School Briefs - February 1, 2018

TWO DIS STUDENTS QUALIFY FOR REGIONAL SPELLING BEE!

Two Daniel Island School students have earned spots in the upcoming regional spelling bee, and, if they continue to perform well against their competitors, one of them could qualify for the Scripps National Spelling Bee later this year.

Ian Mullaney, a sixth grader at DIS, placed third in the Berkeley County School District (BCSD) Spelling Bee, held on Jan. 24 at Berkeley High School. His fellow sixth grader, Gracie Reed, finished in 11th place. The top 12 students from the district-level event, including Mullaney and Reed, will now move on to the Post and Courier’s “SpellBound!” competition – a regional bee to be held in March that includes qualifying spellers from Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester Counties.

Those behind the planning of last week’s BCSD event described it as exciting and emotional.

“It’s exciting to see students enrolled in our system be able to spell words most adults have never heard of,” said BCSD Secondary English Language Arts Coordinator Laura Garner. “...Parents are very proud. They bring their entire family. Children are excited, they’ve practiced for hours. It’s quite a spectacle.”

Garner expects the field of competitors at the upcoming regional spelling event to be tough. The winner of the 2017 BCSD bee went on to win the Lowcountry bee and was later one of the students to represent South Carolina at the national bee in Washington. Garner said it’s not uncommon for BCSD students to advance far in the competitions.

“When I first moved into this position, we had a young man who won the Lowcountry bee and went on to nationals three years in a row,” she said. “We’ve had some very strong competitors. All that’s a testament to the great job our teachers do with word study and stems.”

The top finisher from the “SpellBound!” event will advance to the national bee in late May.

S.C. FEDERAL ANNOUNCES $50,000 SCHOLARSHIP CONTEST

Attention students! Need help paying for college? South Carolina Federal Credit Union is once again conducting its annual scholarship competition. Now in its 8th year, the program is raising the bar and increasing the bank’s investment in education and the talent pipeline in South Carolina. The credit union, which has served the region for over 80 years, will now be offering $50,000 in scholarship funds.

The three scholarship categories are traditional university scholarships, technical scholarships and “Bank at Work” scholarships. According to a press release, these awards represent the demand within our communities for workforce preparation and pursuits beyond the traditional, four-year program.

Both the traditional and technical scholarships are open to students beginning or continuing their course of study at an undergraduate or technical school in the fall of 2018. South Carolina Federal Credit Union’s Bank at Work program assists employers with personalized services, on-site visits and financial education opportunities. Due to this relationship, Bank at Work scholarships are applicable for both undergraduate and graduate courses of study. All scholarships are designed for students planning to pursue educational opportunities within the state of South Carolina.

“We are firm believers in education being the pathway to opportunity,” said Scott Woods, President & CEO of South Carolina Federal. “We’re pleased to help foster equality in these pathways and create a strong workforce pipeline for all industries, in turn bolstering the long-term success of our state.”

The 2018 essay prompt requires a maximum of 500 words essay exploring the following topic: “Through your course of study, what skills do you plan to learn to better our state and enrich the lives of South Carolinians?”

Applicants must also complete an online application, submit a transcript and letter of recommendation. The application process is now open and interested students are encouraged to submit their application online atwww.scfederal.org/scholarship. The application period will close Feb. 21 and winners will be announced on April 10.

Daniel Island Publishing

225 Seven Farms Drive
Unit 108
Daniel Island, SC 29492 

Office Number: 843-856-1999
Fax Number: 843-856-8555

 

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