FBLA DISTRICT IV NORTH AUGUSTA HIGH SCHOOL 2008-2009 FIRST-THIRD PLACE FBLA STATE WINNERS
(Students Eligible to Compete at Nationals in Anaheim California, June 2009)

Also, at the Future Business Leaders of America State Conference from North Augusta High School:
Frederick Grimm was elected FBLA South Carolina State President for 2009-2010.
Jennifer Price was elected FBLA South Carolina State Parliamentarian for 2009-2010.

Jessica Kaczmarek-Business Communication, 1st Place
Jennifer Grimm-FBLA Principles and Procedures, 1st Place
Jasmine King- Marketing, 1st Place
Ashley Crawford-Word Processing I, 1st Place
Sam Abbott-Word Processing II, 1st Place
Macie Whatley-Public Speaking I, 1st Place
Shelbie Walker-Sports Management, 1st Place
Kay Meyer-Computer Applications, 2nd Place
Brooke Busby-FBLA Principles and Procedures, 2nd Place
Jennifer Harlan-Impromptu Speaking, 2nd Place
Matthew Watke-Introduction to Business Communication, 2nd Place
Jennifer Price-Public Speaking II, 2nd Place
Nicholas Gamble-Website Development, 2nd Place
Stacey Scaggs-Word Processing II, 2nd Place
Stephen Stuberfield-Accounting I, 3rd Place
Greg Shuford-FBLA Principles and Procedures, 3rd Place
Devin Broaden and Jonathan Larry, Website Development, 3rd Place

Community Service Project: 1st Place
Jennifer Price
Frederick Grimm
Nicholas Gamble

Partnership with Business: 1st Place
Erica Adams
Chris Ramey
Patrick Reese

Emerging Business Issues: 2nd Place
Mel Hanks
Emeka Okafor

North Augusta High School Awards....(pdf)

North Augusta Elementary School is officially a Healthy School!!!! We are pleased to announce that we achieved recognition as a South Carolina Healthy School in the three component areas of:

Health and Safety Policies& Environment
Nutrition Services
Counseling, Psychological and Social Services

This award will be announced at the Summer Leadership Institute on June 24th. Charlette and Jean wish to thank everyone who participated on this committee. Special thanks to the School Improvement Council for their hard work as they were a crucial part of this. And thanks to all who completed the surveys, participated in the "Nutrition Moments" at the faculty meetings and did background work on the application process. It was worth it all!

Seniors William Rudisill and Breonna Mealing were North Augusta High School's delegation at this year AAAA state track championships, held Saturday at Lower Richland High School in Columbia. Rudisill took the title in his event, the 3,200-meter run, by finishing in 9:45.69 - three seconds ahead of his nearest opponent. Mealing, competing in the 400-meter hurdles, finished seventh at 1:09.30.

Kim Hart, the Work Based Learning Liaison, was recognized in Columbia on May 27, 2009 by the State Department of Education for her outstanding Service in the Education of Homeless Students.

Aiken County is honored to announce 3 more Red Carpet Schools!... Warrenville, Mossy Creek, and East Aiken Elementary were named family -friendly schools by the State Department of Education. (press release)

Wagener Salley High Agriculture Mechanics team placed first in the State Ag.Mechanics C.D.E. Saturday at Laurens High.

The following Aiken County students were medalists at the state finals of National History Day in South Carolina. The contest was held at the South Carolina Department of Archives and History in Columbia on Saturday, April 25, 2009. Based around an annual theme, students present their work in the categories of exhibits, documentaries, historical research papers, live performances or web sites. The theme for 2009 was “The Individual in History: Actions and Legacies.”

Silver Medalists and alternates to the national contest are:

Louis Braille: Beacon for the Blind, Lindsay Brille, Schofield Middle School, Aiken; Teacher: Allison Hollimon

John Scopes and the Greatest Trial of the 20th Century, Shannon Holmes, Silver Bluff High School, Aiken; Teacher: Jim McNeill

Gold Medalist and national qualifier:

Elizabeth Blackwell: “Who Better Than I To Change the World”, Corissa Brock, Silver Bluff High School, Aiken; Teacher: Jim McNeill

The national contest will be held at the University of Maryland – College Park, June 14 – 18, 2009.

Michelle Ashley was selected the CSRA Environmental Teacher of the Year--by ESEC (Environmental Science Education Cooperative) and was awarded $500. It was a great honor considering the outstanding accomplishments of the other nominees. ESEC Vision: To promote the Central Savannah River Area (CSRA) as the center for excellence in environmental science education and to provide information and access to programs for the community to become more effective environmental stewards through science education, research, technology and public outreach.

Congratulations to the Midland Valley FFA Association as they were named a South Carolina National Gold Chapter. This is the highest honor bestowed upon a chapter at the state level. Midland Valley was among nine chapters from across the state (67 chapters total) of South Carolina to take this honor. The chapter will now compete on the national level to become a one two or three Gold Star National Chapter. Aiken High was awarded silver and Ridge Spring, Aiken County Career and Technology Center and Wagener Salley was awarded the superior ranking.

Congratulations to Lyndsey Meyers, a fifth grade student at J. D. Lever Elementary, for having her picture "Summer Sports are a Big Hit!" selected as the cover winner for Aiken Park Bench. This will be on shown on www.aiken.net and Channel 4 (the City's Local government TV station).

North Aiken Elementary School was represented by 37 students at the 2009 MathFest in Columbia, SC on Saturday, April 18, 2009. (more)

The North Augusta High School Beta Club traveled to North Charleston recently to compete in the annual South Carolina State Beta Club Convention. (more)

We wish to publicly show our appreciation to Mr. Cross and the Kimberly Clark Corporation for being so caring and generous with our students and staff. (more)

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's thrilling detective class, "The Hound of the Baskervilles" is 107 years old, yet students in Mrs. Laurie Frazier's English I GT class paid homage to this beloved classic in some refreshing and innovative ways! As an extension of the novel, students were challenged to come up with ways to reinterpret and extend the novel. The projects were submitted to The Hansom Wheels Scion Society of the Baker Street Irregulars, a group dedicated to the preservation of Conan-Doyle's timeless detective Sherlock Holmes. Four students were selected for their projects, and they and their families are invited to attend an awards luncheon at the South Carolina State Museum in Columbia on Saturday, May 9. The students completed a variety of unique projects. Adam Parler and Glenn Barnes performed a skit; Jordan Gamble, assuming the role of one of the characters, wrote a diary; and Ben Gamble developed a game based on the novel. We would like to congratulate these students in their efforts to keep the famous detective Sherlock Holmes alive! (picture)

Erin Calloway, a student at North Augusta Middle School, won 3rd place in the Nancy Carson Library Poetry Contest. Erin, her parents and teachers are invited to "Open Mic Night" on Thursday, April 23rd, 7:00 p.m. at the library. (picture)

Three Mossy Creek students in Lee Ann Shealy's fifth grade class are conservation essay winners for Belvedere Woman's Club. 1st Place/Guinness Bradley - $25.00 2nd Place/Amia Walton - $15.00 and 3rd Place/Allison McLane - $10.00

Five Aiken Middle students received $1000 scholarships from The Raytheon Company. These students submitted presentations on the importance of math in their daily lives and answered the question, "How does math put the action in your passion?". The students awarded scholarships were: Brittany Davis, Kevin Rubio, Amanda Yaun, Joseph Johnson and Samantha Key. The school will also receive a $5000 matching grant.

The Silver Bluff High School NJROTC finished 17th in the nation in last weekends nationals competition. They competed with drill team, academic team, and athletic team

The National Beta Club announced today that Nicole Cox and Bethany Matthews have been named Beta Scholars which entitles them each to a scholarship award of $1,000. Nicole and Bethany competed against more than 1000 candidates nationwide for this honor. Two hundred fifteen scholarship recipients were chosen. Nicole plans to attend Newberry College to major in graphic design, while Bethany plans to attend Clemson to major in biology. Both young ladies were recommended for this award by the RS-M High School Beta Club sponsor, Mrs. Josie Rodgers. “These outstanding young people represent the true spirit of National Beta, having excelled not only academically, but in leadership and service to school and community as well,” said Mr. Ken Cline, executive director of the National Beta Club. Nicole is the daughter of Lynn and Terry Watson and Mitch and Sheila Cox. Her grandparents are Irvin and Linda Fulmer and Ross and Connie Cox and the great-granddaughter Lottie Cumbee. Bethany is the daughter of Mickey and Sheila Matthews and the granddaughter of Don and Betty Havird and Ted and Gwen Matthews. Her great-grandfather is LC Padgett. Mrs. Josie Rodgers states that she chose these two Beta members because they truly represent leadership, good citizenship, academic excellence, and dedication to school and community.

Redcliffe Elementary School students Jace Rinder (fourth grader) and John Hampton McIver (fourth grader) were #1 in the STATE out of 126 teams in the elementary school division for the NYSE stock market game. They will have a dinner with the mayor from New Ellenton since he sponsored the cost of the teams and we are invited to Columbia on May 8 for a luncheon and presentation. They also get a $50.00 check as does Gail Hunter, Redcliffe's GT Teacher. The two students made over $11,000 in 8 weeks which was 10% above the S/P numbers for the same time period.

The annual student art show sponsored by the North Augusta Cultural Arts Council was held on March 24th at N.A. High School. NAMS was well represented with over 80 pieces of artwork. We are proud to announce that Shelby Kenrick won 3rd place for her charcoal and chalk still life and Ashton Young received Honorable Mention for her Edgefield Ugly Jug. All participants will receive a certificate of appreciation from the Arts Council. (photo)

Jonathan Mills and Daniel Pippen, students from North Augusta Middle School, competed at the state math counts competition. There were 60 students competing and Daniel came in 31 and Jonathan came in 36. The competition consisted of sprint round which was 30 questions to be completed in 40 minutes, target round which was 8 questions, given two at a time and six minutes per two questions. After a break, students returned to compete in the team round which was 4 students working together on 10 questions with a time limit of 20 minutes. The last phase of the competition was the top 16 students competing in a countdown round where students competed one on one with 45 seconds to answer a question. The student who answered the most out of 3 questions progressed to the next round. Neither of our students participated in the countdown round. (photo)

Congratulations to the inaugural Midland Valley FFA Archery Team as they completed the season ranked third place overall in the State of South Carolina. The team competed this past Friday March 27, 2009 in the South Carolina Archery in the Schools state tournament as part of the Sportsman Classic in Columbia South Carolina where they brought home the third place trophy. The team did have two high scoring individuals in the competition. Laurna Jackson finished the season ranked individually as number three in the state for females and freshman member Andrew Atkinson finished ranked individually as the first place male shooter for the State of South Carolina. For his outstanding marksmanship abilities Andrew was awarded a personalized plaque, medal, and a custom Mathews Genesis bow to be used as he now advances to the National Archery in the Schools program, held in Louisville Kentucky this May, as an archer for the state of South Carolina. We are extremely proud of the team and wish them luck as they prepare for next years season. We also wish Andrew luck as he prepares for the National Tournament.

Mossy Creek Elementary School received special recognition from the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control Office of Solid Waste Reduction and Recycling for outstanding commitment to waste reduction and recycling in South Carolina for our efforts to recycle and reduce waste at Mossy Creek. Alicia Bennett, advisor to Mossy Creek's student council, has worked for 4 years to make Mossy Creek greener by encouraging recycling school wide. With help from the city of North Augusta providing blue recycling bags, every teacher and student in our school make an effort to recycle in each and every classroom. Student Council members collect these blue bags each Friday morning and place the recyclables in our special dumpster just for recycled items. We are very proud to have been recognized and will continue to work hard to keep up these recycling efforts in the future.

The fifth annual North Augusta Idol sponsored by the NACAC was held on March 24th at North Augusta High School. The competition showcases the vocalist, instrumental and dance talents of our area students. Monetary awards will be given to the North Augusta Idol and the first place winners in the elementary, middle and high school. This year for the first time special recognition will be given to the runners up.Haley Grant received 1st runner up in the middle school section, she is a student at North Augusta Middle School. She danced to a combination of "Le Freak" and "Super Freak".

North Augusta Elementary School was named as a South Carolina Title I Distinguished School by receiving an Honorable Mention award for closing the achievement gap as determined by 2008 PACT scores, AYP results, and the School Report Card. Only six schools in the state were named Title I Distinguished Schools. (photo)

Midland Valley High School student, Lauren Barker, received a $2,000 scholarship for academic excellence from the South Carolina Association of Title I Administrators.(photo)

David Beja received the Golden Apple award from Channel 6. Mr. Beja teaches 8th grade science at Jackson Middle School. One of his students, Kyle Pruitte, nominated him. Not only did he receive the Golden Apple but received a $50 gift card to buy teaching supplies. The presentation was made by news anchor Brad Means from Channel 6.

South Carolina DHEC awarded East Aiken Elementary School a Certificate of Special Recognition for outstanding commitment to waste reduction and recycling in South Carolina.

North Augusta Middle School students participate in CSRA Regional Science Fair Competition at USCA on Saturday, March 14th. (more)

North Augusta Middle School student, Geoffrey Powell (6th grade), has qualified to participate in the State Geography Bee. He had to take a test and make a certain score to be considered for state level. He will participate in the State Geography Bee on April 3rd in Columbia, SC. Congratulations to Geoffrey for a great job! (photo)

Adeana Berry, NAHS Senior and International Baccalaureate Art Certificate student was the First Place Winner in the Gertrude Herbert Art Institute Youth Art Competition this year. This annual competition is sponsored by the Markwalter Foundation and the American Irish Society. The competition is open to the schools within the CSRA which include Burke, Columbia, Richmond, Thompson, and Aiken County schools. Students' work is an interpretation of an interdisciplinary theme. This year the theme was "Art From All Points of the Compass." You may view this gallery of student art on Friday, March 20th from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and on Saturday, March 21st from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 a.m. at the Agnes Markwalter Museum located on Telfair Street in downtown Augusta, Georgia.

The Silver Bluff High School Key Club attended the Carolinas District Key Club Convention last weekend. Of 260 clubs in NC and SC, SBHS came back with 2nd place for the Major Emphasis Program, 1st place poster contest, 1st place Single Service Project, 1st place in talent, 3rd place Oratorical Contest, Outstanding Lieutenant Governor award, Outstanding Club Achievement award, and Distinguished Club Award. SBHS Key Club has a long-standing history in the Carolinas district. Even with that history, this is the most recognition the club has EVER received at the convention. For more information, contact Mary Thomas mthomas214@aiken.k12.sc.us .

North Augusta Middle has a lot to celebrate as they brought home the trophy for the South Carolina Future City competition. Twenty-seven middle school teams from 13 schools took part in the competition earlier this year. The students, teacher, and engineer mentor of the first place team had the opportunity to go to Washington, D.C. in February to represent the state of South Carolina and NAMS. After competing against representatives from the east to the west coast, the Jasaka team essay was scored the highest in the nation. (picture)

1st Place: North Augusta Middle
Team: Jasaka
Sarah Larabee, Julia Spieker and Kirstyn Denney
NAMS Teacher Rep. Mrs. B.R. Smith
Engineer Mentor: Mr. Mike Cercy

Best Essay: North Augusta Middle
Team: Aquaville
Mia Bowman, Michaela Treadway and Avery Tyrrell
NAMS Teacher Rep: Mrs. B. R. Smith
Engineer Mentor: Mr. Mark Tyrrell

Best Model: North Augusta Middle School
Team Aquatranopolis
Nicole Fuller, Destenie Hensley, Payton Lord
NAMS Teacher Rep: Mrs. B. R. Smith
Engineer Mentor: Mr. Mike Cercy

Students who participated:
Jasaka-Kristin Powell and Kendal Greiner
Aquatranopolis-Jessie Crawford and Meghan Whitfield
Aquaville-Amber Flicek and Chaz Davey
Sun City-Brandon Redd and Corbin Lutier
Hendrixville-Nick Barrs and Justin Yonce

North Augusta Middle School students of the month for March are:
6th grade- Raven Mealing and Seth Rozsnyai
7th grade- Jennifer Reese and Nathan Shipman
8th grade- Ashley Shaw and Matthew Waspshott
Teacher of the month is: Mrs. Janet Wright. Mrs. Wright is a wonderful addition to the NAMS staff. She challenges her students in her art class to do their very best. The work that is displayed around the school looks excellent. She is always willing to help students and fellow teachers in any way possible.
Employee of the month is: Mrs. Charlotte Bickley Mrs. Bickley is a great asset to NAMS. She works very hard in the library. She is always willing to help the students and the teachers.

The archery team at Midland Valley recently qualified for the state archery tournament to be held in Columbia, SC on March 27, 2009. The team is composed of 15 various students both male and female ranging from 9th grade to 12 grade. The team shot against approximately 28 teams across the state the first week in February in regional competitions to be able to place. The team is now currently ranked #3 in the State of South Carolina behind Mid-Carolina and McBee High Schools. If the team finishes in the first place position during the state shoot in March they will win an invitation to the National Shoot that is held in Kentucky.

Congratulations goes out to Hammond Hill Elementary who was just notified that they are the $10,000 winner of the Cartoon Network - National Recess Week Award. Thanks to their Physical Education Ms. Corine Esposito for completing the application process for the school.

Silver Bluff High NJROTC named State Champs again!!!

The North Augusta High School Beta Club traveled to North Charleston this weekend to compete in the annual South Carolina State Beta Club Convention. 25 delegates attended and competed in various events. (more)

Outback Steakhouse presented Aiken Middle School A Honor Roll students with certificates for a complete meal with dessert. (more)

Kelly Cercy of North Augusta High School is the 8th Annual Empty Bowl T-design contest winner! The design will be featured on the 2009 event t-shirts! Plus the winning designer receives a $100.00 saving bond. “This design was very creative and simply shown at the same time, it captures the need and the hope of our community,” comments a committee member. (more)

Mossy Creek has been participating in the Souper Bowl of Caring which is a national movement where schools collect nonperishable food items and donate them to a charity of their choice. We chose the Golden Harvest Food Bank in Augusta. Our goal was to collect 700 cans, and we ended up collecting over 1,000.

LBC Middle School had two 8th gr. students have their poems published in the Pine Tree Poetry Collection, Anasja Allen and Cameron Driver.

Wagener-Salley finished Second Overall at 13th Eagle Challenge Invitational Drill Meet on 7 Feb 2009. 15 high Schools from North Carolina and South Carolina competed.
Overall: Second Place
First Place: Squad Armed Basic
First Place: Color Guard
First Place: Squad Armed Fancy
Second Place: Quartet Fancy
Second Place: Duo Armed Fancy
Third Place: Squad Unarmed Fancy
Fifth Place: Duo Unarmed Fancy

North Augusta Middle School has 3 winners for the 2008 DAR contest. Graham Shuford won 1st place, Eric Clubb 2nd and Adam Parler 3rd. Graham will read his winning essay on Tuesday, February 11th at Fairview Presbyterian Church at 4:00. Adam and Eric will also receive certificates for 2nd and 3rd place. In addition, the other participants from NAMS will receive a certificate as well. Our participants were Ben Tate, Bailey Goolsby, Parker Collins, Hannah Reese, Erin Smiley, Adam Street, Alexis Washington and Alicia Rivera.

Congratulations to Jordan Johnson, a 2nd grader in Ms. Eubank’s Class at Byrd Elementary, who won 2nd place in the Wonderful Colorful World Contest sponsored by Sakura, makers of oil pastels and other fine art supplies. Jordan’s work was sent to San Clemente, California in December by her art teacher, Mrs. Elizabeth Teeters. Jordan will receive a $100 savings bond and a generous supply of art materials from Sakura and other products from contest sponsors. Because Jordan placed in the top 3 in her category (K-2), a generous amount of art supplies will be donated to the Byrd Elementary Art Program for all students to use and enjoy! Way to go Jordan we are proud of you!

Congratulations to J. D. Lever's fifth grade Gifted & Talented students on the Lego team for qualifying to participate in the Lego Robotics State Championship on February 24. The Climate Cops, the name of the Lego team, participated in the Lego Robotics competition in Orangeburg, SC on January 30. They placed first in the research presentation category, which included a puppet show, and third in the teamwork category. Congratulations to Mrs. Nonica Livingston, teacher/coach, and Mr. Charlie Brown, volunteer, for their hard work in preparing the students for the competition. The fourth grade team, The Raging Robots, did not win an award but did a great job for their first time in the competition.

J. D. Lever Elementary School students enjoyed a great opportunity to try different types of fruits and vegetables from the State of South Carolina and around the world. The presentation was sponsored by Carolina Produce and the Aiken County School Food Services through the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Grant. Mr. Don Wellborn, public relations specialist with Carolina Produce of Anderson, did an excellent job engaging the students in learning about the importance of eating fruits and vegetables. A special 'thank you' to Ms. Linda Morris, Ms. Becky Freeman and Ms. Karen Johnson for their help with the program. You can visit our school's website for pictures of the event.

Redcliffe Elementary......Bonnie Fulghum was awarded a $3900 Lowes grant to refurbish our greenhouse and Jayce Ward was our school spelling bee winner, David Harden was second place and Olivia Minolfo third place. Jayce also was third place in our Area 5 Spelling Bee. Ashley Partin (first) and Dalton Pike (second) from JMS placed in the Area 5 Spelling Bee ahead of her.

The following Paul Knox Middle School Students placed in the Future Business Leaders of America- District IV Leadership Conference held on January 31st at North Augusta High School:

1st place Career Exploration- Ashton Norris
2nd place Proofreading and Editing- Lexi Perry

1st place Keyboarding II- Mallory Burckhalter
2nd place Computer Slide Show- Bradley Moody, Dexter Simmons, Taqiyyah Lawrence
3rd place Keyboarding I- Briana Partlow

The Marine Corps League has raised funds and purchased (4) tricycles for presenting to Chukker Creek Elementary's Special Education class. The presentation being at Chukker Creek Elementary for Tuesday, 10 February 2009, at 9:00 AM.

North Augusta Middle has a lot to celebrate as they took home the trophy for the South Carolina Future City competition. Twenty-seven middle school teams from 13 schools took part in the competition at USC Aiken on Saturday. The process begins in August when students receive the topic for the year's event. Students do extensive research on the topic including interviewing engineers and other professionals and then a 500-700 word essay is written about the topic. In addition to this essay, students must also write a 300-500 word abstract about their city's infrastructure and aesthetics as well as several other subtopics. The third leg of the competition has students creating a city using Sims software for which they are given an extensive list of requirements for the city that must be achieved for full credit. Additionally, each team had to create their own city models using only recyclables and homemade materials. The final phase of the 6 month long process was to present a 5-7 minute presentation for two panels of judges. Jasaka was chosen as 1 of 3 finalists and then presented their projects for another panel of judges in front of an audience of about 500 people. We are so proud of our winners as well as the 4 other teams that participated in the final competition. The students, teacher, and engineer mentor of the first place team will have the opportunity to go to Washington, D.C. in February to represent the state of South Carolina and NAMS.

1st Place: North Augusta Middle
Team: Jasaka
Sarah Larabee, Julia Spieker and Kirstyn Denney
NAMS Teacher Rep. Mrs. B.R. Smith
Engineer Mentor: Mr. Mike Cercy

Best Essay: North Augusta Middle
Team: Aquaville
Mia Bowman, Michaela Treadway and Avery Tyrrell
NAMS Teacher Rep: Mrs. B. R. Smith
Engineer Mentor: Mr. Mark Tyrrell

Best Model: North Augusta Middle School
Team Aquatranopolis
Nicole Fuller, Destenie Hensley, Payton Lord
NAMS Teacher Rep: Mrs. B. R. Smith
Engineer Mentor: Mr. Mike Cercy

Congratulations to Hope Brooks, President of the Midland Valley High School adult education program, as she was named the South Carolina Horticulturalist of the Year by the South Carolina Young Farmer and Agribusiness Association this past weekend at their annual winter conference held in Myrtle Beach SC. Hope will now compete at the National level for the title of National Horticulturalist of the Year. Hope was also named as the South Carolina Lower State Region Agribusiness person of the year by the South Carolina Young Farmer and Agribusiness Association while at the conference.

Brooke Tipton, a student at Mossy Creek Elementary, won 1st place in the Lower Savannah Region Career Development Association's Poetry and Poster Contest.

There are five MVHS art students participating in the Young Masters exhibition at the Morris Museum of Art. The work is on display in the first floor area
January 20-February 1, 2009. The operating hours are as follows: Tuesday-Saturday, 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Sunday, noon-5:00 p.m. Students who are represented in the exhibition and their immediate families will be admitted free to the museum. Please inform the front desk upon arrival. Otherwise, admission to the museum is free on Sunday.
Directions to the museum can be found on our website, www.themorris.org

Brooke Tipton, a student at Mossy Creek Elementary, won 1st place in the Lower Savannah Region Career Development Association's Poetry and Poster Contest.

North Augusta Middle School has been selected to receive a visit from the South Carolina School’s to Watch committee on January 20-21. School’s to Watch are schools that are academically excellent, developmentally responsive, organized, and socially equitable. Prior to receiving a visit from the committee, a team from NAMS comprised of teachers, administrators, and our guidance counselor completed an in-depth application providing evidence that the school meets these criterias. It is an honor in itself to have the application approved and the faculty and staff at N. Augusta Middle School are excited about the opportunity to receive this prestigious recognition.

Congratulations to North Augusta Elementary School Improvement Council for being a 2009 Honor Roll School Improvement Council. (html) (news release)

Maci Hutto is the daughter of Mike and Gina Hutto; she is in Mrs. Willis’ 4th grade class at Chukker Creek Elementary School. Maci had the opportunity to compete in the National NFL Pepsi Punt, Pass & Kick competition on Saturday, January 10, 2009 in Charlotte, NC during the pre-game show for the NFL game between the Carolina Panthers and the Arizona Cardinals. (more)

North Augusta Middle School has been selected to receive a visit from the South Carolina School to Watch committee on January 20-21. Schools to Watch are schools that are academically excellent, developmentally responsive, organized, and socially equitable. Prior to receiving a visit from the committee, a team from NAMS comprised of teachers, administrators, and our guidance counselor completed an in-depth application providing evidence that the school meets these criteria. It is an honor in itself to have the application approved and the faculty and staff at North Augusta Middle School are excited about the opportunity to receive this prestigious recognition.

East Aiken received a proclamation from the governor designating East Aiken Elementary as a 100% Governor's Reading Honor Roll School. This is the fifth consecutive year East Aiken has received this honor.

Leavelle McCampbell congratulates thirty-one students that achieved PACT scores allowing them to take the PSAT and compete for Junior Scholars. From the group of students, eighteen obtained the score to be designated as South Carolina Junior Scholars.(more)

Brianna Finley's (Paul Knox) poster won the regional in the poster contest for the National Career Development Association. Her poster will be entered in the State competition.

Ellen Cotton (Area 3 Talented and Gifted teacher) from Jefferson Elementary received a Science and Math Improvement Grant from the Toshiba America Foundation for $1000.00.

Aiken High School and Ridge Spring-Monetta High School make US News & World Report list of best in the country. (more)

Busbee Elementary School submitted 87 drawings in the Aiken Regional Medical Center’s “Christmas Card Contest". Montaisha Golson was the first-place recipient.(more)

Busbee Elementary student recognized by First Lady Jenny Sanford and SAFE Kids South Carolina. (more) (pict)

Ginger Dunker, a South Aiken High School English teacher, was recently named the SCCTE Teacher of the Year. She was honored at the annual NCTE convention in San Antonio in November.(more)

Aiken County has 8 more National Certified Teachers! (more)

Mrs. Sharon Hedgepeth received the WJBF Golden Apple Award last Friday. Mrs. Hedgepeth is a special education teacher at Mossy Creek Elementary.

The East Aiken Elementary School Fifth Grade Gifted and Talented Robotics Team won second place in Robotic Performance at the W.J. Keenan Regional Competition on December 6, 2008, in Columbia. The competition is a First LEGO League event. Nonica Livingston, teacher, Charlie Brown, volunteer, and nine parents coached the team and accompanied the students to Columbia.

Aiken Middle School received a ExxonMobil Educational Alliance Program grant for $500. Thanks to Rickey L. Carter or Garvin Oil Co, Inc. for helping our school. The money will be used for instructional supplies for our sixth, seventh and eighth graders.

Midland Valley High School has received a $500 grant from the ExxonMobile Educational Alliance program. Mrs. Margie Yaun, manager of Kent’s Korner #16 on Robert Bell Parkway in Aiken, worked with the school’s officials to secure the grant. This grant is one of 4,000 available to schools across the country served by Exxon or Mobil stations. The grants were made possible by funding from the Exxon Mobil Corporation. Mrs. Margie Yaun is shown pictured with Dr. Doris Hickson, MVHS principal. [pict]

The Aiken Bloodhound Tracking Team held the “Pin the Pups” contest to allow area elementary school students assist tracking team handlers in naming our six new puppies. (pdf)

Coach Knight (AAA Lower State) and Coach Pippen (AAAA Lower State) were named coaches of year by SC Football Coaches Association. (more)

North Augusta Elementary news... Congratulations to Wal Mart Teacher of the Year, music teacher Martha Brunson. She received $500 for her classroom as well as many school supplies for students and.....Congratulations to Anna Freeman, pre-school speech teacher, who recently received the WJBF Golden Apple Award.

Mossy Creek Elementary PTA are the winners of the A+ For Kids Contest from the Rhodes Financial Services. The school will receive four (4) brand new Dell computers.

Indianapolis, Ind. - Members of the Ridge Spring-Monetta High School FFA Chapter were one of 46 teams participating in the 2008 National FFA Livestock Career Development Event (CDE). The competition was held Oct. 22 - 25, during the 81st National FFA convention. Participants in the event were asked to demonstrate their ability to grade market class steers and hogs according to U.S. market grading standards. Competitors evaluated classes of breeding and market beef, sheep, and swine. They gave oral reasons for the selections they made. Anthony Rauton and Drake Yon received silver medals. Sally Yon and Tristin Boatwright received bronze medals. The team received a silver medal for overall performance. The National FFA Livestock Evaluation CDE is sponsored by Bayer Animal Health, Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Merial, and The National FFA Foundation. It is one of 23 different national events that use the fun of competition to connect classroom learning and careers. The National FFA Organization, formerly known as the Future Farmers of America, is a national youth organization of 507, 763 student members - all preparing for leadership and careers in the science, business, and technology of agriculture - as part of 7,439 local FFA chapters in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. The National FFA Organization changed to its present name in 1988, in recognition of the growth and diversity of agriculture and agricultural education. The FFA mission is to make a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth, and career success through agricultural education. [pict]

The Wagener-Salley JROTC Battalion has been very busy for the past 45 days. In addition to starting the school year with our annual Welcome Back Carwash Fundraiser and posting the Colors for the State Board of Education meeting hosted by State Superintendent of Education—Mr. Jim Rex, we have planned and participated in several major events. (more)

Irvin Guzman's, a second grader at Byrd, artwork will be used for the 2009 Kids Safety Calendar. Mrs. Beth Teeters is his art teacher. His picture was chosen as a winner in the Calendar Artwork Contest for the Safe Kids South Carolina and the Governor's Office.

Congratulations to the FFA Soils and Land Conservation Team as they won the South Carolina Lower State Region competition last night in Bamburg. The team members are Nick Ready, Kenny Rogers, Patrick Halcomb, and Sara Rains. Sara also finished as the number one individual overal for the lower state region. The team will now travel to Sumter this Saturday to compete in the state event.

Cathy Neal, the registrar for SBHS is the News Channel 12 "Time to Care" award winner. They came to SBHS and did an extensive piece to be aired on channel 12 news at noon and 6:00pm on Wednesday, November 5th.

Gift Cards for Schools... Art Letts of the Rotary Club of Aiken South and Dot Martin of the Women of Woodside presented Superintendent of Schools Dr. Elizabeth Everitt 20 gift cards valued at $2000 ($100 each). The generous gift will be shared among the Aiken County elementary schools to purchase undergarments for students in need. We appreciate the thoughtfulness and generosity displayed by these two organizations throughout the school year. [pict]

Aiken Elementary Awarded ExxonMobil Educational Alliance Grant...Thanks to the efforts of Mr. Ricky Carter of Garvin Oil Co. Inc. in Wagener, South Carolina, Aiken Elementary has been awarded a $500 ExxonMobil Educational Alliance grant for the 4th grade math and science program. The money will be used to purchase materials for “hands-on” activities in math and science. Funded by the Exxon Mobil Corporation, the ExxonMobil Educational Alliance program is designed to provide retailers like Mr. Ricky Carter with an opportunity to invest in the future of their community through educational grants to neighborhood schools.

Cathy Brown, a SFS Manager at Jefferson Elementary, is a School Nutrition Certified Professional.
The minimum specialized Training a Manager has to have to become Certified is:
Attend a Sanitation & Safety Class (Serv-Safe), & attend a Nutrition class, He/She must possess Hs/Ged, & attend 90hrs of training classes to begin with and to maintain their certification every 3 years they must earn 30 units CEU's a candidate must be a member of the School Nutrition Association and pay a Certification fee in addition to a membership fee. We are so proud of our SFS Managers that we wanted to share this good news with others.

Byrd Students compete in 2008 SRS SAFETY ART CONTEST (Semi-finalist) (Winners)

Dechawn Taylor, a fifth grade (girl) at Clearwater Elementary School, is a Semi-Finalist Winner in the 2008 Savannah River Site Safety Art Contest.

The Classroom Grants Committee of the North Augusta Cultural Arts Council met recently and has determined awards for the applicants. Three applicants from North Augusta Elementary received the following awards:

"Music and Movement Learning" - $150.00 - Heather Hatton-Key - North Augusta Elementary - sponsored by NACAC
"Sound It Out" - $340.00 - Martha Brunson - North Augusta Elementary - sponsored by NACAC
"Drawing One Step at a Time" - $300.00 - Meredith Weeks - North Augusta Elementary - sponsored by NACAC

We hope that these grants enable the teachers to supplement and enhance their curriculum.

The Ronald McDonald House director honored Kathy Linton, P. E. teacher at East Aiken Elementary, and all our students with a plaque showing that we collected over one million can tabs. The tabs are recycled to earn funds for the Ronald McDonald House in Augusta.

Jefferson Elementary also got a visit from the media congratulating them on collecting over 1 million can tabs for the Ronald McDonald house!

Forty-three students were inducted into the National Technical Honor Society from the Aiken County Career Center on Monday,September 29, 2008. (more)

Wal-Mart on Whiskey Rd. named Vanessa Stone, third grade teacher at East Aiken, the 2008 Wal-Mart Teacher of the Year! The store manager and two other employees surprised Ms. Stone yesterday with flowers, balloons, plaques, a gift card for classroom supplies, and check to the school for $1000.00.

Heather Hatton-Key, first grade teacher at North Augusta Elementary who is the chairman for recycling, has been awarded a recycling grant in the amount of $2025 dollars from DHEC. As part of our school-wide recycling, special containers will be provided in each classroom as we do our part to save the planet!

Jodi Brown-Hooks, third grade teacher at North Augusta Elementary, received the Golden Apple Award and other gifts and was featured on WJBF TV on September 9. She was cited by the parent who made the nomination for her caring and desire to individualize and personalize learning for her students and for her creativity.

Martha Brunson, music teacher at North Augusta Elementary, is being named WalMart Teacher of the Year and will receive a $1000 for equipment for her classroom.

The 2008-2009 Midland Valley High School Varsity Cheerleaders attended the National Cheer Association Camp at the University of Georgia...(more)

Fifth grade teachers, Patricia Simmons, Nathan Lobaugh, Megan Shirey, Mindy Allee, Tracy Johannsen and Mary Simpson, are to be congratulated for the many evidences of success with student achievement in the single gender classrooms. Surveys and grades and widespread staff and parent observation are positive. Finally the PACT scores arrived and gave very significant evidence of the success of students. Significant increases in all subject areas whether comparing with the fifth graders from the previous year or with themselves on the 4th grade scores indicate that single gender classes produce results!

Traci Nelson, Aiken Elementary, receives "Ivy Inspiration Award". (letter from author to Principle Cagle)

Dawn Bryant (J. D. Lever), Sue Gerstenberger (Jefferson) and Dr. Tim Lintner, USC-Aiken, were awarded the Best Elementary Content Article for 2008 as given by the National Council for Geographic Education. They collaborated on an article titled, "Mapping a Secret: Introducing Mental Mapping Through Select Children's Literature" which was published in the Geography Teacher, the national publication of NCGE.

The Wagener-Salley High School Army JROTC Color Guard had the great honor of posting the National and State Colors at the South Carolina State Board of Education meeting in Columbia S.C. on Wednesday, September 10, 2008. The Color Guard members included Cadet Master Sergeant Braxton Baughman, Cadet Captain Jessica Cauthen, Cadet Major Virginia Fowler, and Cadet Sergeant First Class Demonte Pontoon. The Color Guard is taught by Colonel Maxie Joye and Command Sergeant Major John Fowler. The linked picture is the Color Guard and South Carolina State Superintendent of Education, Jim Rex.

Congratulations to Patsy Sheldon of Aiken Elementary who has been chosen to receive the Bravo Award from the South Carolina Autism Society Parent-School Partnership. This award is given biannually throughout the school year to deserving individuals who serve students with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Bravo Award winners are chosen for their love and dedication to students with Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Paul Knox was awarded $2000 from SHAW AREVA MOX Services, LLC and a $500 Great Ideas Grant from Public Education Partners/City of North Augusta to continue their Careers Lunch and Learn Program.

Krista McCuen senior at Midland Valley High School and South Carolina FFA State Vice President was a guest speaker at the lower state region south carolina agricultural educators fall meeting last night.

The Midland Valley Agricultural Education Adult Program was named the South Carolina Lower State Region Outstanding Adult Program of the year last night at the meeting of the South Carolina Association of Agricultural Educators. The program will now compete as one of the top four adult agriculture programs from the state of South Carolina to be named as the state winner this summer.

The North Augusta High FBLA was recently recognized by the Board of Education...more

JD Lever Elementary & North Aiken Elementary Schools have been awarded a Fresh Fruit & Veggie Grant. This Grant will provide Fresh Fruits and Veggies to all students ( free of charge) all during the day in each of the schools awarded the grant whether they qualify for free or reduced meals or not. Different marketing strategies will be used to get kids to try unusual & new fruits and veggies and to get them to include more fruits and veggies in their diet are the primary goals. A secondary goal is to use products available from local farmers.

The SBHS Key Club just returned from the INTERNATIONAL convention. The club won 3rd place (in the world!) in the single service division for their work at Helping Hands. The club also got 2nd place for the poster project.

Aiken County graduates amassed nearly $30 million dollars in scholarships during the 2007-08 school year!

Our educators were awarded a total of $13,384,579.86 in 2007-08 District-Wide Grants!

Eighty-eight retirees were honored during the 2008 Retiree Banquet for their dedication and 2253 years of service to the students and families of Aiken County.

The new Byrd Elementary will open its doors for the 2008-09 school year!!!