Grand Strand Newsmakers

Waccamaw Intermediate School named National Blue Ribbon Award winner

U.S. Secretary of Education, John B. King, Jr., announced on Wednesday, Sept. 28, that Waccamaw Intermediate School has been named a 2016 National Blue Ribbon School. Waccamaw Intermediate School is one of 279 public and 50 private schools receiving this honor.

Schools are nominated for the award by the state department of education, and then complete a comprehensive application about school practices. Schools may apply for status as Exemplary High Performing—among the top schools in a state—or Exemplary Achievement Gap Closing—schools making the fastest progress in the their state in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups. Waccamaw Intermediate is being honored for both of these achievements.

“The Georgetown County School District family is very proud of this historic accomplishment by everyone at Waccamaw Intermediate School,” said Georgetown County School District Superintendent Dr. Randy Dozier. “To win this less than 10 years after the school was built (2008) speaks well of the quality education provided at Waccamaw Intermediate School. This was achieved due to the hard work of students, staff, parents and community members. I could not be more proud of this accomplishment.”

Principal Dr. Tim Carnahan; Dr. Barbara Nesmith, assistant principal; Patti Hammel, executive director of Student Performance/Federal Programs; and Dozier will represent Waccamaw Intermediate at a two-day awards ceremony on Nov. 7-8 in Washington, D.C.

Previous National Blue Ribbon Award winning schools in Georgetown County School District are Sampit Elementary (2005) and Brown’s Ferry Elementary (2006).

For information about Waccamaw Intermediate School, contact the school office at 843-237-7071 or tcarnahan@gcsd.k12.sc.us. For information about the National Blue Ribbon Schools program, go to http://nationalblueribbonschools.ed.gov/.

Indigo Creek collects 5K pounds of food for food bank

On Saturday, Oct. 1, a food drive was conducted at Indigo Creek Golf Plantation to benefit the South Strand Helping Hand Food Bank in Surfside. This is the group’s sixth year.

Organizers arranged for eight drivers with pickup trucks to pick up the food on a Saturday.

The organization collected 4,000 pounds each year totaling 20,000 pounds of food in its first five years, and this year, the organization collected 5,000 pounds of food for the food bank making it the largest collection its have ever had.

Organizer Wade Cook spoke to the Burgess Community officers about doing a food drive. So far, three other communities have followed Indigo’s lead and they are hoping others will do the same.

To start a food drive in your community, call 843-650-9847.

Helping Hands of Georgetown gets Sisters of Charity grant

The Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina recently awarded Community Enrichment grants for the fall 2016 grant cycle. These grants are awarded to organizations whose services go beyond meeting basic needs and will help lift people out of poverty.

Community Enrichment grants fund projects and organizations who are implementing best practices, strategic collaborations, and focus on both the immediate and long term needs of individuals and families living in poverty in South Carolina. In total, 15 organizations were awarded funding for a total of $202,000 so that they may continue providing services to break the cycle of poverty. The Foundation is proud to announce their partnerships with the following recipients:

While caring for the immediate needs of those in poverty, Helping Hands is equally committed to empowering individuals and families to move out of poverty through the Time to Change program. This collaborative endeavor offers an intensive job readiness and placement component and a weekly Life Skills program providing support and investment in those who are able and committed to become independent.

Carolina Forrest Rotary hears lawyer presentation

Taste Of Home Cooking School Comes Back to Myrtle Beach For Fourth Show

The perfect recipe for creating new memories with loved ones includes good friends, good conversation and, of course, great food. As home cooks across the country head back to the kitchen to cook up fall’s flavorful dishes, the Taste of Home Cooking School is preparing to share seasonal recipes that are certain to delight.

Taste of Home’s Culinary Specialist Michelle Roberts will return to Beach Church on Nov. 15 for the 4th Annual Myrtle Beach Taste of Home Cooking School. She’ll share her home cooking tips and tricks while demonstrating step-by-step recipes for the season’s best dishes. This annual event is brought to Myrtle Beach by The Sun News.

The Taste of Home Cooking School is America’s leading cooking school program, inspiring more than 140,000 passionate home chefs at approximately 200+ events nationwide. Attendees experience exciting recipe demonstrations using ingredients that are easily found at the local grocery store and best of all, the dishes are submitted by home cooks from across the country.

“From experienced home chefs to beginners learning their way around the kitchen, the Taste of Home Cooking School offers something for everyone – putting a fresh spin on old favorites and adding new recipes to your seasonal repertoire,” said Michelle Roberts, Taste of Home Culinary Specialist.

Attendees will receive a gift bag including the Taste of Home Cooking School magazine. This magazine includes recipes featured during the program, along with many more, as well as coupons and other goodies from participating national food companies. Attendees can also enter for a chance to win one of many door prizes, including the recipes created onstage that night.

Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased online at www.MyrtleBeachCookingShow.com or at The Sun News, 914 Frontage Rd. E., Myrtle Beach; Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

VIP Tickets are $50; Reserved Seating/General Admission are $20 in advance, $25 at the door.

For sponsorship or show information, please contact Diana Zipko, 843-626-0247 or dzipko@thesunnews.com.

Community hosts Ghost Walk this weekend

Conway Downtown Alive is proud to present the Conway Ghost Walk on October 20, 21 and 22. Professional storytellers weave tales of lowcountry haints through the shadowy streets of Downtown Conway. This Halloween event features storytellers sharing tales that are always spooky, sometimes humorous

and guaranteed to become part of your family's Halloween tradition. CDA director, Hillary Howard says "This year we are excited to bring the Ghost Walk through sections of the historic residential district. The stories change each year and in 2016 we have some local favorites and some new hauntings."

Tours begin each evening at 7 p.m., and leave the box office every 15 minutes until 8:30 p.m. The storytelling tour is 60 minutes and the tour route is approximately 1 mile. Tickets are $15 for adults and $7 for children 12 and under. To purchase advance tickets to the Conway Ghost Walk, visit conwayalive.com or contact the box office at 843 248 6260. Reservations are suggested but tour-goers may also visit the box office on tour nights to purchase walk-up tickets for the next available tour. The box office opens at 6:30 each evening and is located at the Conway Visitor Center at 903 Third Avenue in Downtown Conway. Group reservations are available.

The Conway Ghost Walk is sponsored by HTC, PCRX Computers, Coastal Carolina University, Haberdashery and WPDE.

VFW hosts monthly community breakfast

For VFW Calabash Post No. 7288, its monthly Community Service breakfast offering begins on Thursday with the boiling of potatoes and continues Saturday when the preparations of food is begun and the tables set for the next day.

Then early on the first Sunday of each month, they gather. Over two dozen members of Calabash VFW Post No. 7288 and its Auxiliary make their way to the Post, to work in the kitchen and the meeting hall. For the next four hours they'll be there, cooking up a breakfast of eggs (made to order), bacon, sausage (links or patties), pancakes, home fries and grits and tending to the toast, juice, table settings, taking orders and serving after the menu selections are prepared in the kitchen. At 8 a.m. the doors open and the hall is soon filled with hungry guests ready to be satisfied. No one leaves hungry, pleased with all the food they get for their $6 per plate. At 11 a.m. it's time to clean up the kitchen and the meeting hall in preparation for future Post activities. Then the assembled volunteers go their separate ways, happy to have served.

The first Sunday breakfast is open to the public. The Post is located at 900 Carter Drive in Calabash. Anyone with questions may call the Post at 910-579-3577.

This story was originally published October 20, 2016 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Grand Strand Newsmakers."