A request for SDPC board members

Dear Editor,

A few years ago, the board of the School District of Pickens County decided to no longer give the school children in Pickens County Presidents’ Day off as a holiday, and instead began choosing a random day off either the week before (Feb. 13 this year) or the week of (in 2016, the proposed day off is the Friday after Presidents’ Day). The school districts in Oconee, Anderson and Greenville counties continue to recognize Presidents’ Day as a holiday. As a United States citizen, a patriot and a parent, I am apalled the school board of Pickens County has chosen to no

This year we postponed our family Christmas due to unforeseen circumstances. Instead of celebrating Christmas together on Christmas Day, we delayed until our family could be together. So on Christmas Day we spent time relaxing, wrapping presents and being thankful for our many blessings. We had ham sandwiches for supper and phoned our loved ones.

It was a happy, peaceful day. The tree was on, and the wrapped presents were at its base. Some of the smaller boxes were inside a red peck basket to protect them from an inquisitive Chihuahua who is at the stage of puppyhood where shredding paper is a joyous activity.

He is being house trained but seems a little

Now, starting a new year. A chance to put all those mistakes I made last year in my rearview mirror and start anew.

I have plenty of priorities for the new year. I need to pay my father back for the money he lent me to fix my car. It was probably my fault that the car would not work. Apparently you have to have some oil in the car. I thought the oil light on my car was hung up, but apparently it was accurate.

So I now have a different engine running the car. I had found that the old engine was causing the car to be covered with a black, powderish substance. I wiped some off last week when I was filling up with gas. I suddenly had a clean back windshield. I also had a dirty sleeve of the jacket I got for

Although some countries think Americans are only concerned with profit and material possessions, that isn’t true. Not according to data from recent reports by Chronicle of Philanthropy, which ranks giving by state and The World Giving Index (WGI), which ranks 103 countries worldwide based on charitable contributions of money, time and willingness to help other.

America tied for first place with the Southeast Asian country of Myanmar, formerly known as Burma. Canada, Ireland and New Zealand were ranked second, third and fourth, respectively.

Surprisingly, at least to me, is that the Chronicle of Philanthropy report found the wealthiest

As you are reading this, it is probably at least Christmas Eve. For me, that means delivering gifts for Country Santa.

I’ve done it for years, sometimes with my brother or a niece or nephew, but last year I was by myself. My brother has now moved to Columbia, and my nephew and my nieces had other commitments. So rather than deliver alone, I just didn’t deliver.

“They have plenty of deliverers,” I reasoned to myself. “They’ll be just fine.”

Of course they were just fine. I, on the other hand, wasn’t. I first got involved with Country Santa for a story I was writing for another paper. It took me a while to realize it, but delivering gifts was not just to help strangers. It was to help myself. I enjoyed

A great deal of discussion has taken place throughout the School District of Pickens County over the last couple of months related to capital needs funding. When looking at the funding for the school district, one must understand that there’s two “pots” from which funding is pulled. Debt service (capital needs) funding is used to fund buildings, facility improvements, facility upkeep, and other needs such as technology that is used in our schools. Operational funding is what is used to pay

If you want to recapture the innocent joy of celebrating Christmas, go to the annual Christmas pageant at McKinney Chapel. It’s scheduled to be held Dec. 20 at 7 p.m. inside the historic Methodist church in the Eastatoee Valley.

It’s an experience not be missed. Although the chapel is located in Sunset, just past the gated entrance to The Cliffs on Cleo Chapman Road off S.C. Highway 11, all visitors need to do is tell the guard they’re going to McKinney Chapel, and there’s no problem with driving in.

This small Eastatoee country church is a

Never a poor investment

Dear Editor,

Education is never a poor investment.

As a parent, taxpayer, resident of Pickens County, teacher and advocate for our Pickens County students, I am concerned about the opposition toward the proposed tax increase to fund education. One tax increase proposal would require a homeowner to pay $22 more a year on a $100,000 home — an additional $1.83 a month. Some would say the district needs to cut waste — not raise taxes. I assure you, there is no waste to cut, and to make cuts cost our students opportunities.

A public school is meant to serve the community and prepare students to be the next members and leaders of the community. A public school is not the place to withhold funding to protect our pocketbooks. If the community makes the choice to withhold funds from our children, it’s made the choice to not ensure a prosperous future for this county.

The effects of our choices now will not be seen for years to come. Test scores currently reflect the

There have been some startling reports of late from friends who’ve had surprises when returning from the grocery store with food. The friends shall remain nameless to protect their identities from possible irate food mega-giants.

Incident number one was reported and witnessed by at least a dozen people at a Christmas celebration. It was witnessed by all but noticed by just a few as they were, as usual, busy talking and eating,

Here’s what happened. A can of peaches and a jar of mincemeat were brought into a kitchen in a bag from the grocery store. The peaches were labeled as peach halves. There was a picture on

Whether you’re aware of it or not, I’m certain you’ve heard Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Flight of the Bumblebee” at some point in your life. There are many days when it feels like my brain operates in perfect synchronicity with the orchestral interlude. My mother always jokes that I have “flight of ideas” but I don’t think it is much of a stretch some days.

I wish I could count the number of ideas that flutter through my mind in any given period of time. And I tell you this only because I have had about 10 different thoughts upon which to base my column this week, and I was thinking it would be neat if I could arrange them all into some type of cohesive, wordsmithed casserole. The busier and more overwhelmed I am, the more the ideas pour forth like a rush of