College degree? Not so fast.

The majority of parents say yes to higher education, but getting there is the hard part

JANUARY 12, 2010 10:03 a.m. (0)

There’s a difference between perception and reality when it comes to college expectations in South Carolina.

In a recent poll of more than 800 parents of children in public school, 86 percent of parents say they expected their child to obtain a bachelor’s degree or higher.

Ninety-four percent of the parents polled by Winthrop University and South Carolina ETV said their children had that same expectation.  Continue reading...

 

Beyond the textbook

Teachers at St. Joe’s get a week to show students their other lives

MARCH 12, 2010 9:34 a.m. (1)

Meby Carr said her dad wouldn’t let her go to college until she learned how to check her car’s oil, tire pressure and battery.

The St. Joseph’s High School history teacher said she wonders how her young charges would fare if they were stranded on the side of the road.  Continue reading...

 

Superintendent candidates have their say

APRIL 14, 2010 10:55 a.m. (8)

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE

The line dividing conservative and liberal candidates running for the state’s top education position is private-school subsidies.

Six of the eight men and women running for South Carolina Superintendent of Education showed up Tuesday night at a two-hour candidate forum at Furman University’s Younts Conference Center. Three of the five Republicans were there, along with both Democrats and the Libertarian candidate.  Continue reading...

 

County Council notes

From the Sept. 7 meeting

SEPTEMBER 9, 2010 10:35 a.m. (0)

Greenville County Council approved a $10,993.20 request from Councilwoman Lottie Gibson to pay for furniture at the Phoenix Academy lobby on the consent agenda during a short meeting Tuesday night.

The expenditure qualifies under Council District Expense – Part II Community Requests account definition, according to documents accompanying the request.

Council also learned the sheriff’s department has been awarded a $225,000 grant from the Department of Homeland Security to install the first part of an upgrade to sheriff’s helicopter infrared imaging system. The FLIR system allows the helicopter to produce an infrared image of objects on the ground, transmit them to ground commanders instantly so that the commanders see what the helicopter sees in real time.  Continue reading...

 

The news in brief

September 10-16, 2010

SEPTEMBER 9, 2010 10:41 a.m. (0)

Don’t expect it to be the case for long, but South Carolina is posting the lowest gasoline prices per gallon in the U.S.

That’s even with the fact the numbers this week have already started to climb.

Locally, the price per gallon rose nine-tenths of a cent in the past week, while the national average fell two tenths of a cent.  Continue reading...

 

Global, locally

Wofford professor helps students see beyond their borders

SEPTEMBER 9, 2010 3:23 p.m. (0)

John Seitz shares a small office with two other professors at Wofford College.

He used to work for the Central Intelligence Agency.

In Pakistan.  Continue reading...

 

Crime vs. character

New program aims to teach youth what really matters in life

SEPTEMBER 29, 2010 10:51 a.m. (0)

The percentage of crimes committed by children in Greenville County has increased steadily since 2005.

Youngsters between the ages of 10 and 17 over the past decade have been responsible on average each year for about a third of the arson, vandalism and sex offense cases prosecuted by law enforcement officials, FBI arrest records show.

Juveniles in that age group are charged in nearly a fourth of all property crimes cases, officials said.  Continue reading...

 

Reading lives on here

School district helps keep kids' noses buried in books

SEPTEMBER 23, 2010 1:45 p.m. (0)

Spartanburg High School’s Seven Reads climaxes with a pep rally like gathering in the gym for all 1,500 students that’s part motivational speech and a glimpse of just what makes a best-selling author tick.

But it is reading that lives at the heart of the story and a community that has pulled together to give all of the students a book of their own to read over the summer. One book each for 1,500 kids.

“It’s a way to get the students at Spartanburg High really involved with reading and to connect with the authors,” said McKenzie Wilson, a junior, during a telephone interview after school last Friday.  Continue reading...

 

Paying the price

Week of snow days means extra school

JANUARY 21, 2011 11:57 a.m. (0)

Students in Greenville County schools will lose a four-day weekend in April and go an extra day at the end of the year to make up for three of the snow days taken last week. The days are built into the schedule in case there’s snow and become a bonus to students if weather doesn’t interfere.

Schools will be open Friday, April 1, Monday, April 4 and Thursday, June 2.

In addition, registration for kindergarten and first grade was moved to Wednesday and Thursday of this week and parents were able to submit Round 2 Magnet School applications until 12 p.m. on Thursday.  Continue reading...