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For some alumni, high school feels like a lifetime ago, while for others the memories are more recent. Wando High School is bringing alumni together old and young from 50 years of the school’s history for a family-friendly festival and home football game on Oct. 28.

During the evening of reconnecting and reminiscing, alumni and families can enjoy food trucks and activities, including face painting and jump castles. There will be alumni t-shirts and giveaways. Plus, appearances from JROTC, band, dance team and cheerleaders will bring back memories for those who participated during their time in high school. The event starts at 5 p.m. and alumni are invited to the football game for a recognition on the field.

“We want everybody to come back,” said Kim Wilson, the interim principal at Wando. “There are so many graduates who still live in this area. It’s amazing — I go into neighborhoods and it’s like taking roll from when I was here.”

While Wilson is serving his first year as interim principal, he is not new to the Wando community. In 1985, Wilson joined the Wando faculty as the director of guidance. He worked at the school for 25 years before becoming principal at R.B. Stall High School in North Charleston. He later served as district’s Executive Director of Secondary Learning.

However, Wando was home for his family. His wife was a teacher and cheerleading coach at the school and both of their daughters graduated from Wando.

This year has been a reunion of sorts for Wilson as he’s recognized former students who are now parents of current students. Recently, a student told Wilson that his mom was a student when Wilson worked at the school. Wilson pulled out a yearbook and the student sent photos to his mom from when she was his age.

“Every time I see a former student, I think, ‘Man they did so well,’” said Wilson. “I’m so proud of what they’ve become and so many of them have gone on to do great things in the community and outside the community.”

Wendy Nilsen Pollitzer, who graduated in 1993, plans to attend the alumni celebration and reminisce with the good friends she’s kept in touch with over the years. Facebook has allowed her to connect with several hundred people from high school. Several of her family members attended the school, including her brother and three cousins, plus her aunt who was in the first graduating class.

When thinking about Wando, the word that came to mind was family.

“It was a large family of teachers and their kids and my fellow classmates and their siblings. It goes on for years, if not decades of people that we know from Wando,” Nilsen Pollitzer said.

When recalling high school memories, both lighthearted and more serious stories came to mind. She remembers a student hotwiring a school bus as a prank and parking it in the courtyard where everyone ate lunch. When Hurricane Hugo hit her freshman year of high school, she remembers the community coming together to clean up and support those who were displaced, including students at Lincoln High School who had to share Wando’s building for the remainder of the school year.

Wilson hopes that alumni take this celebration as an opportunity to come back to Wando and experience some of the traditions that make the school what it is.

“Wando gave so much to our family and to be able to give back to the community in such a great way. It’s just exciting for me to see all that,” said Wilson

Wando is looking for representatives from each graduating class to get the word out about the 50th anniversary celebration. This fall festival and football event is the kickoff for other anniversary events planned throughout the school year. For more information and to stay up to date, visit http://bit.ly/wando50 or Wando High School 50th Anniversary on Facebook.

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On Jan. 10, the Great Charleston Rotary Club Auxiliary celebrated its 100th anniversary at the Dunes West Golf and River Club in Mount Pleasant with 32 members and 18 past presidents in attendance. The Charleston Rotary Club provided a special cake for the centennial celebration.

The Charleston Rotary Club Auxiliary, the first of its kind, was organized by Rosa Murchison Connelly, wife of A. Chambliss Connelly, on Jan. 16, 1923. Rosa Connelly enlisted the help of 29 local Rotary wives to assist in entertaining the first Rotary Conference held in Charleston. They planned events for more than 700 Rotarians and wives from Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina who attended the conference.

After the conference, this group of women decided to continue their group and the Charleston Rotary Club Auxiliary was organized. It is believed to be the first of its kind ever formed and may be the only one still in existence.

In 1956, the Rotary Auxiliary expanded and invited the wives of North Charleston and St. Andrews Clubs to join. The name was changed to the Greater Charleston Rotary Club Auxiliary and now includes members from the 12 area clubs in Charleston, North Charleston and surrounding areas.

The purpose of the club is fostering friendship, assisting area Rotary Clubs, encouraging the ideal of service in selected worthy enterprises and helping other organizations in causes deemed worthy of support.

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Students in the East Cooper Center for Advanced Studies computer science classes are successfully completing courses that will benefit them in their future educational and career paths.

Project Lead the Way (PLTW) computer science pathways, taught by Ian Banker, allow students to receive dual enrollment credit. Computer Science Essentials and Computer Science Principles focus on app development, computational thinking and coding.

“Mr. Banker has done a phenomenal job with the first two courses in our PTLW Computer Science program with 99% of his Computer Science Essentials students earning dual credit weighting,” said Principal Jeff Blankenship. “This brand new course provides an excellent opportunity to introduce the world of computers, boost students’ grade point averages and complete a graduation requirement all at the same time.”

“Computer Science Essentials is a fun semester course that opens doors for student creativity,” said Banker. “Students create apps and games. The second course is where students learn how the internet works. It is a deeper look into programming. Both courses set students up for not just the AP exam, but for life.”

Bella Bausano is in 11th grade at Wando High School. She is completing Computer Science Principles and was inspired to take the courses because her father completed a similar program and it piqued her interest.

“We all use the internet but don’t stop to think about how it works,” said Bausano. “In this class, we are using a hands-on approach to learn the ins and outs of the World Wide Web.”

Banker explained that PLTW’s curriculum is designed to teach students in a relevant, meaningful way.

“Regardless of what career a student chooses, PLTW gives students options and teaches them all of the background they will need in the next chapter of their journey,” said Banker. “PLTW exposes students to different ideas and concepts. This is where education leads to a career.”

James Connelly is a senior at Wando and is also completing Computer Science Principles. He said the physical skills he is learning could earn him a direct path to the job market.

“I will be able to market myself because I know the skills necessary to go into a line of work that is centered on computer technology,” said Connelly. “These skills will be useful in day-to-day life as well.”

For example, Banker explained that cybersecurity is one of the fastest-growing fields.

“In these courses, we take a deep dive into the internet and how to keep things safe online,” said Banker. “My students have never been exposed to this information and these are important skills to have regardless of what direction they go in.”

Blankenship said that Banker has taught Computer Science Principles for several years and his PLTW End-of-Course and his AP Exam passage rates are over 95%.

“Mr. Banker has been instrumental in leading professional development for his colleagues and by developing and sharing new best practices, our teachers and students have benefited,” said Blankenship. “Mr. Banker has worked with his students to focus on STEM initiatives inside and outside of the classroom and was recently voted the East Cooper Center for Advanced Studies Teacher of the Year by his colleagues.”

East Cooper CAS joins the Cooper River for Advanced Studies and West Ashley Center for Advanced Studies in offering computer courses, including computer repair, fundamentals of web page design, game design and development, and networking fundamentals.

“As a CCSD student, your zip code does not dictate whether you have access to advanced computer science topics,” said Rich Gordon, the executive director of Career and Technology Education. “All students have access and opportunity to high-skill, in-demand and high-wage information technology pathways.”

Banker added that these skills will help them to stay relevant so they aren’t left behind in this modern, technological world.

“The amount of courses we are able to offer at the CAS puts students at an advantage,” said Banker. “The district is committed to providing access to courses that will benefit our students for life. No matter their career choice, technical skills like those that we learn in computer science will make a person more desirable in the workforce.”

Following yesterday’s news that negotiations between US west coast terminal operators and dockers had reached agreement on some issues, the International Longshoremen & Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Association broke their silence to reassure industry stakeholders that talks were continuing.

They emphasised that the long process (negotiations to renew the labour contract began last May) had not disrupted port operations and expressed hope of “reaching a deal soon”.

However, stakeholders have shown impatience, warning it could result in permanent loss of cargo flowing through the west coast ports, which likely impelled the two sides to speak.

They said a tentative deal had been reached on “certain key issues, including health benefits”, and expressed their commitment to resolve the other points “as expeditiously as possible”.

But observers are not convinced this will happen soon. One industry executive said no progress had been made on the critical issue of automation, nor on the controversy over cold ironing at the port of Seattle that derailed talks for months.

The glacial pace also raises concerns about contract talks on the east coast, where the master contract between union International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the US Maritime Alliance (USMX), which represents ocean carriers and terminals, is set to expire next year.

On top of familiar issues like automation, pay and benefits, there is the dispute over work allocation at Charleston’s Leatherman terminal, which has affected operations at the South Carolina port. Since the $1bn terminal opened in 2021, the ILA and Ports South Carolina have been in dispute.

The bone of contention is who is eligible to operate cranes and lift equipment. The ILA argues this has to be performed by union members, in line with the master contract for all east and Gulf coast ports. SC Ports maintains it is not party to that agreement and has a long-standing policy under which non-union state employees work cranes and lift equipment, while ILA members perform all other jobs.

“Each side believes its position is right,” commented an industry executive close to the situation, which has escalated into a legal battle.

The port has enjoyed strong growth, which boosted its throughput to 2.8m teu last year, and it has invested a lot of money to accommodate further growth. Last summer, it strengthened the wharf, brought in taller cranes and improved the container yard at the Waldo Welch container terminal, broke ground on an intermodal facility with a capacity of one million rail lifts in phase one and launched a pool of 13,000 chassis. It has also invested in deepening the harbour to 16 metres.

It is expected that the Leatherman dispute will be on the table in the ILA-USMX contract negotiations, and some stakeholders hope the talks will resolve the issue, sparing everybody a lengthy legal battle that could go all the way to the Supreme Court.

On the other hand, there is concern the issue will complicate the contract negotiations and delay any agreement.

But even without an additional stumbling block, the talks should be challenging – although both sides have expressed “mutual respect and willingness to find a compromise”.

“There are big issues on the table,” said one observer, pointing to the thorny issue of automation. “Ports need the ability to handle more cargo without building new facilities.”

The dispute has caused one move at Charleston so far: At the end of last month, Hapag-Lloyd announced it was shifting its calls to the Wando Welch terminal, after, according to some sources, experiencing some fallout from the situation in Charleston at other US ports.

South Carolina’s initial plan to improve traffic on Interstate 526 and the Long Point Road interchange in Mount Pleasant was met with an outpouring of public opposition, and that’s prompting the state to make revisions.

The road work is critical for operations at South Carolina’s busiest port, the Wando Welch Terminal at the end of Long Point Road, and for traffic relief at the busy interchange.

The plan calls for new elevated ramps to and from the interstate dedicated to port trucks, and a version presented to the public in 2022 showed that building those ramps could require the demolition of two or three homes in the Tidal Walk subdivision. The subdivision sits along the north side of I-526.

Nearly 540 people submitted comments about those plans in the fall and 59 percent opposed the proposed elevated port ramps, while just half supported the S.C. Department of Transportation’s favored plan known as Alternative 2.

S.C. Department of Transportation Project Manager Joy Riley said the responses showed that people in residential communities north of the interstate were against the proposed elevated ramps and favored keeping port truck traffic on Long Point Road. Unsurprisingly, those living in communities between the highway interchange and the port favored the new ramps, which would remove truck traffic from Long Point Road.

The plans were revised following the survey results, and those changes were outlined at an invitation-only “stakeholders meeting” at the end of November, which included homeowner associations and business owners, plus elected officials and SC Ports representatives.

The revised plans still call for elevated truck ramps, but no longer impact Seacoast Parkway or homes in the Tidal Walk subdivision. Riley said DOT also feels “pretty confident” that an analysis will justify noise walls along the north side of I-526, addressing another concern among residents.

“Noise has always been the number one concern in our neighborhood, along with not wanting any neighbors to lose their houses,” said Grassy Creek resident Lee Lazarus, who has spoken at public meetings about the plans. “Supposedly we’re going to something like a 20-foot wall.”

Under state law, DOT would need Mount Pleasant’s consent for the project. Riley said the town’s approval would likely be sought after another round of public comments following a meeting planned in March, which could prompt more refinements to the plan.

Mayor Will Haynie said the recent revisions addressed the town’s main concerns.

“People were going to lose their homes, and we are very happy that we’re not going to see that,” he said. “Not that there’s no room for improvement — such as turns onto Belle Hall Parkway — but the parts affecting neighborhoods in a major way have been addressed.”

The Belle Hall Parkway issue involves the planned elimination of left turns from Long Point Road to the parkway, where a Waffle House restaurant is located.

That may sound like a small detail, but the parkway is the main entrance to the large subdivision. The elimination of left turns would mean that anyone coming from the interstate would need to drive past the subdivision’s main entrance, then turn on a different road and double back.

Riley said DOT is still looking at alternatives that would allow for left turns there, but so far has not resolved the issue.

The work at I-526 and Long Point Road would be a large road project on its own, but it’s just a small part of the roughly $7 billion Lowcountry Corridor plan to widen the interstate from West Ashley to Mount Pleasant and redesign the interchange of interstates 526 and 26 in North Charleston.

The I-526/Long Point Road project is being addressed in the early years of the larger project partly because traffic has overwhelmed the interchange, and port-related truck traffic regularly backs up on the interstate while trying to exit at Long Point Road.

“It’s a failing interchange because it just cannot process the number of people who are trying to turn left to get to Mount Pleasant, and you have trucks continuously clogging up the interchange as well,” Riley said.

And traffic is expected to increase significantly by 2050.

The next public hearing on the project is tentatively scheduled for March 14, though a time and location have not been announced. The recommended plan, potential impacts on properties, and an analysis of where noise barriers are warranted are among the information that should be presented then.

Until then, “we will be working diligently to assemble the environmental document and move through some critical Federal Highway reviews of our traffic analysis and designs,” Riley said. “All this must be approved before we hold the public hearing in March.”

The leading plan, Alternative 2, would require an estimated 28.5 acres of right of way involving 98 properties, some of which are home to businesses, but no houses. Construction work on the road plan is anticipated in the spring or summer of 2024 and to finish in 2027 or 2028.

Meanwhile, information about the project can be found online at 526lcclongpoint.com, the project team can be emailed at info@526LowcountryCorridor.com, or contacted by regular mail to the attention of Joy Riley, PO Box 191, 955 Park St., Columbia SC 29202-0191.

MOUNT PLEASANT — Wando High School principal Kim Wilson was a man of his word.

When the final seconds ticked off the clock at Robert E. Hayes Field, Wilson made his to midfield to honor a bet he had made with Lucy Beckham principal Anna Dassing.

The losing team’s principal would have to kiss Little Billy the Goat.

The Bengals (2-0) used a suffocating defense and Jack Weil kicked two field goals to lead Lucy Beckham past Wando (0-1), 8-6, in the first varsity football matchup between the two Mount Pleasant schools Friday night before a standing-room-only crowd of nearly 10,000 at District 2 Stadium.

When Wilson laid the big smooch on the Little Billy, the Bengal players, who had gathered to watch, erupted and the celebration was on.

“We’ve had a lot of school spirit all week long as I’m sure Lucy did as well,” Wilson said. “It’s the start of a tradition between Lucy Beckham and Wando and what a great atmosphere tonight. I just wish I didn’t have to kiss the goat.”

The historic significance of the Bengals victory wasn’t lost on Lucy Beckham head coach Jamel Smith, who had served as an assistant coach at Wando for eight years before moving to start the football program three years ago.

“It means a lot to our school, to our kids and our community,” Smith said. “Hopefully we won some fans over in Mount Pleasant. I’m just so proud of the way we hung in there and fought to the very, very end. This is what we’ve been working for since we started the program, to win games like this. Sometimes it’s not always pretty, but if you keep going until the end good things will happen.”

Neither team was able to generate much of an offense.

The Warriors managed just over 200 yards of total offense, while the Bengals had 178 yards of offense.

“The defense was great, that’s the talent I know we’ve got on this defense,” Smith said. “We just have to apply that each and every play.”

Wando grabbed a 6-0 lead on Warriors’ QB Brooks Lemke’s 79-yard TD pass to Kelby Cash on Wando’s first offensive possession.

Lemke was flushed out of the pocket by a strong Bengals rush, but found Cash over the middle of the field. Cash spun, made a tackler miss at the 40-yard line and raced into the end zone untouched for the TD.

It would be the only TD of the game for either team.

“Wando got that early touchdown, but we didn’t panic,” Smith said. “We knew there was a lot of time left in the game, we just had to keep grinding and working.”

The Bengals answered midway through the second quarter when Weil kicked a 25-yard field goal with 7:42 left before halftime.

Lucy Beckham closed to within a point, 6-5, when the Warriors snapped the ball over the head of the punter and out of the end zone for a safety three minutes later.

The Bengals made it eight straight points and took an 8-6 lead on Weil’s 42-yard field goal with 2:27 left before halftime.

Twice the Bengals drove it inside the Warriors’ 20-yard line in the second half only to come away with no points.

The Bengals were stopped inside the 10-yard line on a fourth down play in third quarter and Weil’s had a 27-yard attempt blocked early in the fourth quarter.

The Warriors had one last chance to win the game, driving the ball inside the Bengals’ 40. But a sack and two incomplete passes ended the threat.

FLORENCE — Conway boys basketball’s calling card has been its defense all season, but unfortunately for the Tigers, Goose Creek’s was better.

Conway fell to Goose Creek, 43-23, in the AAAAA Boys Basketball Lower State Championship at the Florence Center on Feb. 27.

“It really hurts because we had the city behind us,” Conway senior guard/forward Cameron Alston said. “… We can’t point fingers at ourselves. Goose Creek played a good game. We didn’t come out prepared. We could’ve played way better, so it was just one of those days.”

Conway’s 23 points was by far the fewest it scored all season, with its previous low coming against Carolina Forest on Jan. 27.

The combination of the Gators’ smothering defense and the Tigers’ poor shooting night was lethal.

“On a night when you’re not making one, your defense has got to be extra, extra tight, and that’s something we’ve been able to do all year (before tonight),” Conway head coach Michael Hopkins said. “Going into this game … I thought we were similar trying to create some stuff with the defense. They made it tough for us to score. We had the easy ones (and) we didn’t make them, and then free throws, we hurt ourselves at the line. So when you’re doing that, you’re not helping yourself.”

Alston and senior forward Aiden Brantley led the way for the Tigers with six points apiece, while Elijah Dates was the high man for the Gators with 18 points.

The only scoring in the first quarter consisted of a layup from Brantley and two 3-pointers from Dates, giving Goose Creek a 6-2 lead at the end of the opening quarter.

The Gators began to pull away a little bit in the second quarter, outscoring the Tigers 11-6 with four different Goose Creek players scoring to give the Gators a 17-8 lead going into halftime. Alston scored four of Conway’s six points in the quarter.

The Gators then outscored the Tigers, 14-6, in the third quarter with Jaquell Brown leading the way with five points in the period to take a 31-14 lead into the fourth quarter. Brantley lead the Tigers in scoring in the quarter with two free throws and a layup.

The Gators closed out the game in the fourth quarter by hitting 12 free throws to come away with a 43-23 victory and move on to play Dorman in the SCHSL AAAAA title game on March 4 in Aiken.

Conway finished the season with a 27-2 record, one of the best it has ever had.

“I told them they’re part of history. That can’t be erased,” Hopkins said. “But everybody wants to win their last game, and that didn’t happen for us and I hate it for them. But it’s the nature of it. If you give it all you had, that’s all I can ask of them.”

If the Tigers want to accomplish what they did this season next year, they’ll have to do so without six of its seniors from the 2022-23 team – Brantley, Alston, guard/forward Jamarious Woodbury, forward/center Khalil Campbell, guard Amarian Charles and guard Joshua Vaught.

“All the seniors have been together since fifth grade, so they’re really my day one (guys),” Alston said. “… Best friends for life.”