Class notes: Sodexo gives bikes to kids with good eating habits

The Beaufort County School District's food service provider gave bicycles to four students at a Board of Education meeting this month to promote nutrition and exercise.

The students won the bikes through Sodexo's National Nutrition Month breakfast promotion, which encourages students to start their day with a healthy breakfast.

Students who ate breakfast at their schools during a week in March were entered in a raffle to win prizes, said Larry Haile, general manager for the school district's food service.

Prizes for the raffle winners included pencils, soccer balls and pedometers, in addition to the four bicycles.

Winners of the bicycles are: Beaufort Elementary first-grader Jimiya Lawrence; James J. Davis Elementary second-grader KaNeisha Fields; Bluffton Elementary second-grader Charles Purvis; and Hilton Head Island International Baccalaureate fourth-grader Jose Carrera Zaragoza.

Academy head running for research

Tim Johnston, headmaster at Beaufort Academy, plans to run the Seattle Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon with his wife this month to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

He and his wife, Dr. Stacey Johnston, are looking for donors to help them raise $8,600 for research and patient care services. They've already raised about $6,500, and hope to collect the rest before the June 27 race.

One Beaufort Academy student -- rising senior Grace Salzer -- collected $82.50 for Johnston by playing her violin on Bay Street.

"She's an outstanding student and an outstanding musician, and I'm grateful for what she has done," Johnston said. "It's so nice that people enjoyed her music and cared enough about the cause to donate."

Johnston said he's been passionate about helping those who are battling blood cancer since one of the basketball players he coached died in 1987 at age 17.

"It was awful to see such a great young man taken by leukemia, and I have never forgotten that," he said. "We've got to beat this thing."

To donate, go to www.teamintraining.org and search for Johnston's name, or mail a check made out to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society to Tim Johnston's attention at 66 Thomas Sumter St., Beaufort, SC 29907.

BATTERY CREEK HIGH SCHOOL

• Senior portraits for the Class of 2010 are scheduled for 10 a.m.-6 p.m. July 28; 8 a.m.-4 p.m. July 29; 8 a.m.-4 p.m. July 30; and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sept. 12 in the John J. McVey Performing Arts Center. The sitting fee is $20.

BEAUFORT COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT

• Diane Murray, a nurse at Battery Creek High School, has been named the district's Support Staff Employee of the Year. Murray has been a district employee since 1986. She also is involved in community migrant programs and Christian outreach ministries, teaches CPR and first aid and established a clothing and food pantry.

• School-level support staff Employee's of the Year are: Diane Murray, Battery Creek High School; Dorothea Delaney, Beaufort Elementary; Sharmona Rivers, Beaufort High School; Debra Williams, Beaufort Middle School; Linda Graves, Bluffton Elementary School; Sharon Brown, Bluffton High School; Julie Gadley, Broad River Elementary School; Kim Fickes, Coosa Elementary School; Kathy Thomas, H.E. McCracken Middle School; Wanda Dotson, Hilton Head Island Early Childhood Center; Carol Caudy, Hilton Head Island International Baccalaureate Elementary School; Isabel Puig-Hicks, Hilton Head Island School for the Creative Arts; Karen Metropolis, Hilton Head Island High School; Cathy Woloszyk, Hilton Head Island Middle School; Niecy Ferguson, James J. Davis Elementary School; Geneva Goethie, Joseph Shanklin Elementary School; Ronnette Stewart, Lady's Island Elementary School; LaTanya Floyd, Lady's Island Middle School; Rita Hester, M.C. Riley Elementary School; Jan Gentry, Mossy Oaks Elementary School; Gini Liewald, Okatie Elementary School; Lucille Gadson, Port Royal Elementary School; Mary Ann Trappuzzano, Robert Smalls Middle School; Julius Pringle, St. Helena Elementary School; Adelle Finley, Shell Point Elementary School; Wander Brown, Whale Branch Elementary School; Roberta Smalls, Whale Branch Middle School; and Susan Golec at the district office.

BEAUFORT HIGH SCHOOL

• A medal, certificate and check were presented by the Sons of the American Revolution in Beaufort to Cdt. Maj. Tresha Pontillo for her leadership abilities, military bearing and overall academic excellence.

• Tyler Betz and Eric Lentz passed the CompTIA A+ certification exam, confirming their ability to perform information technology tasks such as installation, configuration, diagnosing, preventative maintenance and basic networking. Beaufort High's small school of Arts, Communication and Technology and the School-To-Work program supported the students.

BEAUFORT MIDDLE SCHOOL

• Redesigning the school's front entrance for security reasons will be one of many construction projects at Beaufort Middle this summer. While the entrance is redesigned, visitors will not be able to enter at the front of the school. Signs will direct visitors to another entrance. The school office will be open weekdays in the summer from 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m., except July 3.

• Documentaries created by students as part of the Kennedy Center's "On Location: Spotlight On Your Community" project are online at www.artsedge.kennedy-center.org/onlocation/showcase_locations.html.

COLLETON COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL

• Teraya M. Dingle of Walterboro has been selected for membership in the National Society of High School Scholars for her academic achievement. Teraya, the daughter of Terry and Tracey Dingle of Beaufort, plans to attend Lander University in Greenwood to study early childhood education.

JOSEPH J. SHANKLIN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

• Shanklin Elementary students will attend extended learning days classes at Shell Point Elementary. Classes meet from 8:45 a.m.-3:30 p.m. June 22 through July 10.

Bus transportation will be provided and students will not have class July 3.

LADY'S ISLAND MIDDLE SCHOOL

• Extended learning time and summer school begin Friday. The programs will be held at Beaufort Middle School for current sixth- and seventh-graders and at Beaufort High School for current eighth-graders.

• Students who want to buy a yearbook may stop by the school office. Yearbooks for 2008-09 are on sale for $20. A limited number of 2007-08 books are available for $10.

• Faculty members selected Quinn Gross, based on his academic achievement, character and the potential for success, for the Military Officers Association of America award, presented to deserving seventh-grade students. Quinn received a $100 U.S. savings bond and plaque.

SHELL POINT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

• Extended learning days will be Friday through July 10 at Shell Point Elementary for third- through fifth-grade students at Shell Point, Broad River and Shanklin elementary schools.

• Intersession will be from 7:15 a.m.-5:30 p.m. today through July 31.

To submit to Class Notes, send at least 10 days before the event date to features@beaufortgazette.com with Class Notes as subject line; Features, Class Notes, P.O. Box 399, Beaufort, SC 29901 or via fax to 843-524-8729.