Thumbs up to Governor’s School for receiving grant

Thumbs up to the S.C. Governor’s School for Science and Mathematics in Hartsville, which has been awarded a $2,000 grant from MeadWestvaco Specialty Chemicals Division to support funding scientific research opportunities for its students. The school also has been awarded a $6,000 grant from Fujikura Foundation, a philanthropic arm of Alcoa Fujikura Ltd. Telecommunications, to fund scientific research internships for two of its students. The Summer Program for Research Interns (SPRI), a graduation requirement for rising seniors at the two-year, public, residential high school specializing in the advanced study of science and mathematics, is a hands-on educational opportunity and capstone experience. Nearly 70 students spend six weeks in corporate research and development labs, research universities and hospital cancer centers across the state under the direct supervision of established scientists. During the internship, students conduct research on a college graduate level in fields in which they have a specific interest such as cancer research, biomedical experiments or computer science. With research partnerships that include Clemson University, The Medical University of South Carolina and the University of South Carolina, the average cost for SPRI per student is $3,000 with most students residing in university housing. Since SPRI’s inception in 1991, more than 1,500 students from South Carolina have participated.

Thumbs up to members of the local Elks Lodge 1020 and Lighthouse Ministries. A joint project to construct a wheelchair ramp for George Gamache of Florence on May 15 included members Karen Garber, Eddy Harding, Steve Schulman and Ed Bennett. The entrance to Gamache’s home had consisted of several steps and restricted him from coming and going without assistance. Materials for the project were supplied by Lighthouse Ministries and the project took one very long day to complete. The Elks is a national organization and the local chapter in Florence has been active for many years, donating to worthy charities and being involved in other community projects. Local chapter 1020 also was recognized as No. 1 in the state and No. 2 in the nation in the monetary support of the National Elks Foundation, which makes donations back to local communities.

Thumbs up to Hartsville High School, which has been selected to receive a 2009 Lowe’s Toolbox for Education Grant in the amount of $5,000 for the Renovate Arts Classrooms Project from the Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation (LCEF). Dr. James Beaumier, the school’s fine arts department chairman, applied for the grant on behalf of the school. The grant will make it possible for the school to convert a standard classroom into a combined drama and strings room. It will provide for installation of carpeting and a false wall and will allow for the purchase of an instrument storage unit, a music storage unit, and four 4-by-8 stage platforms. In addition, the grant will cover the cost of materials required for the installation of sinks in the visual arts classroom at the school. James Hopkins, Hartsville’s Lowe’s commercial sales specialist, and Ms. Kim Josey, Hartsville’s Lowe’s sales manager, have volunteered the manpower necessary from their store to complete these projects, which means Hartsville High and Darlington County School District will realize a substantial savings on labor costs. The foundation’s mission is to improve the communities served by Lowe’s and to further the commitment of having a positive impact on the lives of its customers, neighbors and employees.