BLYTHEWOOD – The Blythewood High School (BHS) Athletic Hall
of Fame announced its inaugural induction class.
Created in 2019 to recognize the outstanding contributions
to Blythewood High School athletics, the Hall of Fame will honor five inductees
at a banquet on Thursday, Oct. 31. The inductees will also be recognized at
Blythewood’s final regular season varsity football game on Friday, Nov. 1.
The first Bengals inducted will be Nicole Quinlan Durig (2008) – volleyball and track; Grayson Greiner (2011) – baseball; Vince Lowry – first BHS Athletic Director; Richard Mounce (2008) – football and baseball;, and Jeff Scott – first BHS varsity football coach.
Tickets to the Induction Banquet, held at Columbia Country
Club, are available to the public for $25. Ticket inquiries may be directed to
Buzzy Myers (buzzmy- ers@live.com) or current BHS Athletic Director Barry
Mizzell (bmizzell@richland2.org).
BLYTHEWOOD – Blythewood head football coach Jason Seidel was
missing from the sidelines of his team’s game against Fairfield Central Friday,
the likely result of his being punished by Richland District Two.
Seidel
Kevin Rohletter was the Bengals acting head coach in their
35-21 victory over the Griffins.
When asked about the possibility that Seidel’s absence in
the game Friday was a part of District Two’s discipline of the coach, District
Spokesperson Libby Roof declined comment.
Seidel’s interaction via Twitter with several football
players at Ridge View and Richland Northeast high schools in December of last
year and January of this year drew the attention from the media. Seidel
exchanged numerous tweets with the players over that time frame, encouraging
them to transfer to Blythewood and play for the Bengals.
Further, Seidel directed players to cover up his
interactions. In one tweet, Seidel mentioned to one player to “delete our
convo…” In another conversation with a
player, he said about the player’s mother “I would like to meet her when she
can. I want you both comfortable. But you and your mom can’t say we met either.”
According to District Two policy, “Recruiting of prospective
students for athletic purposes is a serious ethical violation of the philosophy
and ideals of interscholastic athletics and will be treated as such.”
District Two went public on the matter only in mid-August,
when local television news station WIS received word of the issue and aired a
story on Seidel’s contacts Aug. 16.
The contact, explained in detail in the Voice’s Aug. 22
cover story, involved students at Ridge View and Westwood High Schools. Ridge View principal Brenda Mack-Foxworth
reported the contact Jan. 19, according to the District’s timeline of events.
Later, after District Two had addressed the situation,
Mack-Foxworth filed an appeal March 19 with the District’s assistant
superintendent for middle schools and high schools and requested that the
District send the issue to the South Carolina High School League (SCHSL), which
oversees public school sports in the state. The SCHSL later said that “no
violation within the S.C.H.S.L occurred” because none of the students in
contact with Seidel transferred to Blythewood.
Seidel was disciplined by Richland District Two in May. The
Voice has submitted a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to the District to
acquire Seidel’s personnel record, which is public.
The South Carolina High School League, which governs public
school athletic programs, passed on making a decision because there was no
evidence that any student transferred based on Seidel’s actions.
Three more non-region games are on the slate for Blythewood
(2-1).
The Bengals travel to North Augusta Friday, play host to
Dutch Fork Sept. 20, and travel to Beaufort Sept. 27 before opening Region 4-5A
play at Irmo Oct. 11.
Some R2 Board Members Say
They Were Not Told About Violations
BLYTHEWOOD – An investigation aired last week by WIS-TV
reported that Blythewood High School Head Coach Jason Seidel violated Richland
School District Two’s “position on recruiting” by attempting to spirit away
several football players from other Richland Two schools, including three from
Ridge View High School, to play football for Blythewood High School.
Seidel
While numerous recruiting violations by Seidel reportedly
occurred between mid-December, 2018 and the end of January, 2019, that
information was not publicly acknowledged by the District until it was
contacted on Aug. 14 by WIS which aired the story on Aug. 16.
At least one Richland Two School Board member said she was not made aware of Seidel’s recruiting violations by administration until the day before the story appeared on WIS.
In a statement issued last week after being contacted by
WIS, Chief Communications Officer for the District, Libby Roof, reported that
the District has since taken “appropriate personnel action with the coach for
violations of the District’s position on recruiting.”
The WIS report stated, however, that Ridge View High School
officials were not satisfied with how the District handled the matter and, in
March, 2019, appealed the District’s actions. While the District reported
additional meetings with Ridge View officials and a meeting with the S.C. High
School League, no further actions by the District were reported.
Roof stated in an email to The Voice on Monday that, “at
this time, the District considers the matter to be closed.”
In a statement released last week, Roof gave a timeline of
what the District knew about the reported recruitment violations and when they
learned about them.
“In January, 2019, Ridge View’s principal [Brenda Mack-Foxworth]
reported possible recruitment of current football players by a Blythewood High
football coach and a parent,” the District’s report stated.
WIS reported last week that numerous tweets were exchanged
between Seidel and Ridge View players during January, 2019.
As reported by WIS, “In an exchange with Player A, on Jan.
13, Seidel stated, ‘The quicker you guys get here, the more I can do with you
in the weight room.’ Seidel added, ‘Let the guys know that.’ ”
The complete list of tweets is posted on the WIS website.
A school district administrator conducted an investigation,
according to the District’s statement, met with Seidel “and took appropriate
personnel action with the coach for violations of the district’s position on
recruiting,” according to the statement released by the District.
The District’s Chief Administrative Services Officer met
with Mack-Foxworth and Ridge View’s athletic director to explain that the
District had informed the S.C. High School League of the possible recruitment
violations, but that “SCHSL informed the district that due to the fact that the
students who were contacted did not transfer, no violation with SCHSL
occurred,” according to the District statement.
Mack-Foxworth and Ridge View’s athletic director were also
informed that the District had taken “appropriate personnel actions” against
Seidel in response to the results of their its investigation.
According to reports, however, Ridge View administrators
were not satisfied with how Richland Two handled the matter and, in March,
2019, Mack-Foxworth submitted an appeal to the Richland Two Assistant
Superintendent for middle schools and high schools to request the collection of
evidence against Seidel be submitted to the SCHSL, and to verify that the
consequences for the Blythewood High coach “reflect the time and resources
spent in investigating” the possible recruitment violation.
In response to Mack-Foxworth’s appeal, district
administrators met with the SCHSL on April 12 “and shared the written evidence
of the situation.” Again, the SCHSL confirmed that “since the students who were
contacted did not transfer, no violation with SCHSL occurred. Any consequences
to the coach would be left to the District.”
The District officials will not disclose the specific
actions taken against Seidel, saying, “personnel matters are confidential” and
cannot be shared with Ridge View administrators.
“Richland School District Two takes recruitment violations
seriously and believes that everyone must abide by the spirit of the rule in
order to remain fair, consistent and honorable throughout all of our schools’
athletic programs,” according to the District’s statement.
The District Two athletics manual provides the following
regarding recruiting: “Recruiting of prospective students for athletic purposes
is a serious ethical violation of the philosophy and ideals of interscholastic
athletics and will be treated as such. For purposes of this section, recruiting
is defined as an attempt by an individual(s) or group associated with a school
to entice a student to attend or to transfer to a school for athletic purposes
through the exertion of undue influence or any special treatment.”
The District disclosed that, at the beginning of each school
year, all coaches in the district must review the district’s Athletic Staff
Operations Manual and sign a form stating that they agree to read the manual
and adhere to all rules and regulations.
Seidel’s Blythewood Bengals face off against the Ridge View
Blazers Friday night in the season opener at 7:30 in the District Two stadium
that is located at Blythewood High School but shared by both schools.
Blythewood Principal Matthew Sherman accepts the SCHSL 5A State Runner Up trophy as the Bengals, Athletic Director Barry Mizzell and R2 Superintendent Dr. Baron Davis look on.
COLUMBIA – For the better part of a season, the Blythewood baseball team made a living out of guts and pulling victory from defeat.
In the deciding game of the best-of-3 5A state championship series Friday night at the Columbia Fireflies’ Segra Park, the Bengals fell one round of the bases short of clinching a state title.
John Lanier (21) tries to ignite a rally in the bottom of the seventh.
With Blythewood down 2-1 with two out in the bottom of the seventh, John Lanier caught hold of a Sam Hatcher fastball and drove it deep into rightfield. Dutch Fork’s Brice Alexander was in a position to end the game right then, but Blythewood stayed alive when the ball ricocheted off the top of the webbing on the outfielder’s glove.
Lanier raced for second and easily made it.
Brady Beasley stepped in the batter’s box, and worked up a 2-2 count. When Hatcher delivered another offspeed pitch, Beasley swung on with the intent of driving a ball far enough to get the tying run across the plate.
He missed, and so too did the Bengals, who fell 2-1.
“We did a good job managing it, keeping within striking distance,” said Blythewood head coach Banks Faulkner, whose team excels at bunting and base running, with an occasional reach for extra bases. “We did have a lot of opportunities and the things we pride ourselves on we weren’t very good at tonight, and it’s a hard lesson.”
Brady Beasley (11)
In the three games against the Silver Foxes (24-10), Blythewood accounted for just four runs to Dutch Fork’s nine. Even so, the Bengals (25-10) stayed close. Only once—in the ninth inning of the first game of the series they won 2-1 on May 11—could they find a game-winning base-running and hitting combination.
Blythewood fell 6-1 at Dutch Fork Wednesday to force Friday night’s game. Bengals and Silver Foxes fans filled the bowl of the 9,000-plus capacity stadium and lounged in the picnic areas, hanging onto strikeouts and a couple of pushes home.
While Blythewood came up short in its final game of the season, Faulkner said the younger players who came up a circle of the bases short of winning a state title will have the resolve to work toward that end—if they can be leaders.
“We’ve got a really good group coming back but we graduate some key leaders, Faulkner said. “The key to next year’s team will be to find leadership. We’ve got some really good players, but that’s a lot more, and that was what was so special about this team.”
Added Faulkner, “Their resolve and their leadership and the way they bounced back, they were a pleasure to coach, probably my favorite team I’ve ever coached.”
For Dutch Fork, which had to bounce back from the losers’ bracket in its district tournament and in the lower state tournament, the moment was as sweet as it was bitter for the Bengals.
“We’re living the dream tonight,” Silver Foxes head coach Casey Waites said. “You got two teams who are known for hitting a baseball. We’re living the dream with these guys right here. We’d expected to do this a long time ago. Our guys bringing a state championship to Dutch Fork baseball love it, love it.”
Harrison Lambert (13) scores to tie the game at 1 in the bottom of the second.
Dutch Fork took a 1-0 lead in the second when Noah Jackson scored on a Lucas’ 2-out wild pitch to Brice Alexander. Alexander later singled, but Jalon McDuffie grounded out to end the inning.
Blythewood got that run back in the bottom of the second. Harrison Lambert legged out an infield hit and Nate Hinson reached on an error, and Zach Bailes walked to load the bases with two out. As Lucas batted, Lambert scored on a botched pickoff attempt with the bases loaded.
Dutch Fork got another run in the fourth inning when Jackson hit a 1-out double into the left centerfield gap and moved to third on a passed ball. Crosby Jones plated Jackson with a single to right.
That run turned out to be all the Silver Foxes needed.
Lucas walked Lance Fuhr to put runners at first and second with one out, but he recovered and struck out Alexander and got McDuffie to ground out to John Lanier at first.
The Blythewood bats lay silent for the next three innings, as Webb and the Silver Foxes retired nine straight batters from the second to the fifth innings. Lucas reached on a walk and Lanier singled with two out in the bottom of the fifth, which signaled the end of Webb’s night.
When Sam Hatcher came on the mound in relief, he went up 0-2 on Michael Gregory, then got him to hit a short grounder that second baseman Noah Jackson scooped up and fired to Ryan Helms at first for the third out.
Josh Cowan (6) took the mound in the seventh.
Blythewood finally caught a break when Brady Beasley led off the sixth with a single, Jansen Stokes bunted him over to second, and Lambert’s one-out single to right put runners at first and third.
A go-ahead inning was not to be for the Bengals, as Nate Hinson struck out and Josh Cowan ended the inning on an infield pop-up.
“Ice in his veins, his pitches,” Waites said of Henry, who with the Silver Foxes defense snuffed out three potential rallies. “He doesn’t try to overpower people, he throws his curveball, his changeup, threw a couple of fastballs, awesome job.”
Thus, Dutch Fork came into the seventh with its 2-1 lead intact. In the top of that inning Bengals catcher Josh Cowan took over on the mound for reliever Kevin Steelman. Cowan got Jay Metts and Ty Olenchuk to fly out. He hit Hugh Ryan, but Ryan Helms grounded out to set up Blythewood’s last effort.
“They fought till the last out,” Faulkner said. “I told them I was proud of them and I love them. Sometimes the game is cruel and the pain will take a while, but we’ve gotten the program back the way it should be. We’ll win a state championship at Blythewood, and when we do, it’s gonna be because of this game.”
DUTCH FORK 2, BLYTHEWOOD 1
DUTCH FORK – 0-1-0-1-0-0-0 – 2, 4, 1
BLYTHEWOOD – 0-1-0-0-0-0-0 – 1, 6, 0
WP: Doug Webb LP: Landon Lucas
HITTERS: Dutch Fork – Noah Jackson 2-3, 2B. Blythewood – John Lanier 2-4, 2B.
Michael Gregory (12) scores from Zach Bailes’ walk-off single to give the Bengals the 2-1 win in the ninth. | Photos: Martha Ladd
BLYTHEWOOD – Zach Bailes’ last hit in his home ballpark was a bouncer up the middle that barely made it to the outfield.
For the Bengals, that little hit Bailes cracked with two out in the bottom of the ninth was the shot heard ’round the Midlands.
Zach Bailes (7) was 2-5 on the night.
Bailes hit a 1-0 pitch hard back to the mound, but neither relief pitcher Andrew Fulmer nor second baseman Noah Jackson could get a handle on it. As the ball bounced beyond second base, Michael Gregory easily made his way home to clinch a 2-1 Game One victory in the best-of-three series in the last game of the season at Bengals Field.
“It was the ninth inning and rain was coming, I just figured we may as well go home,” Bailes said. “Rain was coming, I heard the thunder. I just did everything to get a hit there.”
The play happened as Blythewood head coach Banks Faulkner signaled Gregory to go for home and for courtesy runner Mulukan Hass to break for second.
“We were grasping for it there,” Faulkner said. “Michael Gregory does what he’s done all season. He comes up with a huge hit with two outs and we took a chance there—sort of who we are—we took a chance running them there, and it was just an incredible job by our guys finding a way to win.”
The walk-off win erased a strong performance from Dutch Fork left-hander Sam Hatcher. Hatcher worked eight full innings, scattered six hits and struck out four. He threw 101 pitches and picked off or stranded eight Blythewood baserunners from the second through the sixth inning.
“Hats off to their kid, I thought he competed,” Faulkner said. “He did a good job keeping us off balance. We just could not scratch a run there in the middle innings. It was almost a relief to get him off the mound and see a different arm.”
Blythewood (26-8) travels to Dutch Fork (22-11) Tuesday at 7 for the second game. Winning Saturday obviously was advantageous for the Bengals, but the team knows the season isn’t finished.
“It’s big,” Faulkner said about Saturday. “Anytime you win the first one, it’s huge. We like our position, but we know we’re going to go into a hornets’ nest Tuesday night against a really good team. We’ll face a really, really good arm and we’ve got our work cut out for us.”
Bailes’ hit gave the win to closer Josh Cowan, his first of the year. Cowan came on in relief of starting pitcher Landon Lucas, who worked 7 1/3 innings and pitched five innings of no-hit ball after giving up Dutch Fork’s only run in the second. Cowan also no-hit the Silver Foxes over his 1 2/3 innings on the mound.
Lucas and Cowan frustrated the Dutch Fork bats after the Silver Foxes got a run on Jay Metts’ sacrifice fly that scored Brice Alexander. After that play, the pitchers retired the next 22 batters.
Landon Lucas (4) worked 7.2 innings on the mound in Game One, allowing only two hits and one run.
“Landon kept it tight, pitched great the whole game, Josh came in and shut it down,” Bailes said about the pitchers holding off. “It was a great team effort, Mulukan running to second hard helped us, everyone before me getting on base helped.”
Dutch Fork actually got to Lucas early, getting its first three batters, Ty Olenchuk, Hugh Ryan, and Brian Holmes to reach base with a walk, a single and an error, respectively.
From there, Lucas stuck out Noah Jackson and Crosby Jones, then tossed Lance Fuhr’s shot back to the mound to first baseman John Lanier to get the third out.
After putting Blythewood on the scoreboard with a solo home run in his team’s half of the first, Lucas gave up a hit to Alexander and saw Jaylen McDuffie reach on an error with nobody out. Metts drove a long fly ball out to centerfield for Nate Hinson to glove, and that enabled Alexander to tie the game at 1.
Lucas then got Olenchuk to pop out and Ryan to ground out to retire the side.
“It goes to my teammates making the plays,” Lucas said about his mound performance. “I didn’t make as many strikeouts as I would’ve liked, but they just hung in there and made the plays for me.”
From the second inning onward, Dutch Fork had just one baserunner, Jones. Jones reached base on a catcher’s interference call with two out in the ninth.
Cowan got Fuhr to hit into a fielder’s choice to retire the side in the ninth and set up Blythewood’s last offensive effort.
With Fulmer on the mound to start the ninth, Dutch Fork got Brady Beasley and Jansen Stokes out in infield grounders. Gregory’s single to left gave the Bengals life though, and they leapt at their chance to clinch Game One.
Cowan reached base on an infield error that brought Gregory over to third. With Hass taking the place of Cowan at first, the Bengals had the table set for Bailes, who delivered.
“You know, the bats had to break eventually,” Faulkner said. “Thankfully for us we hit it in just the right spot and found a way to win.”
Blythewood claims Upper State Championship with 3-0 shutout of J.L. Mann
Michael Gregory went 2-2 at the plate with a double and triple. | Photos: Martha Ladd
BLYTHEWOOD – Two freshman pitchers and two big hits from Michael Gregory and Landon Lucas were just what Blythewood needed Wednesday night.
Davis Wright and Kevin Steelman combined for seven innings of shutout ball, Gregory tripled in a run in the third and Lucas hit a solo home run in the sixth, and the Bengals clinched their first upper state championship with a 3-0 victory over J.L. Mann.
“Unbelievable,” head coach Banks Faulkner said of Wright and Steelman’s 4-hitter. “They’ve got unbelievable poise and composure. They’re very mature beyond their years and we’ve got all the confidence in the world in them.”
Blythewood (25-8) will play Dutch Fork for the 5A state championship in a best-of-3 series. Game one will be at Blythewood Saturday at 7. Game two will be on the road for the Bengals Tuesday night. If necessary, the deciding game will be set at a neutral site Saturday.
“This just another step in the journey,” Faulkner said. “One of our goals in the offseason was to win the last game we played, and to do that, it’s going to take an unbelievable effort.”
“It’s been three long years”, Faulkner, who came to coach the program from Summerville in 2016, said. “When I got here this was such a young program that looked nothing like what I left. To see them get to this point has been a process, and we’ve had some guys that have been really committed to being great. It’s been gratifying to see them accomplish this after their hard work and dedication.”
Freshman Davis Wright picked up the win for the Bengals.
Wright, third in the team’s rotation, had six starts on the year, but he was still a little nervous in starting the upper state title game.
“A little bit but once I got through the first inning I was good to go,” Wright said. “It means a lot, all the work we put in, my dad, my mom supported me, all my coaches believed in me. They called the pitches and I executed, and it worked out for us.”
Gregory provided the run support in the second inning.
Nate Hinson led off the inning with a double and moved to third after Josh Cowan walked.
With two out, Gregory got to the plate and took a passed ball that enabled Hinson to score the first run. Gregory then lashed out a triple that easily scored Colton Harman, Cowan’s courtesy runner.
“It’s crazy, Gregory said. “The top of our order wasn’t performing very well at the beginning of the game and I knew I had to get something started. I went up, not worried, just trying to get the job done. I got a runner in scoring position and found a way to make it work.”
With two runs on the board, and later Lucas’ sixth-inning shot, Wright and Steelman made it work for them, too.
“That’s huge,” Gregory said. “They are both so talented, just being freshman and being able to have the poise to go out and combine for seven innings and that’s a huge stage for them.”
Wright worked a clean first inning. He gave up two hits in the second with one out before striking out two straight Patriots to get out of the jam. He got into trouble in the fourth inning but escaped a bases-loaded jam when Cody Nichols grounded into a fielder’s choice.
“Throughout the season I’ve been put out for about four innings,” Wright said. “Coach knows what he’s doing and he made the right move.”
Freshman Kevin Steelman (24)
Steelman found out he would take the mound last weekend, when assistant coach Trey Dyson was playing in a local golf tournament with Steelman’s dad.
“I was working there, and I went up to him and (Dyson) tossed me a baseball and told me to change my grips and stuff,” Steelman said. “He just told me to be ready because I would be playing on Wednesday.”
When Davis finished up, he set the stage for Steelman.
J.L. Mann’s Tomas Frick got on board with an error to lead off the inning, but Steelman got Reed Morrissey to hit into a 6-4-3 double play on the next at-bat. Ben Lumsden flied out in centerfield to end the inning.
The right-hander struck out two in the sixth and two more in the seventh innings—generally the territory for closer Josh Cowan, the team’s starting catcher. Because High School League rules wouldn’t allow Cowan to catch in the nightcap of a doubleheader if he pitched in the first game, Faulkner opted for Steelman to stay on the mound for as long as possible.
“The rule makes it difficult,” Faulkner said. “If we bring in Josh, and then things don’t happen to go our way, and we can’t use him (for the deciding game). It’s a really tough rule. We were prepared to go to Landon, not an ideal situation, but I felt like Kevin was in control of the game. We were gonna give him a base runner and just let him go.”
Steelman’s three innings of no-hit ball evaporated Mann’s chance of a comeback.
“It was crazy. It was scary.” Steelman said. “But I believed in my stuff and just went out there and did my job, threw strikes. My coaches are always building me up. Coach Dyson and Coach Faulkner they always believed in my stuff. I’ve been working on my changeup with Coach Dyson and it really paid off today.”
Now the Bengals set their sights on winning their last game of the season. The team knows all about Coach Faulkner’s ups and downs with the team over the last three years, and Gregory said Blythewood will do all it can to go one series further.
“He’s our coach,” Gregory said. “It doesn’t matter what happens, we all love him. It’s been three rough years, but we’re here.”
Blythewood 3, J.L. Mann 0
JLM – 0-0-0-0-0-0-0 – 0, 4, 0
BHS – 0-2-0-0-0-1-X – 3, 4, 2
WP: Davis Wright (6-2) LP: Freeman S: Kevin Steelman
Hitters: J.L. Mann – Blythewood – Michael Gregory 2-2, 3B, 2B. Landon Lucas HR (6). Nate Hinson 2B.
Let The Games Begin – Blythewood Town Councilman Larry Griffin threw out the ceremonial first pitch of the South Carolina Diamond Invitational at BHS on Wednesday. | Martha Ladd
BLYTHEWOOD – The Blythewood baseball team finished the Region 4-5A slate of games in strong fashion, with series sweeps over Irmo, Sumter, and Spring Valley, and taking two out of three games against Lugoff-Elgin.
Now the Bengals set their sights on the South Carolina Diamond Invitational, which opened Wednesday.
“We’re going to have some really good competition that’ll prepare us for what we see in the playoffs,” Blythewood head coach Banks Faulkner said. “We’ve got four games to keep figuring some things out, but we like our team. We’ve got some depth.”
Blythewood (17-5, 11-1) is ranked third among the state’s 5A teams by the South Carolina Baseball Coaches Association. The Bengals will meet No.1 Dorman, Wren, and Spartanburg, along with T.L. Hanna, along with area teams No.5 Chapin , No.9 Dutch Fork, , and Lexington.
Landon Lucas leads the way for the Bengals at the plate with a .439 batting average, four home runs, seven doubles and 24 runs batted in.
“It’s gonna be a good chance for us to see some new people, see some new competition,” Lucas said about the spring break tournament. “We’re looking forward to it.”
John Lanier leads the team in homers with six, also has 24RBI, and has a team-high .570 on-base percentage. Zach Bailes is batting .419 with three doubles. Nate Hinson is batting .410 with seven doubles and 18 RBI.
Lanier also is tops on the mound in wins with six, on top of a 0.36 earned-run average and 47 strikeouts. Lucas and Davis Wright have four wins apiece as pitchers.
First pitch in the tournament comes at 11:30 a.m., when T.L. Hanna takes on Lexington Wednesday. Blythewood opens the invitational against Wren at 4 p.m. that day and will play Dorman at 8:30 that night.
SC Diamond Invitational
(Game times have been adjusted noting the possibility of inclement weather Friday.)
BLYTHEWOOD – Sydney Burnsed’s softball sisters, friends and family came together at Blythewood High School on Friday to retire the former Bengal’s #6 softball jersey.
The 2016 graduate of Blythewod High School died in a car accident in March 2018. As her parents unveiled a memorial sign to be hung on the fence of the softball field, there were hugs, tears and smiles of remembrance.
Sydney was a four-year member of Blythewood’s softball team.
Blythewood High School principal Matt Sherman, left, State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman and Richland Two Superintendent Barron Davis, right, congratulate Sue Weems, center right, for being named a finalist for SC Teacher of the Year. | Barbara Ball
BLYTHEWOOD – Blythewood High School English teacher Sue Weems got a big surprise Tuesday morning when State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman made an unexpected stop at the high school to announce that Weems has being named one of five finalists for the South Carolina Teacher of the Year award.
Richland Two School Superintendent Barron Davis presented Weems with flowers and Blythewood High School Principal Matt Sherman presented her with a bouquet of balloons.
Weems was also presented a $10,000 check as she faced a bank of television and newspaper cameras. She will now go on to the next stage of competition that will culminate in the crowning of the South Carolina Teacher of the Year at a Gala on May 8 in Columbia.
“Sue has spent her career meeting the needs of each individual student and challenging them to be their very best,” Spearman said. “Her experience in both K-12 and higher education is an invaluable tool that helps her identify with her students and show them what is possible.”
Spearman also noted that Weem’s husband, who is in the military, is deployed in San Diego. Libby Roof, Richland Two’s Chief Communications Officer, tried to make phone contact with Weem’s husband so Weems could give him the good news, however, he could not be reached.
Weems, a tenth and eleventh grade English teacher, and a Blythewood resident, is the published author of fifty original short stories for students in kindergarten through sixth grade.
“Mrs. Weems possesses an innate ability to inspire students’ success,” said Richland Two superintendent Dr. Baron Davis. “Her own experiences including being the child of educators, mother of four and a military spouse who has lived in many locales, has shaped her approach and teaching philosophy. Her students benefit from her abilities to tailor her teaching style to meet the individual needs of each learner and to make connections with all of her students. Richland Two is extremely proud of Mrs. Weems,” Davis said.
Weems said she considers her most profound legacy to be that she deeply understands her students and individualizes instruction to meet their needs. She said her teaching mantra is “care, connect and challenge.”
The teacher selected for the State Teacher of the Year will receive a total of $25,000 and will be provided with a brand new BMW to use while serving for one year as a roving ambassador providing mentoring, attending speaking engagements, working with teacher cadets and teaching fellows, leading the State Teacher Forum and serving as the state spokesperson for over 50,000 educators.
BLYTHEWOOD – Blythewood High School junior Abhimanhu Sailesh was honored by the Richland Two School Board recently for having presented two academic papers at the prestigious peer-reviewed 2018 International Conference on Computational Science and Computational Intelligence that was held in Las Vegas, Dec. 13 – 15.
Abhimanhu Sailesh with Blythewood High School Principal Matt Sherman
The papers will be published in the fall of 2019 in the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineering) journal, which describes itself as the most reputed world-wide academic publication in the fields of computer science, electrical and electronic engineering.
Sailesh’s first paper, in which he is the first author, is titled “Comparison of two image enhancement techniques: Histogram Equalization and Gamma Method” and was written in collaboration with Dr. Naima Naheed, an associate professor at Benedict College. The second paper, titled “High Frequency Emphasis Filter Instead of Homomorphic Filter,” is also written in collaboration with Dr. Naheed and two other undergraduate senior students.
Sailesh has won numerous academic competitions and honors at BHS, and finished as runner-up in the 2017 South Carolina State Spelling Bee as well as the spelling bee Bowl Championships at North Greenville University last year. Sailesh accomplished these fetes as a one-member team competing against four-member teams.
