Small-town rewards   04/18/12 - 5:54pm

I haven’t been with The Mirror very long. I came in January after being unemployed for five months.

In the past, I wrote for a small weekly newspaper in North Augusta. I loved getting to know the people and telling their stories. I loved that I could call the mayor during a Georgia game, knowing that he knew exactly who I am and that he wouldn’t mind (much). I loved walking into a Rotary meeting and knowing nearly everyone in the room, the town’s movers and shakers.

I loved being “the newspaper lady” to the school kids, and seeing their teachers in Walmart.

 

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Thomson's construction team proves it has skills   04/11/12 - 4:36pm

The construction team from Thomson High School took home top awards from the state SkillsUSA Competition last month.

Senior Brett Jenkins won first place in plumbing for the third consecutive year. The Teamworks team – Brandon Carlton, Evan Hunt, Justin Boutwell and Caleb Washington – placed second.

“I was proud of them. They handled themselves well,” said instructor Tony Arrington.

Jenkins will go on to compete in the national competition June 23 in Kansas City, Mo. It will be his third trip to nationals. Last year he placed fourth.

 

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Event recalls Titanic   04/11/12 - 5:29pm

 

Since Lillian Asplund died in 2006, no one remembers the night the unthinkable happened. The grandest ship and largest moveable object in the world, the RMS Titanic, sunk. (Millvina Dean, the last Titanic survivor, died in 2009. She was 2 months old at the time of the disaster.)

 

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Ghost Out shows danger of distracted driving   04/05/12 - 1:25pm

 

Ansley Thrift lay halfway across the hood of an Oldsmobile March 29, her body ostensibly thrown through the windshield in a collision with a light pole in the school’s parking lot.

Beside her, in the driver’s seat, Josh Jones, and in the back seat, Breya Bentley and Alan McQuaig appeared to be severely injured.

Juniors and seniors had chattered as they piled into the bleachers moments earlier at Thomson High School Thursday afternoon during the school’s first Ghost Out.

The program demonstrated the dangers of driving while distracted.

 

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Beta Club members earn honors at state convention   03/21/12 - 5:51pm

Beta Club members from Thomson High School took home top prizes from the state Beta on March 2-3 in Atlanta.

Students won second place in the scrapbook competition and third place in the group talent competition.

“Compared to many of the urban Atlanta schools, THS is a small, rural school. For our small Beta club to place in two events against clubs who have 150 members is quite a feat,” said faculty adviser Amy Proctor. “Seeing students perform to the best of their abilities makes me proud to be a teacher.”

 

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McDuffie County School Board approves Phase II of Brickyard Project   03/28/12 - 7:55pm

 

At its regular meeting March 15, the McDuffie County Board of Education approved Phase II of the Brickyard Project. The project includes new bleachers and a field house on the home side of the stadium, renovation of the track and practice field, along with new lights, and renovation of the football field.

Demolition of the old bleachers and field house began Monday. New lights at the track are expected to be completed by May 11, so that they will be in place for Relay for Life. Renovation of the field will begin after the Relay for Life fundraiser.

 

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Ghost Out promotes safe driving   03/21/12 - 5:14pm

On March 29, Thomson High School will be the scene of a ghastly automobile accident.

Juniors and seniors will watch as emergency personnel respond to a simulated automobile accident, and as one student is airlifted from the scene for emergency medical attention.

Freshmen and sophomores will watch events unfold via live telecast in their classrooms.

 

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Principal's retirement was premature   03/28/12 - 7:33pm

 

Claude Powell thought he was ready to retire a year ago.

It didn’t take long for him to realize that he wasn’t finished influencing young people.

So, when Cecil Strong left the McDuffie Achievement Center last year to become principal at Thomson High School, Powell came out of retirement to accept the vacated position.

“In my heart of hearts, I feel like I can still make a difference in a kid’s life,” he said.

Powell always wanted to work with young people. A desire to coach youth sports led him to pursue a career in teaching.

 

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People from all over stop at café   03/22/12 - 9:52am

 

On a recent Thursday afternoon, Marie Reeves sat at a wooden table in her tiny Dearing café, cuddling her 4-month-old granddaughter in her lap.

Her grandson, Tristan Reeves, 4, wandered around Ms. Marie’s Cafe, kicking the trash can and chattering about wanting to spend “lots of nights” with his grandma.

Meanwhile, a regular customer she called Dave promised, on his way out the door, to call before he comes next time to make sure she has bread pudding.

 

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Jury trials in murders set to start on Monday   03/22/12 - 9:56am

A March 6 pre-trail hearing determined that four men charged with the deaths of two people will begin in jury trials next week.

Calvin Curtis, Jatheus Bennet and Dexter Jones will stand trial separately for their roles in the shooting death of 24-year-old Kenneth James “Kenny” Johnson.

All three men are charged with murder, armed robbery, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime.

 

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