On Saturday, February 10th, 2024, the Blythewood Robotics Team won their first tournament of the season and qualified for the State Championship!
Team 26468A The Bengal Bots won the overall Excellence Award for having the highest combined score of the Skills Challenge (2nd), the Qualification matches (10th), the Engineering Notebook grade and the Judges Interview. Led by junior Larenzo McClain, The Bengal Bots are now one of thirty-six teams statewide that qualify for the VEX Robotics Competition State Championship in two weeks at River Bluff High School in Lexington.
Team 26468C, the Bengal Tigertrons, led by junior Austin Tarnawsky, finished 2nd in Qualification matches with a record of 6-0, 4th in the Skills Challenge, and made it to the Elimination Finals only to lose their last match.
Col Morgan Curry (USAF-Ret.) teaches Project Lead the Way engineering classes at Blythewood High School. He has sponsored the VEX Robotics Team for the past five years, and this is the school’s first time qualifying for the State Championship under his leadership. Good Luck, Bengals!
Orangeburg parents encouraged to enroll kids in Head Start program
The Orangeburg-Calhoun-Allendale-Bamberg (OCAB) Community Action Agency Head Start/Early Head Start Program encourages families at all income levels with children ranging from ages zero to four-year-olds, including those with disabilities to apply now to enroll their young children for the 2024 – 2025 school year.
Head Start welcomes families from all racial, ethnic, cultural and linguistic backgrounds, and supports the cultural diversity of enrolled families as well as children who are dual-language learners. Priority for enrollment is given to children who are homeless, in foster care, have family incomes at or below the poverty line, and families qualifying for public assistance such as TANF, SSI and SNAP.
Head Start serves three and four-year-olds at Head Start Centers in Orangeburg, Bowman, Neeses, Santee, Elloree, Holly Hill, St. Matthews, Allendale, Denmark and Bamberg. Early Head Start in Denmark serves zero to three-year-olds in Bamberg county only. Children receive free health care, education, social development, meals, and an array of high quality services. Most centers provide transportation for children at no cost.
Members of the community are asked to help agency staff identify children not served in an early education program, and make them aware of the advantage of giving them a “head start” towards school readiness. Churches and community organizations hosting meetings, health fairs, and other events are encouraged to invite Head Start representatives to provide information and help ensure that all eligible children are enrolled.
Parents should apply online, OCAB Head Start websitewww.ocabcaa.org in person at a center near you or call Head Start centers to complete an application via telephone. In Allendale, call (803) 584-4026, 252 Marion Street; Bamberg, call (803) 245-5521, 211 Zeigler Street; Denmark, call (803) 793- 4689, 80 Cedar Avenue; Neeses, call (803) 247-4455, 706 Rice Street; St Matthews, call (803) 874-3588, 304 Agnes Street-John Ford Community Center; Orangeburg, call (803) 585- 7789 or (803) 585-7785; Santee, Elloree, Bowman and Holly Hill, call (803) 536-1027; Denmark Early Head Start call (803) 793-3010. For additional information, call Sharon D. Daniels, Family/Community Partnership Manager at (803) 536-1027.
