Thumbs up to students who scored well and improved on the PACT

Thumbs up to all the students who scored well and improved on the most recent Palmetto Achievement Challenge Test (PACT), which is state-mandated for students in grades three through eight. The results, which were released Wednesday by the S.C. Department of Education, showed third-graders from several Pee Dee districts excelled in several subject areas. More than 300,000 students statewide took the PACT in May. Scores are broken down into four levels: below basic, basic, proficient and advanced. If a student fails to reach the basic level on the test, he or she must take part in an academic plan from his or her school. The state Department of Education said more students statewide reached the proficient or advanced level than last year. The department also noted that black students and students who qualify for free/reduced price meals made progress this year in reducing achievement gaps in ELA, science and social studies. Statewide, fifth grade is the only grade that increased its scores from 2007 in all four subjects, while grades four and seven increased in three of the subjects. The test will change next year into the Palmetto Assessment of State Standards (PASS), which will show more detailed information about students. As state Superintendent of Education Dr. Jim Rex said, the latest results are encouraging, but the effort to having “more students achieve at the highest levels” must remain a constant goal.

Thumbs up to everyone who participated in Thursday’s blood drive at Darlington Raceway. The raceway and the the American Red Cross used the event, in its third year, as a way to not only boost the area’s blood supply, but also to observe the events of Sept. 11, 2001. Chasity Humphries, donor recruiter for the American Red Cross, said the blood drive couldn’t come at a better time of year, because the summer months often are slow for the Red Cross. In addition to pace car rides, the track had a drawing for two VIP tickets to the Nationwide Series race at Darlington on May 8. The winner and a guest also will be allowed to stand on the infield stage during driver introductions. The raceway, like all other NASCAR tracks that hosted Sept. 11 blood drivers, offered a chance to win a meet-and-greet session with NASCAR driver Jimmy Johnson. Giving blood typically takes roughly an hour of a person’s time. In that hour, Humphries said, the donation being made can save as many as three lives. According to the Red Cross, blood is needed for emergencies and for people who have cancer, blood disorders, sickle cell, anemia and other illnesses. For details about how to donate blood or eligibility requirements, visit http://peedee.redcross.org/content/index.html online, or call (800) GIVE LIFE (448-3543).

Thumbs up to Wilson High School in Florence for being a semi-finalist for a Hoodie Award for Best High School. The Hoodie Awards are the brainchild of television/radio personality Steve Harvey and television/radio producer Rushion McDonald. They are voted on by the public, mostly by the listeners of Harvey’s daily morning show, which airs in Florence on FLO 102.9 FM. This is the second year Wilson High has been a semi-finalist for a Hoodie Award, as it also was nominated in 2007. Wilson is competing this year against schools from Portsmouth, Va., Detroit and Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Wilson High principal Dr. Gerard Edwards said he doesn’t find the school’s nomination a surprise because the school is deeply ingrained within the community. Likewise, Wilson High senior Ramona Mackrey attributes Wilson High’s success in the nomination process to the respect and loyalty students and alumni have for the school. The school deserves congratulations for earning such recognition at a national level. For details about Hoodie Awards, visit www.steveharvey. com.