Sparklight to host free digital literacy class
To help Beaufort/Port Royal residents build confidence and skills for today’s digital world, Sparklight will host a free digital literacy class on Tuesday, Aug. 26, from noon to 2 p.m. at its retail location at 1425 Ribaut Road in Port Royal.
Attendees will learn basic internet terms, web browser navigation and online search techniques. The session will also cover identifying digital devices, connecting to Wi-Fi networks and troubleshooting basic internet connection issues. Instructors will overview online safety principles, including selecting strong passwords/pass phrases and recognizing scams.
“The internet is essential for accessing information, securing education and employment, connecting to vital services and more,” said Jane Shanley, Sparklight Senior Regional Director, Southeast. “We’re pleased to offer this practical workshop to help Beaufort-area residents improve their knowledge and open up new opportunities.”
For more information and to reserve your spot, please call 843-384-8971. Attendees are encouraged to bring their preferred digital device to boost their hands-on skills.
Nexus Care of Beaufort, All Aboard Beaufort Youth Leadership host Back to School meeting
Nexus Care of Beaufort’s STAR (Striving to Achieve Resiliency) Youth Leadership Program is kicking off another school year with an event encouraging middle school and high school students north of the Broad to develop peer-to-peer conversations about preventing substance use and misuse.
In partnership with All Aboard Beaufort, the event will be held Thursday, Aug. 21 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., at the Penn Center at 16 Penn Center Circle Eas.
The special guest is Marie Gibbs. As a Gullah native, she taught, inspired, and motivated young minds for more than 30 years at St. Helena Elementary School, the school she attended as a child and the school from which she later graduated. Gibbs retired in 2008 and began her second career as a devoted grandmother and volunteer at the Penn Center Museum.
This event is free and open to all interested middle school and high school students in northern Beaufort County.
For more information and to R.S.V.P., contact Jodie Martinez at jodie.martinez@bcgov.net.
FWDG announces winners of 2025 Restock My Classroom Giveaway
FWDG, the Lowcountry’s favorite furniture and mattress store since 1972, announced the winners of its 2025 Restock My Classroom Giveaway, a month-long community campaign designed to support local educators and help provide essential classroom supplies ahead of the new school year.
Two schools have been selected to receive a combined $6,000 in funding:
- Robert Smalls Leadership Academy was awarded the $5,000 Grand Prize through a random drawing of all nominated schools. Located in Beaufort, Robert Smalls Leadership Academy is an award-winning Pre-Kindergarten through Eighth grade school of excellence and Title I school known for its focus on leadership development and academic excellence. The funds will go directly toward classroom needs, helping to create an even more enriching learning environment.
- Okatie Elementary School received the $1,000 Community Choice Award, earning the highest number of votes — 378 in total — during the public voting period. Based in Bluffton, Okatie Elementary is celebrated for its nurturing culture, committed educators, and strong community ties. The overwhelming number of votes reflects just how deeply the school is valued by families in the area.
Whale Branch Elementary gets national wellness grant
Only 1 in 4 kids gets the recommended amount of daily physical activity, and nearly 40% of children in the U.S. are considered overweight or obese. With physical inactivity and mental health challenges on the rise among youth, schools like Whale Branch Elementary are taking action to create healthier learning environments.
To help address those growing needs, the American Heart Association, a global force changing the future of health of all, recently awarded a $665 grant to Whale Branch Elementary School in Seabrook through its Kids Heart Challenge™ and American Heart Challenge™ programs.
Whale Branch received the award as part of the latest round of funding from the Kids Heart Challenge and American Heart Challenge grant program, which supports projects that help increase physical activity, improve mental well-being or provide tools for emergency preparedness. Whale Branch plans to use their grant to purchase tchoukball game equipment. Tchoukball is a game that incorporates a lot of running and requires teamwork, collaboration, and communication.
“We are incredibly grateful for the American Heart Association’s support,” said Ashley McAteer, physical education teacher at Whale Branch Elementary “These funds will help us introduce new physical activity resources and games and allow us to further our commitment to improving the health of our students, staff and school community.”
St. Helena’s Whitfield graduates from Arkansas
The University of Arkansas honored its most recent graduating class with a series of spring commencement ceremonies at Bud Walton Arena and Barnhill Arena, and the School of Law’s ceremony at the Fayetteville (Ark.) Town Center.
Sydney Whitfield of Saint Helena Island graduated with a BS in Business Administration and was among more than 5,500 graduates earning a degree and a spot for their name on Senior Walk.
Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs, more than 100 major fields of undergraduate study, over 90 master’s programs and more than 50 doctoral programs.
Beaufort’s Tran earns honors at Georgia Tech
Nathan Tran of Beaufort earned the distinction of Faculty Honors for Spring 2025 at the Georgia Institute of Technology. This designation is awarded to undergraduate students who have earned a 4.0 academic average for the semester.
The Georgia Institute of Technology, or Georgia Tech, is one of the top public research universities in the U.S., developing leaders who advance technology and improve the human condition.
