May 2, 2013

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NEW INTRODUCTIONS: New Sumter High football coach Reggie Kennedy takes field with team

LOCAL: Bishopville officials will pay fees after ethics charges A2

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THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2013 | SUMTER, SOUTH CAROLINA

VOL. 118, NO. 165 WWW.THEITEM.COM

FOUNDED OCTOBER 15, 1894

60 CENTS

Ivey loses S.C. teacher title but still a winner locally Science teacher awarded $10,000

BY JAMIE H. WILSON Special to The Item JAMIE H. WILSON / SPECIAL TO THE ITEM

Sumter School District Teacher of the Year Trevor Ivey shakes hands with district Superintendent Randolph Bynum after the 2013 South Carolina Teacher of the Year Ceremony in Columbia. Ivey was one of the five finalists in the competition. The award went to Darleen S. Sutton, a first-grade teacher at Pickens Elementary School, School District of Pickens County.

Prospects abandon dean race at USCS

COLUMBIA — Sumter School District Teacher of the Year Trevor Ivey is an amazing teacher and person, so say his peers, students, friends, family, bosses and many others. The Alice Drive Middle School teacher wasn’t selected as the

South Carolina Teacher of the Year during the ceremony on Wednesday evening, but that doesn’t mean that Ivey won’t leave a legacy of education excellence as he continues in his career. “It’s been a wonderful learning opportunity to be a teacher of the year,” Ivey said. “I have grown tremendously since I started my teaching journey some six years ago, and none of this would have been possible without the mighty shoulders I have been able to lean on and learn from.” SC Future Minds, the sponsor of

the South Carolina Teacher of the Year program, awarded the coveted teaching prize to Darleen S. Sutton, a first-grade teacher at Pickens Elementary School, School District of Pickens County. The top prize comes with several prizes, chief among them a oneyear lease on a BMW vehicle as well as $25,000. Ivey and the other remaining finalists will each receive $10,000 along with the title of Honor Roll Teacher as well as other prizes. SEE IVEY, PAGE A8

SAFE KIDS FEST 2013

BY BRADEN BUNCH bbunch@theitem.com The University of South Carolina Sumter must restart its search for a new dean, as all three of the finalists for the position have removed themselves from consideration. As a result, Lynwood Watts, the current interim dean for the local satellite campus, will continue to serve for the foreseeable future. Wes Hickman, WATTS interim vice president for communications for USC, confirmed the situation on Wednesday. “They were all very excited about USC Sumter, but for one reason or another opted not to continue on with the process,” Hickman said of the former finalists. Back in February, officials with the university’s main campus in Columbia announced three finalists for the Sumter position: Dr. Lora Bailey, a former interim vice president for academic affairs for Lane College in Jackson,

ABOVE: Kyle Keefe, back center, assistant manager for the Aquatics Center, helps Jaydon Powell, front center, out of her ill-fitting life jacket on Wednesday during SAFE Kids Fest 2013. Aquatics Center manager Peggy Kubala, back right, helps Lillian Ard, front left, into a jacket as Brandon Cisse watches. All the children are second-graders in Daphne Hicks’ class at Pocalla Springs Elementary School.

SEE USCS DEAN, PAGE A8

PHOTOS BY JADE ANDERSON / THE ITEM

LEFT: Allied Health students and Sumter High seniors Ashley Smith, Vernedra Williams and Ty’Quaja Green review the hand-washing song with Pocalla Springs second-graders. The event, held Tuesday and Wednesday at the Sumter County Civic Center, gave students an opportunity to learn many kinds of safety tips.

Zais: Educators should be held accountable EDITOR’S NOTE: State Superintendent of Education Mick Zais sat down with The Item on Monday to discuss progress in Sumter School District and the future of education in South Carolina. This is Part 2 of that interview.

State Superintendent of Education Mick Zais said Monday that districts need to begin rewarding the best teachers and “stop making excuses for teachers who just aren’t helping kids learn.” ROBERT J. BAKER / THE ITEM

20 N. Magnolia St. Sumter, SC 29150 (USPS 525-900)

www.theitem.com

Valuable teachers leaving schools with dictatorial administrations or lacking teachers moving from district to district without ever changing their ways. Both are a problem in

South Carolina schools, according to state Superintendent of Education Mick Zais. “I would like to hold teachers accountable for what their children fail to learn,” Zais said. “It goes SEE ZAIS, PAGE A6

OUTSIDE CLOUDS

DEATHS Emery A. Vallier Peggy P. Hedstrom Edward G. Way Julia M.A. Singleton Marion W. Mooneyhan

BY ROBERT J. BAKER bbaker@theitem.com

Levi Canty Purdy Walker Robert Lee Grant Sr. B5

INSIDE 2 SECTIONS, 16 PAGES

A shower possible today; partly cloudy tonight HIGH: 74 LOW: 54 A8

Classifieds Comics Daily Planner Opinion Television

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May 2, 2013 by The Sumter Item - Issuu