance the safety and quality of neighborhoods, streets, businesses and our schools. In other words, we need your help!

We are a small Police Dept. with big responsibilities. In addition to

our citizens that live in the Town Limits, we have thousands of visitors a day, either passing through or visiting our businesses that we are also responsible for. We need your eyes and ears to help keep us in the loop with solving any current and potential problems. Most citizens do a great job already working with us, but we could use more help. Thank you.

Elgin Police Department Incident Reports

Assisting Other Agency (KCSO): KCSO deputies and Officer Picciuolo were alerted there were vehicles coming from Richland County that were involved in some sort of dispute. Units were further advised they were on US 1 headed toward the Town of Elgin. The initial details from dispatch were not very clear. Subsequent details came out that a Chevrolet Camaro was trying to get away from a black SUV that was attempting to run it off the road. The vehicles were being followed by Bulldog Towing. Eventually, the rolling disturbance got to Watson St. Picciuolo got out with Bulldog Towing until KCSO units arrived shortly thereafter. Once KCSO deputies arrived, the two parties involved in the altercation gave statements to KCSO deputies. The incident was a boyfriend/ girlfriend dispute that was handled by the KCSO. Financial Transaction Fraud: I was dispatched to a walk-in call at Elgin Town Hall in reference to credit card fraud. I arrived and spoke with Victim who stated that her credit card had been used for a total of $85.00 on 01/13/2023 in the Town Limits of Elgin at 2513 Main St. Elgin, SC 29045 (Bojangles) by a Bojangles employee. Victim left her card by mistake and her boyfriend went back to the restaurant to pick up the card. Once the

card was picked up, Victim noticed fraud activity on the card. After being told this information I went to Bojangles and spoke with the Manager, who Victim already spoke with. Manager gave me the Suspect's information. Suspect was fired after being confronted about the incident. Manager had video of Suspect looking at, and taking a photo of the card with her cell phone, and then appearing to text someone the card information. Once I returned to the police department I spoke with Victim and Boyfriend and looked at the documentation from their bank that they had. Suspect successfully took $85.00 off of the card, but in total, attempted to take a grand total of $1210.00. Boyfriend and Victim both wrote a written statement about the issue and a victim's form was given to Victim. I called and spoke with Suspect in order to set up an interview and she agreed to be at the police department by 01/18/2023 at 1400 hours and did not show.

DUS 1st, Not for DUI; Assist Other Agency (Wanted Person): While on patrol in the town limits of Elgin, OFC Picciuolo observed a silver Honda Accord traveling out of town on White Pond Road at a high rate of speed. The posted speed limit is 35 MPH. OFC Picciuolo used his

patrol vehicle's certified radar (Golden Eagle II) in moving mode to confirm the vehicle's speed at 57 MPH and a traffic stop was initiated. The driver identified himself as Subject and stated he had a suspended SCDL for unpaid traffic tickets. OFC Picciuolo informed Subject he needed to find out what he was suspended for and assured him he would help him if he could. Kershaw Dispatch confirmed Subject was DUS 1st, not for DUI, and also relayed that Subject had a warrant from Orangeburg, SC. Dispatch confirmed the hit through Orangeburg, and Subject was placed into custody by OFC Picciuolo, OFC Bradley, and CPL DeLong. The vehicle was inventoried prior to being towed and a meth pipe, a contact case with white powder residue, and some Advil was found. Subject stated the smoking kit was not his, and a decision was made by OFC Picciuolo not to charge him. The contraband was seized and destroyed. $142 in cash was also found and Subject stated that he wished the money to stay with the vehicle. Subject and Cpl. DeLong attempted to get someone to pick up the vehicle, but after waiting, a decision was made to have a rotation wrecker pick up the vehicle. Kingston MW picked up the vehicle.

Stover Middle Holds Second Annual Science Fair

Stover held their Second Annual Science Fair on January 13th. There were 82 total projects in the judged competition.

LEHS Names Miss LE, Jr. Miss LE

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Miss LE 2023: (pictured from left to right) Anna Williams, Miss Congeniality and Miss Fan Favorite; Jules Lemonds, Miss 1st Runner Up; Olivia Nichols, Miss Junior; Emery Branham, Miss LE and Miss Photogenic; Sara Beth McCaskill, Miss Senior; Rylee Slaton, Miss 2nd Runner Up; Mary-Grace Hill, Miss Entrepreneur (Photo courtesy Johnny Deal, BowTie Photography)

Pictured from left to right: Mollie Laffin, Miss Sophomore and Junior Miss Congeniality; Kyndall Peake, Junior Miss 1st Runner Up and Junior Miss Entrepreneur; Layla Mace, Junior Miss Photogenic; Sara Wells, Junior Miss LE and Junior Miss Fan Favorite; Reagan Glover, Miss Freshman; Liliana Fogle, Junior Miss 2nd Runner Up (Photo courtesy Johnny Deal, BowTie Photography)

Cell Modeling at CHS

(right). They brought donuts to BES School Resource Officer Lewis Martin to show their appreciation for keeping the Blaney

Kershaw County Library February Events

WEEKLY EVENTS

Wednesdays | 10:30 AM – 11 AM | Camden Get Set to Read Storytime: Join us for stories, songs and fun. For ages 3-5.

Wednesdays | 11:15 AM – 12 PM | Camden

Baby Storytime: A fun time of stories, songs and movement for the very young. For ages 0-2.

Thursdays | 10:30 AM – 11 AM | Elgin

Get Set to Read Storytime: Join us for stories, songs and fun. For ages 3-5.

Thursdays | 11:15 AM – 12 PM | Elgin

Baby Storytime: A fun time of stories, songs and movement for the very young. For ages 0-2.

SPECIAL EVENTS

Thursday, February 2 | 4 PM | Camden

Chess Club: Come on in for a chess club for all! Teaching of beginners and play for all levels will be available. Ages 7 to adult.

Friday, February 3 | 10 AM | Camden Homeschoolers’ Club: Lace up a heart for someone you love! All materials supplied. For ages 5-8. Please register by emailing laurend@kershawcountylibrary. org

Friday, February 3 | 11:15 AM | Camden Homeschooler’s Club+: We’ll work as a team to create a paper quilt poster for Black History Month to display in the library. For ages 9-12. Please register by email: laurend@kershawcountylibrary.org

Tuesday, February 7 | 10:30 AM | Elgin Duplo Fun Time - Elgin! Little hands can make big fun with our larger Duplo Legos. Let their imaginations loose! For ages 18 mos. – 5 years.

Wednesday, February 8 | 4 PM | Elgin Elgin Legomania: Come show us how creative you can be with Legos! For kids of all ages.

Thursday, February 9 | 4 PM | Camden Lego Club: Let’s have fun with Legos! All ages are welcome for free play inside.

Thursday, February 9 | 5:30 PM | via Zoom

Protect Your Piggy Bank: Tom Kilkenny from Weiss Financial Ratings will host a webinar to show

the functionality of the new Weiss Financial Ratings Database and teach us how to create an account, set up a watch list for your bank, insurance company, stocks and mutual funds, how to create research tools (screeners), and run a Medigap report. Sign up by emailing cristib@kershawcountylibrary.org

Thursday, February 9 | 5:30 PM | Camden Can You Feel the Love DIY: Join us in making a heartfelt decoration for yourself or someone special! Limited seating for ages 18 and older.

Friday, February 10 | 10:30 AM | Camden

Little Explorers’ Club: February Hearts: Join Ms. Lauren for a heart story and a painting craft. Dress accordingly! Ages 2-5. Please register via email: laurend@kershawcountylibrary.org

Friday, February 10 | 4 PM | West Wateree Veteran’s Park 550 US-1 in Lugoff

Snowy Day StoryWalk®: Join KCL for fun at the Veteran’s Park with the new StoryWalk® book The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats. The bookmobile will be giving away copies of the book (while supplies last) and doing easy snowflake crafts. Take a walk and enjoy fun outdoors with us!

Tuesday, February 14 | 2 PM | Camden

Master Gardener: Your Vegetable Garden: Jackie Jordan, Master Gardener Coordinator for Fairfield, Kershaw and Richland Cooperative Extension Offices, will be here to talk about planting your vegetable garden. We love our veggies!

Tuesday, February 14 | 5:30 PM | Camden

Small Business Workshop: Microloans: Join SBDC Business Consultant Jim Johnson for this free 90 minute training event and learn about the rural microloans program for your small business. Learn how to obtain microloan funding, resources for rural funding, including loans and grants, and financial management best practices. Registration recommended (but not required). Contact Main Street Manager Kat Spadacenta at 803-549-5648 or kspadacenta@camdensc.org

Thursday, February 16 | 4 PM – | Camden Chess Club: Come on in for a chess club for all! Teaching of beginners and play for all levels will be available. Ages 7 to adult.

Tuesday, February 21 | 5 PM | Elgin Law Talk: Estate Planning: Local Attorney, Jessica LeGrand Benson will be conducting a legal clinic on estate planning. The Law Talk will consist of a 30–40-minute lecture presentation, followed by an open question and answer session. Registration required. Contact the Elgin branch at 803-438-7881 to sign up. Law talks are designed to provide general legal information, not to provide guidance on your specific situation. The free clinics are sponsored by the South Carolina Bar Public Services Division.

Thursday, February 23 | 4 PM | Camden Lego Club: Let’s have fun with Legos! All ages are welcome for free play inside.

Thursday, February 23 | 6 PM | Camden Camden Book Club: We will be discussing The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williamson. New members are always welcome. You can pick up a copy of the book at the Camden branch.

Sunday, February 26 | 1 -5 PM | Camden Human Library® at KCL: We’ve all heard the old adage that you can’t judge a book by its cover. The Human Library® is an opportunity for readers to experience a "human book" from our community and hear a story or have a conversation about their unique experiences in overcoming challenges and stereotypes. The event’s “books” will be our own friends and neighbors with diverse backgrounds and experiences, available to be “checked out” for conversations with “readers” to foster empathy and invite a greater understanding of the many human stories to be found and shared.

Monday, February 27 | 5 PM | Elgin Elgin Book Club *new*: Join us in Elgin for our new book club! We’ll be reading Devil in the White City by Erik Larson. Pick up your copy at the Elgin front desk!

Monday, February 27 | 5:30 - 8:30 PM | Camden Human Library® at KCL: We’ve all heard the old adage that you can’t judge a book by its cover. The Human Library® is an opportunity for readers to experience a "human book" from our community and hear a story or have a conversation about their unique experiences in overcoming challenges and stereotypes. The event’s “books” will be our own friends and neighbors with diverse backgrounds and experiences, available to be “checked out” for conversations with “readers” to foster empathy and invite a greater understanding of the many human stories to be found and shared.

Tuesday, February 28 | 6 PM | Camden Small Business Workshop: Increase Sales with Google Tools: Explore new Google tools that allow local brick-and-mortar businesses to list their products for free on Google. Learn how to highlight products on a Google Business Profile, use Pointy to promote in-store inventory with your point of sale system, use Google Merchant Center to showcase in-store and online product inventory, and more. This Grow with Google workshop is presented by Main Street Manager and Google Partner Kat Spadacenta.

**The library will be closed Monday, February 20 in observation of Presidents’ Day.

Kershaw County Schools Celebrate 100 Days of School

Across the county, students and teachers celebrated the 100th day of school in a variety of fun ways, including: dressing up like 100-year-olds, counting to 100 in a multitude of ways, and creating crafts from 100 items.

Vicki's Attic Clothing Giveaway

Vicki's Attic at Blaney Baptist Church, 1400 Blaney Road, Elgin, will be having a clothing giveaway on Saturday, January 28, 2023 from 1:00 to 4:00 P.M. Clothing including hoodies and shoes in both adult and children sizes will be available. Open to the public.

For questions, contact Blaney Baptist Church at 803-438-3161.

Position

'Liberty Live' at Blaney

SELF-DEFENSE SEMINAR

Monday, February 27th | 7:15 pm

Free of charge. Women only. Ages 12 and up. Bring your friends and loved ones!

Wear your normal, day-to-day clothes.

Hosted by:

803.736.4777

genovakarate.com

RSVP to: genovakarate1@gmail.com with the number of ladies in your group

130-C Pontiac Business Center Drive, Elgin

Can’t find the right rug for your home? Choose from our IN-STOCK Remnants and create a CUSTOM rug!

We also have a variety of area rugs already in-stock. Stop by to check out our selection, or to get started on your custom area rug!

CUSTOM RUGS!

HUGE Remnant Selection

carpetoutletlugoffsc.com

Blaney fourth graders participated in a "Liberty Live" in-school field trip. Guests from Southern Campaign 1780 helped students explore the lives of indigenous, immigrant, enslaved, and indentured populations during colonial times through demonstrations and hands-on activities involving cloth dying, butter making, and reenactments involving secret codes and 18th century diseases.

Pictured above, our BES fourth graders Daniella Griffin and Layken Gates as they receive instructions on making their own butter.

REHABILITATIVE CARE IS CLOSER THAN YOU THINK

Midlands Regional Rehabilitation Hospital in Elgin can help you regain your independence after an injury.

Our inpatient rehab hospital has 40 all-private rooms and treats those recovering from disabling injuries or living with chronic illnesses, such as:

• Strokes

• Brain injuries

• Spinal cord injuries

• Orthopedic injuries, including hip fractures

• Major multiple trauma

• ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease)

• Multiple Sclerosis

• Parkinson’s disease

• Amputations

• Neurological conditions

To learn more about our services, visit our website at MRRH.ernesthealth.com.

MRRH.ERNESTHEALTH.COM 20 Pinnacle Parkway • Elgin, SC 29045 • ph: 803.438.8890

Kershaw County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Of The Quarter (Oct-Dec 2022) Master Deputy Tracy Squirewell

Congratulations to your latest KCSO Deputy of the Quarter: Master Deputy Tracy Squirewell. MD Squirewell serves as a School Resource Of ficer (SRO) at Lugoff Elementary School. He was nominated by Captain Doug Bowling.

“SROs are often discounted as active contributors to the Sheriff's Office Mission. Master Deputy Squirewell has exemplified the mission of partner ing with our community (School District) in providing a vital public service to the citizens of Kershaw County. As such, he conducted himself in a man ner that will build trust with the students which he is tasked to serve and protect.” -

Captain Doug Bowling

CJWL Now Accepting Grant Applications for Classrooms

The Camden Junior Welfare League is now accepting applications for its Spring 2023 Classroom Enrichment Grants.

The grants will provide up to $500 to teachers for classroom support, project support, and extracurricular support. The purpose of the grants is to support enrichment areas such as math, science, history, language and writing, arts, physical education, life skills, and special education for students with disabilities.

These grants are open to all Kershaw County School District educators. Applications must be submitted online. The link to the grant application form can be found on the League’s website at www.camdenleague.org. Deadline to submit applications is Friday, February 10th, 2023.

The League is excited to be able to offer these grants for the fifth year in a row, as each year we see a remarkable response from teachers in the Kershaw County School District.. For a list of past classroom enrichment grant awardees, please visit the League’s website at www.camdenleague.org/grants.

Camden PD Names Interim Chief

Camden City Manager Jon Rorie announced that Darren Norris has been appointed interim police chief for the City of Camden, effective 1/28/23.

“We are pleased that Chief Norris will be joining us in this role and will be building upon the foundation laid by our retiring Chief Floyd,” said Rorie.

Norris retired as a Deputy Chief of Police in 2019, amassing twenty-seven years of active service in various command staff positions throughout his career at county and municipal level agencies. His previous assignments included uniform patrol, K-9 handler, narcotics/vice investigations, patrol supervisory, training and management positions, federal task force officer, and Special Operations Division Commander. Certified as a police instructor through the SC Criminal Justice Academy, he frequently teaches patrol operations and leadership, and lectures both domestically and abroad on security operations. Norris served most recently as Assistant Chief of Police for the town of Springfield, SC., where his primary duties were policy management and training.

"I am honored to have been selected as Interim Chief," Norris said. "I look forward to working with the dedicated men and women of the department and the community to keep Camden a safe place to live, work, and visit."

Stokes Named SC Conservation Districts' Teacher of the Year

On Tuesday, January 24, at the 81st Annual SC Conservation District Conference in Greenville, SC, attended by SC Association of Conservation Districts, SC Dept. of Natural Resources, and Natural Resources Conserva tion Service, CLC Special Projects Coordinator Kim Stokes was named the SC Conservation Districts' Secondary Teacher of the Year.

Kershaw Conservation District Coordinator Donna Douglas wrote the following in her nomination of Stokes: "She is dedicated to teaching con servation and is active in partnering with the Kershaw Soil and Water Con servation District in these efforts. She attends workshops with Nature As Teacher, the SC Green Steps Program, water quality, recycling, and vegetable gardening and composting. Mrs. Stokes has utilized the Kershaw Soil and Water Conservation District mini-grant program (awarded two grants the past two years) to implement conservation programs in her school along with participating in Stewardship Day with the Kershaw County United Way. She has partnered with Nature As Teacher for many conservation proj ects at CLC. Her conservation work includes bluebird box construction and education, stream water quality studies and assessments, recycling efforts, and litter clean up initiatives."

January 27, 2023

Pictured left to right: Benji Jackson (Kershaw County Sheriff’s Foundation), Mas ter Deputy Tracy Squirewell, Sheriff Lee Boan

Pictured left to right: Kershaw Conservation District Coordinator Donna Douglas, SC Conservation Districts' Secondary Teacher of the Year Kim Stokes, and Ed Estridge, Kershaw Conservation District Commissioner