Hilton Head

Beaufort County’s school board approved a one-time bonus of $1,000 to full-time classified, professional and administrative employees, a news release said. These employees,who have been employed for a minimum of 45 days this academic year, were set to receive the payment in January. The bonuses total $1,140,455, to be paid from savings in the district’s current year General Fund operating budget.

Hilton Head Island Land Trust conducted a contest to name the pair of eagles that are the subject of its newly launched “Eagle Cam.” After more than 400 submissions were received from across the country, the eagles’ names selected are Harriet and Mitch. The eagles are named after Underground Railroad crusader Harriet Tubman and General Ormsby M. Mitchel, who founded the Town of Mitchelville on Hilton Head Island. Tubman spent time in the Beaufort County area as a nurse and a spy for the Union Army.

Suzanne Giesemann of Moss Creek was included on Watkins’ Mind Body Spirit magazine’s 2022 list of the 100 Most Spiritually Influential Living People. The list celebrates the positive influence of today’s teachers and leaders who nurture spiritual growth and make the world a better place, a news release said. Giesemann is the author of 13 books and hosts the radio show Messages of Hope on Unity Online Radio.

The Lowcountry was welcomed to the New Year with a powerful overnight storm on Jan. 3 that left thousands without power. Severe storms and a cold front brought heavy rains and heavy wind. Palmet to Electric Cooperative said as of late morning Jan. 3 there were 25 line outages that impacted nearly 1,500 member locations. Dominion Energy reported more than 400 outages in Beaufort County. Wind gusts reached 49 miles per hour, according to the National Weather Service.

BY AMANDA BREWER DICKMAN

The start of a new year is always a time for reflection, both on the achievements made in the past year and the exciting opportunities a new year brings. Looking back on 2021, the words “resilience,” “ reimagine , ” a n d “resourceful” come to mind as Beaufort County Library worked diligently to provide library services and programs to a grateful community.

HISTORIC MITCHELVILLE FREEDOM PARK DIRECTOR AHMAD WARD EARNS PRESTIGIOUS AWARD

BY TONY KUKULICH

Ahmad Ward is a man of vision and planning. As the executive director of Hilton Head’s Historic Mitchelville Freedom Park, Ward received the prestigious Southeast Museum Conference 2021 Museum Leadership Award. That recognition comes, in no small part, from his ability to envision the enormous potential of Mitchelville and develop a plan to realize that potential.

HILTON HEAD SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA CELEBRATES 40 YEARS

In 1982, a woman named Pat Rose posted handwritten notices titled “Chamber Music Anyone?” around Hilton Head Island, inviting local musicians to a meeting to discuss forming a chamber orchestra.

About 20 people attended that meeting in February 1982, and the group performed its first concert just two months later at Christ Lutheran Church on Hilton Head. The Hilton Head Community Orchestra was incorporated as a nonprofit arts organization the following year.

COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF THE LOWCOUNTRY AWARDS MORE THAN $345,000 IN GRANTS TO LOWCOUNTRY NONPROFITS
In its first competitive grant cycle of the 2022 fiscal year, Community Foundation of the Lowcountry awarded $345,401 in grants to seven nonprofit organizations. The funds were awarded to Hilton Head Island Deep Well Project ($122,300); Hilton Head Regional Habitat for Humanity ($85,000); Mental Health America of Beaufort/Jasper ($18,351); Programs for Exceptional People ($18,000); Second Founding of America (formerly Reconstruction Beaufort) ($30,150); Second Helpings ($12,000); and Volunteers in Medicine ($59,600).

The Hilton Head MLK Committee for Justice plans to celebrate the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday on Jan. 17. The keynote speaker will be Sen. Mia McLeod. The celebration will include worship, speakers, music, a presentation of the MLK Community Service Award and a fellowship luncheon. For more, hiltonheadmlk.com. 

The Technical College of the Lowcountry recognized 11 associate degree nursing graduates during a pinning ceremony at the Beaufort Mather Campus. The graduates are Stacy Bajorek, Krystal Deitsch, Isabella Fallon, Sharonda Jenkins, Rashida Johnson, Kerri Jones, Kimberly Lunceford, Katy Sandoval, Brittany Shuman, Kayla Sikes, and Nikole Wright. TCL’s two-year ADN program prepares graduates to practice as registered nurses. Students experience on-campus learning using high-tech simulation equipment and receive intense additional hands-on practice at clinical sites located throughout Beaufort, Jasper, Hampton and Colleton counties. 

INTERSECTION REALIGNMENT PROJECT SITS IDLE

Like a car left at the side of the road, plans for realigning the Buckwalter and Bluffton parkways intersection sit idle, awaiting a jump start.

Plans and proposals for the roads have advanced in fits and starts for more than 15 years.

Hilton Head Island Town Council voted 7-0 to extend the contract of town manager Marc Orlando and give him a bonus of $15,000. Orlando began working for the town on Feb. 22, 2021. The terms of the contract were amended to coincide with the February start date and continue through February 21, 2025. After 2025, the contract will automatically extend for one-year periods unless terminated. “We are very pleased with Marc’s performance and with the accomplishments of Town staff during his time with the Town,” said Mayor John McCann. 

It is that time of year. The holidays are over, and we are ready to hit reset on our personal health initiatives. Whether you declare a New Year’s Resolution, commit to a dry January, or go out and renew that gym membership once again, let’s agree to one thing: Let’s do it together.

It is widely believed that we will be more successful in these health measures if we share our goals with friends, family and anyone who will help us achieve better health.

Lowcountry Community Church has partnered with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to bring free books to all children under the age of 5 in Beaufort County. Since it launched in 1995, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library has gifted more than 160 million free books. Register at lowcountrycc.org/imaginationlibrary, call 843-836-1101 or email jbest@lowcountrycc.org. 

Hilton Head Island Town Council voted unanimously to adopt a strategic plan that guides the work of the Town’s Office of Cultural Affairs, including initiatives to promote art and culture organizations and enhance quality of life for the community. The plan includes goals, strategies and tactics for several initiatives such as public art, the annual Crescendo event, historic sites and cultural preservation. A copy of the plan will be available on the Town’s website at hiltonheadislandsc.gov, and the OCA’s website at culturehhi.org. The adoption of the plan will provide direction and support for the Office of Cultural Affairs during the next three years, according to Jenn McEwen, director of the Town’s Office of Cultural Affairs.