Tyrell Staley Fundraiser for Rehabilitation

On Sunday, October 30, 2016 many of you purchased a chili hot dog dinner (hot dog, chips and drink) for just $5 and a slice of pound cake for an additional $2 at the Pavilion in the center of town.  All profits go towards Tyrell Staley's rehabilitation trip to Florida where he will work with paralysis recovery therapist Ken Bryant for a week in December. The family thanks you for your support from this fundraiser as well as all the previous ones.

Bryant, a reflexologist, uses neuro synthetic conduction therapy to stimulate dormant electrical communication in persons who have suffered spinal cord damage. Bryant works out of Pinellas Park, Florida.  Tyrell will spend a week in therapy with Bryant just before Christmas.  The Staleys continue to be optimistic about Tyrell's future and thankful to the community for all the love and support they have received.  Read more of Tyrell's story here.

 

4-H Needs You!

Aiken County 4-H is looking for dedicated volunteers who are willing to start project clubs.  Project clubs are those clubs that focus on a specifica area -- horses, shooting sports, STEM, livestock, horticulture, wildlife, etc. --  of and meet a minimum of six hours for the entire year.

Those interested in becoming a project club volunteer must be able to provide three references and pass a background check.

If you are interested in becoming a 4-H project club leader, contact Julia Cox at [email protected] or 803.649.6297, ext. 121.

 

War Eagles Soar to 3 - 0 Record

Coaches Colt Bedenbaugh, Parrish Deans, Head Coach Willie Fox, & Cody O'Brien 
Not pictured:  Sgt. Moses Brown and Reginald Corley
Photo and Article by Valerie Sliker, courtesy Wagener Monthly

The WSHS War Eagles kicked off football season with a 36-0 win over Whitmire.  They played their first home game Friday, August 26 against Head Coach Willie Fox’s former team, the Pelion Panthers, coming away with a 50 - 14 win.  The third game was an away game, another win, against Bethune Bowman and now the War Eagles go into 18 region play with a 3-0 record with a home game on Sept. 16 against HKT at 7:30 pm.

With the region realignment, we lost Calhoun County and picked up Ridge Spring Monetta, which has been in our region previously, just not for football.  We also picked up Denmark-Olar and Estill.  Fox claims that our region is one of the toughest regions in the state and that the big team we have to beat this year will be Williston-Elko.

Coaching the War Eagles for his second year, former Pelion High School football player and coach, Head Coach Willie Fox has set his eyes on winning a playoff game this year.  WSHS has not won a playoff game since 2004.  Last year they got to the playoffs and this year Fox wants them to advance in the playoffs.  Two years ago, the War Eagles were 1 – 9, losing nine games in a row at the end of the year and leaving the guys a little disheartened.  Last year, they won four games with an exciting three-game winning streak in the middle of the year.

Tyrell Staley: Making Progress

Article by Valerie Sliker, courtesy Wagener Monthly

When Tyrell Staley became a quadriplegic after an auto accident, the doctors predicted that Tyrell would never again have controlled movement from the neck down.  During his second trip to The Shepherd Center in Atlanta this past August, he continued to exceed doctors’ expectations, this time by maneuvering his wheelchair frontwards and backwards with no assistance.  (See WagenerSC on Facebook for videos.)

This functionality is yet another step towards independence, another step doctors initially presumed Tyrell would never achieve when he first damaged his spine at the cervical 5 and 6 levels in an auto accident at the age of 21. 

Tyrell’s mom, Vicky Staley was exuberant.  “Each time we go back to the Shepherd’s Center, there is something different they can have Tyrell train to do to become more independent.”  Staley called me from Atlanta, praising God and practically singing, “I used to walk and push him to the elevator and punch the buttons, you know.  All I have to do now is open the door to his room.  He gets where he needs to go (at the Shepherd Center) all by himself now.

“When Tyrell is at the Shepherd Center, his whole mental state is totally different than when he’s home.  It’s a whole new world down there.  The people there are awesome.”  The Shepherd Center provides intense therapy rehab for those with brain injuries.  It is entirely handicap accessible and provides physical therapists, recreational and exercise instructors and more, but improvement depends on how strong Tyrell is and where he is physically during his stay there.

WSHS CATE Classes Support Community

WSHS Welding Classroom
By Valerie Sliker

For a small a small, rural high school, Wagener-Salley offers a tremendous amount of different types of classes to its students.  We especially have a great selection of CATE (Career and Technology Education) classes such as cosmetology, building and construction, JROTC and welding.  All of Aiken County schools still have the welding program, but only Wagener-Salley and South Aiken have welding class hosted inside the school perimeter.  The other schools' students travel to a career and technology center for lab work.  New this year, Ridge Spring Monetta students will also come to WSHS for lab work.

Unfortunately, the school can't place as many students as they'd like into the programs.  Sometimes students just have too many schedule conflicts, but for some of the students, the fees associated with CATE classes present a real problem, fees for consumables that are used in the classroom.  Those are costs that some of our parents cannot afford so they don't enroll their children despite having the option of a payment plan.  The school and community is calling out for business owners, faith-based organizations and other folks to make some donations that will allow more students to participate in the CATE classes. 

Pages