The Easley Progress - Matchbin

6A Th e Easley Progress Wednesday, September 14, 2011
MEALS
(Continued from Page 1)
doubled the total funds
raised for the three previous
Food Fight Bowls combined.
For the fi rst time in
Food Fight Bowl history,
the schools tied, each raising
$30,000 for Meals on
Wheels.
According to Pickens
County Meals on Wheels,
$60,000 can feed 53 seniors
for an entire year.
PC MOW Chairman Sam
Wyche said he and other
Meals on Wheels offi cials
were blown away by the
students’ efforts and the
community’s generosity.
The money raised the
Food Fight Bowl this year
and in year’s past will enable
the program to continue
to serve seniors, Wyche
said.
Like other charitable organizations,
Meals on Wheels
has seen its shares of challenges
in a slow-to-recover
economy — which is why
the money raised this year is
so important, Wyche said.
“If we didn’t have a big
year this year, the board was
going to have to make some
tough decisions,” Wyche
said.
Kicking off the event
was GMow, the Grasshopper
Mower mascot, as he
handed the keys of two state
of the art Zero Turn commercial
lawnmowers to Dr.
Henry Hunt, Superintendent
of Pickens County Schools.
Grasshopper Mower has
generously provided two of
these mowers for the new
facilities at each high school
in Pickens County: Easley,
Pickens, Daniel, and Liberty.
In addition, the family
employees of Grasshopper
Mower presented a check
totaling $4500 to Meta
Bowers, Executive Director
of Pickens County Meals on
Wheels, to be split between
each school.
JOBS
(Continued from Page 1)
will locate its new manufacturing
facility at 1473
Walhalla Highway in Pickens.
This will be the company’s
first facility in South
Carolina, and its first outside
of Michigan.
JR Automation sees
this as an important step
in increasing support our
existing customer base,
and is also excited about
new opportunities in the
manufacturing base in
the southeastern United
States, according to company
officials.
“South Carolina continues
to put its best foot
forward and our recruitment
efforts are paying
off. We’re excited that JR
Automation has chosen
to locate new operations
here and has committed to
create over 50 well-paying
jobs in our state,” said
Gov. Nikki Haley.
JR Automation also
plans to work closely with
local businesses in supplying
its needs.
It plans to outsource
about 30 percent of its
work to local machine
shops, metal fabricators
and the like.
“Manufacturing plays a
key role in our state’s economy,
and we’re pleased to
have JR Automation join
that part of South Carolina’s
business community,”
said Bobby Hitt, Secretary
of Commerce.
Since January, Commerce
has announced the
recruitment of more than
$1.5 billion in capital investment
and more than
5,000 new jobs from companies
in the manufacturing
sector.
“This is a tremendous
win for the citizens of
Pickens County. JR Automation
was attracted to
Pickens County for many
reasons, including our
business community, our
metal shops and our highly
skilled students from
the Pickens County Career
and Technology Center,
the local high schools
and Tri County Technical
College. Our resources in
Pickens County are great,
and we are thrilled to
share them with our businesses,
and we welcome
JR Automation to our
This year’s fundraising
efforts between the Easley
and Pickens students’ was
fi erce. All of the monies
raised will benefi t Pickens
County Meals on Wheels,
a 501 (c)(3), non-profi t,
charitable organization that
serves nutritious meals each
week day to 230 homebound
in Pickens County.
The students from each
school were inspired by
their faculty leaders to think
beyond themselves and
give back to their community.
Eager to defend their
3-0 fundraising record,
both Ryan Scully and Craig
Thompson, PHS student advisors,
set a goal to double
the amount they had raised
last year.
New on the scene, but no
less energetic, was Coach
Andrew Appenheimer of
Easley. Competitive by nature
and eager to beat Pickens
both on and off the fi eld,
he stepped up to the fundraising
challenge by holding
a benefi t concert on Thursday
before the game which
was a huge success.
At half-time, Easley held
a commanding lead of 26-0.
Anticipation fi lled the air as
the two Grasshopper Mowers
revved up their motors
in the end zone and started
down the fi eld. The mowers
represented Easley and
Pickens fundraising efforts,
and every 5 yards traveled
equated to $1000 raised by
that school.
GMow and the team’s
cheerleaders pumped up
the crowd and everyone
watched to see which school
would be revealed as this
year’s winner of the “Ultimate
Food Fight” trophy.
As the mowers approached
the 50 yard line Pickens was
in the lead, Easley took the
lead at the 20, and then both
mowers were neck and neck
at the 10, at the 5, Touchdown!
“Everyone is a winner
this year, especially Meals
business community,” said
Pickens County Council
Chairwoman Jennifer Willis.
“It has been a pleasure
to work with the great folk
at JR Automation through
this process,” said Ronnie
L. Booth, chairman of Alliance
Pickens and president
of Tri-County Technical
College. “JR Automation
is exactly the kind of business
that we want to see in
our community. They hire
highly skilled individuals
of the type that we are so
proud to produce at the
College and the Career
Center. We look forward
to a long-term relationship
that enables the company
to be successful and provides
high paying jobs for
our citizens.”
The company will begin
hiring for the positions in
the near future.
Anyone interested in
job opportunities in engineering
and skilled manufacturing
trades with the
company should contact
ReadySC.
JR Automation Technologies
LLC designs and
builds solutions for efficiency
and speed, customized
for a company’s
specific needs. Whether
that means machines or
process development, the
JR team has a smart, lean
solution to any challenging
project.
For more information
about the company, please
visit www.jrauto.com.
About S.C. Department
of Commerce
As South Carolina’s
leading economic development
agency, the Department
of Commerce works
to recruit new businesses
and help existing businesses
grow. This year,
Commerce won the Gold
Shovel Award and the Deal
of Year Award from Area
Development magazine.
Commerce has been
part of recruiting worldclass
companies to South
Carolina such as Boeing,
Monster.com, Heinz, ZF
Group, BMW and Google
Inc. Commerce also supports
small and existing
business, rural development
initiatives and offers
grants for community development.
For more information,
visit www.SCcommerce.
com.
on Wheels,” says Meta
Bowers, Executive Director,
“Both Easley and Pickens
raised a combined total of
$60,000! With each school
raising over $30,000 each
and coming within $100 a
tie was declared! The Ultimate
Food Fight trophy
will be engraved with both
school’s names and will
alternate between the two.
Bragging rights belong to
everyone this year!”
The students tripled
this year’s original goal of
$22,150 for 5000 meals!
Combining Friday night’s
totals, with what has been
raised over the last three
years, $34,000, the students
have now raised a combined
total of $94,000 which will
be used to purchase nutritious
meals for the homebound
across Pickens County.
GMow presented the
trophy to the cheerleaders
of both Easley and Pickens
High School for their
school’s hard fought efforts.
“I am blown away
by what these two schools
have each accomplished. I
am very proud of them, and
thankful for their efforts,”
states Bowers, “Their hard
work will fully fund either 4
routes for an entire year, 53
people for an entire year, or
over 13,000 meals. No matter
how you look at it, it is
astounding!”
“Meals on Wheels
couldn’t do this without the
dedication and hard work
of the students, the support
of the community, and the
unlimited energy and creativity
of legendary Coach
Sam Wyche,” states Bowers,
“This event was named
in his honor because of his
commitment to serving the
Pickens County Community.
The students at both
schools are served well by
his example and leadership.”
Andrew Hendricks contributed
to this story.
WAVE
(Continued from Page 1)
missed being sacked with
4 defenders on top of him
and found Chris Connolly
in the end zone for a 4 yard
pass as time expired for a
26-0 lead.
On Picken’s initial possession
of the 2 nd half, the
Easley’ defense holds and
Zach Conn collects Easley’s
2 nd blocked punt as
JR Crawford scoops up the
loose pigskin for a 37 yard
touch down and a 33-0 advantage
.
Easley again forces a punt
and started on their 41 yard
line. They score 2 plays later
when Dee Gamble sprinted
50 yards to the end zone to
make it 40-0 midway though
the 3 rd quarter.
Pickens fi nally gets on
the board with 4:9 in the 3 rd
when Wes Davis tossed a
14-yard pass to Angus Anderson
avoiding a shutout at
40-7.
Easley scored on the ensuing
drive leading to a 1
yard plunge by Lappin, his
4 th score of the game, extending
the lead to 47-7.
FLU
The big play of the drive
was a 57 yard sprint by the
senior quarterback. “ Zach
Lappin’s a great football
player,” remarked Coach
Smith. “If I was a 1AA or
D2 College in this area I’d
be crazy not to try to sign
that kid to a scholarship”.
Pickens was able to put
together an 11 play drive
with fullback David Mansell
punching it in from the
1 yard line for a 47- 13 defi
cient.
Lappin closed out the
Green Wave’s scoring with
a 10 yard run to make it
54-13 with 5:55 remaining.
Lappin rushed for 129
yards and 4 touchdowns and
passed for another score fi nishing
5 for 8.
The Pickens fans that remained
for the fi nal minutes
were rewarded when Davis
scored the fi nal points with
25 seconds on the clock as
the Green Wave roll over
the Blue Flame 54-20.
Easley’s defense was led
by Zach Conn who’s 17
tackles and a blocked punt
even surprised Coach Smith.
“ That’s amazing, if Zach
Conn was 6 ft tall he could
(Continued from Page 1)
Control. “The fl u is a potentially
serious respiratory ill-
DHEC’s Pickens County ness caused by a very con-
Public Health Department tagious virus. Each year in
200 McDaniel Ave. our state, we see thousands
Pickens, S.C. 29671 hospitalized by the fl u, and
Flu vaccinations will be we see many die. But being
offered by appointment vaccinated can signifi cantly
only. Please call 864-898- reduce your chances of seri-
5968 to arrange a time. ous illness.”
Additional information Gibson added that the fl u
about infl uenza, vaccines typically arrives in October
and fl u vaccination clinics at and is active until May, usu-
DHEC county public health ally peaking around Febru-
departments can be found ary.
at http://www.scdhec.gov/ The national Centers for
fl u. During the fl u season, Disease Control and Pre-
DHEC will update the clinic vention reports that the
schedule on a regular basis. 2011-2012 vaccine will pro-
“Getting vaccinated tect against the three most
against the fl u is still the best common strains of the virus
way to protect yourself from circulating this season. The
serious illness,” said Jerry vaccine includes protection
Gibson, M.D., director of against H1N1, H3N2 and
DHEC’s Bureau of Disease an infl uenza B virus. The
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Ask how.
go anywhere he wanted to,
he’s a great defensive lineman”.
Easley held Picken’s
massive Mansell to 89 yards
and 1 score on 25 carries.
Jon Jon Whitten added 11
tackles and Quaven Ferguson
had 10. Sam “The Enforcer”
Houston, as always,
added a strong presence in
the middle. “The 2 blocked
punts sparked a good momentum,”
Lappin said.
“Our defense played lights
out like hey have all season
and will continue to do so.”
Coach Smith replied “I’m
very proud of them. The
defensive staff does a great
job and until we subbed we
really shut them down the
whole night.”
In the last season to be
played on the historic Brice
Field and the fi rst home
game Easley’s supporters
turned out in full force.
Coach Smith commented
“It’s awesome. But honestly
I’ve been impressed
with our crowds all year. If
you’ve been to any of our
games, we show up! That’s
awesome, I couldn’t ask to
be in a better place than Easley,
South Carolina!”
fl u shot is recommended for
anyone 6 months and older,
while the nasal mist is offered
for healthy people between
the ages of 2 and 49.
“We urge you to talk to
your healthcare provider to
determine which is appropriate
for you,” Dr. Gibson
said.
“Adults and older children
need only one dose to
be protected. But children
younger than 9 need two
doses to be fully protected.
Vaccination is necessary
this season, even if you
were vaccinated against the
fl u last year.”
To learn more about the
fl u and availability of vaccine
in your community,
visit http://www.scdhec.
gov/fl u.
ABC Television Special Shines
Light on FIRST Robotics
Program “In 2011, more than
PICKENS COUNTY
— The FIRST Robotics
program, with the help
of celebrities like will.
i.am, Miley Cyrus, Jack
Black and others, took
center stage during “i.am.
FIRST – Science is Rock
and Roll” a special which
aired recently on the ABC
Television Network.
The back-to-school television
special, which also
featured and introduction
by President Obama, is
part of an initiative lead by
FIRST founder Dean Kamen
and FIRST advocate
will.i.am to emphasize the
importance of science and
technology education in
the US and celebrate the
hard work of local robotic
teams like Team 2751 from
Pickens County.
The hour long program
included testimonials
from the celebrities and
highlights from the 2011
FIRST Championship
where more than 30,000
students, parents, industry
leaders and educators
gathered in St. Louis, Missouri
to watch high school
students from around the
world demonstrate their
engineering and problem
solving abilities.
Among the regional
champions who made the
trek to St. Louis last April
were the members of Pickens
County’s First Robotics
Team 2751.
The team, composed of
students from across the
School District of Pickens
County, qualified for
the national championship
competition by finishing
in first place at a
regional competition held
in Raleigh, NC, where the
Pickens County team took
on the best teams in North
Carolina – especially from
the research triangle area
– and beat them.
“Winning the 2011
North Carolina Regional
in Raleigh was a major
accomplishment for team
2751, said Barry Sudduth,
a longtime team mentor.
1500 teams participated
in 57 regional or district
championships. With a
tournament format that
only produces one three
team winning alliance at
each regional; there are
less than 175 teams that
achieved an equivalent
level of success.”
“The regional championship
qualified Team
2751 to attend the FRC
Championship in St. Louis,
which with its advanced
skill level on the field and
high energy in the stands,
is the Super Bowl of high
school robotics competition,”
Sudduth continued.
Team 2571 finished the
international competition
among the final 48, an accomplishment
that gains
significance when considering
more than 2,000
teams from around the
world began the season.
Ray Farley, executive director
of Alliance Pickens,
feels that the team’s success
is also indicative of
the type of education and
support available to stu-
dents in Pickens County.
A factor he thinks is important
in order to provide
existing companies and
companies considering a
move to Pickens County
with a trained and highly
skilled workforce.
“Such a successful year
speaks to the hard work
of the team members, the
guidance of the adult volunteers
and the quality of
instruction Pickens County
Schools offer technically
oriented students,” stated
Farley.
“At a time when the processes
used in the workplace
are becoming more
technically advanced each
day, it is vital for young
people to understand the
role that science and technology
education will play
in their future careers,”
Farley said.
“It is crucial for educators,
industry leaders, parents
and others to continue
to spread that message to
students and programs like
“i.am.FIRST” are a great
start.”
“Our community should
not take lightly the fact
that ABC Television did a
one hour special televised
worldwide, of an event
focused on competitive
science and technology,
at which our students finished
in the top 48 teams
out of over 2,000 teams
worldwide,” Farley continued.
If you are a student, parent
or business that would
like to learn more about
how to get involved with
this year’s Pickens County
Robotics Team, please
contact Danny Fahey at
397-1000 or email him at
dannyfahey@pickens.k12.
sc.us.
Th ank You
for Reading
Th e Easley
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