We, in South Carolina, over-test our students! Then, once teachers and students start performing well – we change the tests; change cut scores; change standards! We no longer respect teachers nor support their discipline in the classroom. SC teachers are paid at the lowest levels in the country......

Why is it that in the society that we live in, we feel the need to judge others because they are different? Why do we persistently judge others that do not conform to the idea of what the “norm” is? In reality....

Maya Angelou once said, “You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated.” When I think about Fairfield County and its proud citizens, the word that comes to mind is resilient. In the late 80’s and early 90’s, Fairfield County was a thriving industrial hub for companies that wanted to do.....

On numerous occasions I have shared the inspirational account of how my mother and father overcame the poverty and oppression of the mid 1900’s in South Carolina to become the first college graduates in their respective families. The magnitude of these accomplishments cannot be.....

The interaction of Masons within Fairfield County are beneficial for the community. The masonic societies of Fairfield County hold a long history that most people in the community do not know. Freemasonry, a fraternity that dates back to the 14th Century, is a system of organizations that practice applications of centralized morality and applications of virtues. In Masonic Lodges, it is known that participants believe in a “Supreme Being”. Different associate bodies.....

Fairfield Behavioral Health Services is a public non-profit organization dedicated to providing quality, accessible and affordable alcohol, tobacco and other drug intervention, treatment, prevention and education services to residents of Fairfield County. FBHS has been designated as the sole county authority for alcohol and drug abuse services, FBHS is CARF accredited, DHEC licensed and affiliated with the SC Department of Alcohol.....

Rotary started with the vision of one man, Paul Harris, a Chicago attorney who formed the Rotary Club of Chicago in 1905, so professionals with diverse backgrounds could exchange ideas, form meaningful lifelong friendships, and give back to their community. Rotary’s name came from the group’s early practice of rotating meetings among the offices of its members.

While we celebrated black history month in February, that was also the time that the delicious, exclusive cookies arrived. Yes, Girl Scout cookie season has begun, and it is going by fast! I know most people have been anticipating seeing Girl Scouts selling cookies at local stores, or parents selling at work. Even students selling at school, but unfortunately the cookie boxes are emptying out. Because I am a Girl Scout, this is bittersweet for me. I have been selling Girl Scout cookies.....

Since the 1920s, movie theaters have been selling snacks to eager movie goers. Sneaking food, on the other hand, into the theater was going on long before the theater sold candy or popcorn. The movie theater came about in the early 1900s and had a “no outside food or drink” rule. What changed? The Great Depression hit the theater, and all of America, in the 1920s forced them to change the rule for more income. In today’s society, people sneaking store bought, cheaper, snacks into the cinemas is common. Will the theaters still have profit from tickets? The theater only gets 20-25% profit from tickets, the rest is received by.....

Fairfield Central is an amazing school, from its academics to its Beta Club and outstanding team of SGA members, even down to the students and teachers that roam the halls. Inside the walls of Fairfield Central, there’s a place students come to move and connect with themselves and others. That place to many people is the dance room. For the past eleven years, Melissa McCrary has been the dance teacher. When she first arrived dance was just a class offered through the day as a part of the visual and performing arts department. Through the past eight years, Mrs. McCrary has developed the Griffin Elite Dance Company. Additionally, on last year she created a competition team in attempts to rekindle the program that previously existed before Fairfield Middle School dance teacher Ms. Bradberry left the district. We asked Mrs.....

Circumstance, though a vital component to the theory of the self-fulfilling prophecy, is viewed by some as the sole intangible hands that mold the human psyche and write the predestined story of our lives. So believed is its power over our outcome, that some would consider us “creatures of circumstance,” alluding to an unbreakable ownership and forfeiting any influence we have regarding our own future. Could anything be more disheartening or un-inspirational? Yet, is it not true that one’s response to circumstance has just as much influence on their outcome?.....

“Maybe he didn’t mean to, or maybe it was a mistake,” he or she says. Well, I’m here to say. NO! It is not a mistake. Many men and women suffer in denial of being abused by their loved ones. They are constantly reminded that either the abuser is all they have, or that they have no way out of the abuse. Often, they feel this is how love is supposed to feel. This is why we should speak up to help those who can’t......

In recent years, ridesharing services such as Lyft and Uber have become popular, especially in major cities. Companies such as Lyft hire drivers to provide fast and less expensive alternatives to traditional taxi services. You have the option to request a ride from Uber or Lyft at your finger tips, and be on your way to your destination in minutes.

As humans, we tend to not see the bigger picture. In the heat of the moment, we only see what we want to. It isn’t until something serious occurs that we begin to sit back and realize the magnitude of what has happened. Maybe we think about how we could’ve prevented it from happening, or what action could’ve been taken. We humans can be dealing with a situation that we know needs to be solved, but instead we continue on with our lives like it is nothing. Deep down.....

With the 2020 presidential election approaching, many high school seniors, like myself, are beginning to research the presidential candidates. It is finally time for our generation of leaders to have a voice in arguably the most important periodic election, the presidential election. With an overwhelming number of Democratic candidates, and recent difficulties in our current presidency, millennials are faced with a difficult decision. Fortunately, this process can be broken down and there are a few standouts to South Carolina citizens.......

Eight months ago, an unprecedented 10,000 South Carolina teachers rallied at the State House in opposition to the so-called “Education Reform” bill, written by bureaucrats and career politicians --with no input from teachers. When the 2020 Legislative Session reconvenes, you will see some members of the Senate scrambling for votes to set this bill to “Special Order” –making it the highest priority bill of the 2020 legislative year.

I recently read an article titled, "S.C. Students Need Better Instruction on Spotting Bias/Fake New Online," and it focused on the widespread use of bias across all mediums of the media. I was challenged with reflecting on this practice and how it impacts the younger generations of today.