Wagener Native Supports Critical Navy Mission

By Chief Mass Communication Specialist Erica R. Gardner, Navy Office of Community Outreach
Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jackson Brown

NAVAL SUPPORT ACTIVITY BAHRAIN – Petty Officer 1st Class Raveen Davenport, a Wagener, South Carolina, native, joined the Navy wanting to explore the world.

Now, nine years later and half a world away at Naval Support Activity Bahrain, Davenport serves at U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) / U.S. 5th fleet.

“The best part has been experiencing the different cultures and food,” said Davenport.

Davenport, a graduate of Wagener-Salley High School, is a logistics specialist at U.S. 5th Fleet, headquartered in Manama, Bahrain.

“I handle processing mail, financials, ordering and receiving material and so much more,” said Davenport.

Davenport is a part of Task Force 57, which provides airborne maritime patrol and reconnaissance throughout the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations. The task force supports three task groups comprised of over 500 personnel, operating from three countries with three variants of P-3 Orion aircraft and the remotely-piloted Broad Area Maritime Surveillance-Demonstrator (BAMS-D).

Davenport credits success at U.S. 5th Fleet, and in the Navy, to many of the lessons learned in Wagener.

“Growing up in a small town, I learned the value of hard work and a dollar,” said Davenport. “I use these values everyday while serving in the Navy........."

RWP Cancels Dixie Youth Baseball

Concerning The Wagener Dixie Youth Ball Program.

From Roy Warner Park & ACPRT:

We are sad to announce that we (ACPRT & RWP) have made the decision to cancel and refund the 2020 Spring Dixie Youth ball season. ACPRT feels that it is in everyone’s best interest to do so.

Many of our neighboring teams that we were scheduled to play have already canceled, which in turn cut several of the games.  Most importantly, we don’t want to put our players, coaches or the community’s health at risk.

We will be keeping the uniforms for the 2021 season.   If need be, we will order additional jerseys & sizes next season to complete each of the teams.

If you ordered a parent/fan shirt or hat, please message me to schedule a time to come by the Courtney Center to pick those up.

Most of our sponsors for the season have been gracious enough to allow their sponsorship to roll over to next spring.  This was HUGE we really appreciate them for doing this!!  It has allowed our dept. to be in better shape financially,  allowing us to issue a full refund to each of you.  We will begin processing refunds, which will be mailed to the address on your registration form.  It may take up to 3 weeks for the checks to be processed.

If you have any questions or concerns please message us on the Facebook page or call 564-5211.  Thank you for your continued support!

Eudora Farms Drive-Thru Safari Opens

Photos and article by Valerie Sliker, courtesy Wagener Monthly

Right about the time we all grew weary of being stuck in the house during the time of coronavirus isolation, Mark Nisbet came to the rescue by opening his drive-thru safari one year earlier than he had anticipated. Social distancing requirements were easily met as families drove through the exotic animal sanctuary, enjoying the spring weather while petting and feeding the animals. Over 1600 vehicles came through the safari during the Mother’s Day grand opening weekend.

Eudora Farms Drive-Thru Safari is open from Wednesday through Sunday, 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. at an introductory rate of $20 per vehicle. $5 cups of animal food may be purchased in addition. The farm is closed Monday and Tuesday. As guests drive their own vehicles through the drive-thru safari, they enjoy close encounters with zebras, camels, antelope, water buffalo, emu, llamas and Willie, the extraordinarily large African Watusi. 

Memorable Year for 2020 Graduates

Photo by Jordan Blackwell

By Valerie Sliker, Courtesy Wagener Monthly

This photo of WSHS Senior Gaige Starnes taken by Jordan Blackwell with a subtitle by Jennifer Starnes “The Lost Season of 2020” is a compelling reminder that COVID-19 denied our graduates many rites of passage typical of one’s senior year.

The final season for a high school Senior athlete is usually exciting, challenging and quite memorable. Sadly, this year, only one of those three applies and it applies to the whole senior class, not just the athletes: it is a memorable year.

The COVID-19 quarantine shut the schools down suddenly in March. While students found it a difficult adjustment, so much more did their parents who suddenly took on the role of teacher or at least teacher’s assistant. The teachers had a difficult adjustment as they learned to teach via Zoom and other apps. They had to be creative and diligent with students who had no internet access or personal cell phone. Admirably, they remained in steady contact with their students, finding creative ways to reach them individually. Then the final link in the chain of difficulty in education during a pandemic lies with the administrators, the principals and the district offices.

Rasheem Neloms named new principal at WSHS

Rasheem Neloms, Sr., has been an award-winning teacher, an assistant principal and instructional leader during his educational career. He brings all those experiences and a collaborative mindset with him as the next principal at Wagener-Salley High School. Neloms currently serves as the Instructional Coordinator for Birmingham City Schools in Birmingham, Alabama.

 

Aiken County Board of Education members approved Neloms’ appointment as the new principal at Wagener-Salley High School for the 2020-21 school year during the school board’s May 12 regularly scheduled meeting, held virtually due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. Chris Earl, the school’s current leader, previously accepted a new position as the principal at Airport High School in Columbia, his alma mater.

 

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