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The Island News formerly Lady’s Island News
YOUR Local Newspaper
Bringing our community together
June 11- June 17, 2009
Covering Lady’s Island, St. Helena Island, Dataw Island, Fripp Island, Port Royal, Beaufort
‘Tyranny in the legislative state,’ says Sen. Davis see page 4
Standout seniors make plans for the future by Ariel Promislow On June 9, the Beaufort High class of 2009 gathered for the final time, as each of the 355 students received their diplomas before moving on to the next chapters in their lives. These graduating seniors contributed to the average 2.7 GPA. While 40% of the seniors will attend college in the fall, 30% of the seniors will enter in the workforce, and others will join the military. This year’s graduating class was the first to experience the Small Schools concept from beginning to end and they have represented strength in academics, athletics, and service to Beaufort High School. No. 1 Chris Greco Chris Greco doesn’t have a lot of rules for success, but for this year’s Continued on page 9
Beaufort Academy student -- and sea turtles -- return to Hunting Island for the summer by Emily Hutchins
For four years, Jessy Wayles, a Beaufort Academy graduate, has been coming to the Hunting Island beach at six a.m. once a week as a volunteer looking for turtle nests. This year Wayles is on summer break from her zoology studies at Santa Fe College in Florida. She is working as a Nature Center Specialist at the Hunting Island Nature Center and continuing her volunteer work with sea turtles. Jessy is also one of many volunteers who look for and mark the locations of the nests and use measures designed to protect the nests from predators until the baby sea turtles hatch from their eggs and are ready to go into the ocean.
Sea turtles have made Hunting Island their nesting grounds long before anyone ever came to the beaches to relax. The Loggerhead, the most common species on Hunting Island, create their nests in sand dunes on the shores of the beaches between the months of May and August. When the eggs hatch, the baby sea turtles head into the ocean. Small fish, Sargassum seaweed found in the ocean and invertebrates such as jellyfish are all a part of the sea turtle’s diet. According to Wayles, the sea turtles are important because they have been on this earth since Continued on page 8
In This Issue NEWS
PROFILE
SPORTS
Fulbright Scholar
Dr. Bailey & Dr. Bailey
Tennis champions
SEE PAGE 15
SEE PAGE 11
SEE PAGE 5