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. 

Sgt. Moses Brown School Resource Officer of the Year

By Valerie Sliker, courtesy Wagener Monthly

Moses Brown was presented with the 2016 SC School Resource Officer of the Year award on June 30, 2016 at a law enforcement conference in Myrtle Beach.  Sgt. Brown was again presented the award by his peers at a Wagener town council meeting on July 18th.  This annual award is bestowed in recognition for outstanding contributions to the schools, the law enforcement agency and the community served Sergeant by its recipient.

Graduating from Voorhees College on a track and field scholarship in 2010, Sgt. Brown began working with DJJ on the correctional side, quickly moving up through the DJJ to the DJJ PD.  Brown appreciates the variety of difficult incidents he learned to manage working “on the inside.”  It was a breeze, he says, to come work out on the streets.

In the summer of 2013, Sgt. Brown accepted a job as an officer with the Wagener PD.  He soon became the school resource officer and was promoted to Sergeant in 2014.  Brown also serves as the training officer at WPD and will soon be over the Property & Evidence section.

Brown, the only boy among 5 children, credits his father, a Viet Nam veteran, for the stern and disciplined manner in which he was raised, keeping him out of trouble and with a healthy respect for authority.  Brown adamantly pronounces that he doesn’t think he is better than his friends who got in trouble or incarcerated, he is just more fortunate having the father he had.

I spoke with Sergeant Moses Brown at town hall just before he received the award. 

Holman's Double Dutch Force's Salayah Walker Wins in World Championship

By Valerie Sliker, courtesy Wagener Monthly
Tragically, Coach Holman has passed away since the writing of this article. The Forces are under the leadership of Shannia Bryant. Read more here.

Holman Celebrates 25 Years of Double Dutch Force Championships

Salayah Walker, an A. L. Corbett 7th grader, jumping with a Lexington/Columbia Double Dutch Forces jump rope team, won first place in doubles in the world championship held on June 8, 9 and 11, 2016 in Sumter, SC.  Formerly held in Paris, the Caribbean, NY and FL, the competition was held nearby this year and featured teams from as far away as Japan and France. 

On this 25th anniversary year for the Wagener Double Dutch Forces, Coach Joy Holman took 14 teams to the competition.  Six teams won first place, four teams placed second, and two teams placed third.  The world championship is a three-day event with daily eliminations and only five teams make it to the Saturday finals.

For somebody who stumbled into the sport, Coach Holman has accumulated a very impressive record coaching her Double Dutch Forces.  Besides winning world championships, Holman and her Forces have two documentaries out, one of which Oprah owns the rights.  They’ve been featured in several commercials and one educational show about Gullah and filmed in Beaufort.  They’ve had songs made just for them and one of her jumpers was featured in an Adam Sandler movie called Jack and Jill.

Grant for Parks from Aiken County Council

The Aiken County Council has awarded $20,000 to the Town of Wagener for a tourism development project, namely restoration of the former Kitchings Mill library building currently housed adjacent to the Wagener Volunteer Fire Department.  The restoration of this historic building is intended to provide a park visitor center for Wagener and to contribute to tourism in the unincorporated areas of Aiken County. 

Mayor Mike Miller applied for this grant to secure funds for a new roof and other improvements to the historic Kitchings Mill library building.  Aiken County Councilwoman Kathy Rawls brought the grant to Miller’s attention.  The town of Wagener appreciates all Ms. Rawls does for the area and the citizens she represents here in Northeast Aiken County.  She works tirelessly on our behalf.

Restoration and revitalization of the Kitchings Mill library and the John’s Town general store buildings comprise the first phase development of the 17-acre Eunice & Dr. Henry Ponder Municipal Park located beside and behind the fire department.  Plans have been proposed to establish an Aiken County EMS and Sheriff’s substation in this area as well.  The EMS ambulance service previously located in Wagener was forced to relocate due to the lack of a sprinkler system in their building of occupancy.  According to Aiken County fire officials, a sprinkler system is required in any building wherein a person sleeps.  Miller has fought to keep the EMS in Wagener under a grandfather clause to no avail.  This matter is currently under contention.

Senator Nikki Setzler recently presented the town with a $35,000 Grant for a playground at the new park as well.  Read more about it in this month's Wagener Monthly.

Park improvements have begun at the Aiken County Roy Warner Park as well.  An update was presented in the June issue of the Wagener Monthly.

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