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PRSRT STD ECRWSS US POSTAGE PAID BLUFFTON, SC PERMIT NO. 37
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SEPTEMBER 1 - 7, 2016
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COVERING BEAUFORT COUNTY
Kids of all ages enjoy fun Military Appreciation Day
out for the role of Bob's unusual friend in the comedy about a man living in his exwife's basement. The Beaufort Film Society recently made its support of the film official by becoming a producing partner on the film. Briana Rosen, of Beaufort, was one of the many with a dog in the fight; her Maltese, Lasi, had auditioned at the open casting call and Rosen was hoping for a callback. “Everything has been so well done, I’m amazed. I’m here because I was so taken
Beaufort County School District seniors – members of the district’s first graduating class where 100 percent of its students took the ACT college entrance exam – scored above South Carolina averages in 2016. The composite 2016 ACT average for all Beaufort County School District seniors was 18.7, compared to the state public and private school combined average of 18.5. Scores range from a low of 1 to a high of 36. District averages were also higher for combined public and private school averages in all four ACT exams used to determine composite scores. Among individual district high schools, Battery Creek High 11th-graders’ 2016 composite average score was 16.4, Beaufort High’s was 19, Bluffton High’s was 19.3, Hilton Head Island High’s was 19.5 and Whale Branch Early College High’s was 16.5 The ACT is a group of curriculum-based achievement exams designed to measure the academic skills taught in schools and deemed important for success in first-year college courses. The General Assembly approved mandatory ACT testing for all 11th-graders in 2014. Like the six other states that instated similar requirements, South Carolina saw declines in average 2016 ACT scores reported for seniors because all of them had taken the ACT as juniors in 2015. In the Beaufort County School District, scores were reported for 1,259 seniors in 2016 compared to 591 the previous year. Previously, the decision to take the ACT was optional for South Carolina high school students. Students will take the test whether or not they plan to attend college. Students do not have to pass the ACT test to receive a high school diploma.
See FILM, page A7
See STUDENTS, page A7
The Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce held its annual Military Appreciation Day on Aug. 27 at the Atlantic Marine Corps Communities Tri Command Welcome Center at 600 Laurel Bay Road in Beaufort. This event allows the Beaufort community to show its appreciation for the local military and all they do for our country and community. This family event featured children's games and activities, water fun, entertainment, volleyball and an abundance of food and drink.
Clockwise from top left: Addison Kurc, 5, gets a face painting at Military Appreciation Day at the Laurel Bay military housing area. Addison was at the celebration with her father, a U.S. Marine stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort; Janelle Rodriguez, 9, right, knocks down the pyramid of cans to win a prize during Military Appreciation Day. Janelle’s dad is a drill instructor at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island; Hunter Hughes, 14, of Boy Scout Troop 1712 of Beaufort, reacts to a balloon being inflated by Tux the Clown during the fun family event. Photos by Bob Sofaly.
Beaufort Film Society launches new season with a bark By Kat Walsh
Courtney Balcome tells the audience about her dog, Yeti T. Fuzzbottoms, shown on the poster.
DRAGONBOAT BEAUFORT A determined cancer survivor is one of many who will take part in the upcoming dragonboat races. PAGE B1
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“This place has really gone to the dogs.” It was the too-easy joke of the night. On Aug. 24, the Beaufort Film Society hosted a Meet & Greet, officially kicking off its new season for the upcoming Beaufort International Film Festival and drawing a specifically canine-centric crowd. The dog owners – and jokes – were in attendance for the evening’s biggest announcement, the top five finalists for a role in the upcoming local film “Basement Bob.” More than 200 dogs from Bluffton to Beaufort and points in between tried
LABOR DAY FUN Local Gullah festivals are among the fun things to check out this Labor Day weekend. PAGE B9
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Local students outperform state averages
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