Submitted by Sandy Ferencz for Island Eye News

Grace DeWitte, better known as Nana Grace, passed away in her sleep at Roper Hospice Cottage in Mount Pleasant, SC on Aug. 8, 2022. Nana loved The Simpsons, but she would only watch the show when her grandson Drew turned it on. She would watch Homer’s antics and laugh and laugh and laugh and with her sly smile proclaim “He’s baaad.” Nana had a soft spot for those who made trouble even as she held a strict adherence to her religious convictions. She was fiery and funny and took no guff. She will be missed, especially by us troublemakers. Nana Grace was born Grietje Balkema on Nov. 24,1923, in Groningen, The Netherlands to Joseph Gaaije Balkema and Sadie Sijtske Keegstra. She immigrated to the United States with her parents in 1925, passing through Ellis Island on their way to settling in Midland Park, New Jersey where they joined the Christian Reformed Church. Nana Grace attended Eastern Christian Elementary and Pompton Lakes High School. She learned to speak English along with her family by translating the Bible. Nana was a speed skater, barrel jumper, and tomboy sister to her brothers Jacob and Henry. She left school before graduating to nurse her terminally ill mother and a few years later married Marinus DeWitte on August 6, 1944. Nana was now a Navy wife.

She raised her two children Sandra and Marvin in San Diego, Norfolk, Bayonne, and Washington DC, before the family settled and built a house in North Charleston, SC in 1954.

Nana Grace was well known on those Navy bases for her Sunday dinners where her family would welcome as many as ten homesick sailors in need of some home cooking. Her kitchen was always adorned in the style of her Dutch heritage; Delft porcelain, lace curtains, lots of chocolate. In her 50s, Nana Grace began working as a Kindergarten Teacher’s Aid at Howe Hall Elementary School. As a retirement gift her coworkers gave her a bicycle.

She promptly rode that bike through the school hallways to the delight of the students gathered to see her off.

Nana Grace was a founder of The Church Creek Presbyterian Church, a knitter of baby hats for Roper St. Francis Hospital, an avid Citadel Mall walker, and a lover of outrageous Halloween costumes. At 90 years young while living on the Isle of Palms with her daughter Sandy and son-in-law Richard, Nana Grace became a dedicated IOP Rec Rat. Gather & Knit and Keenagers were two of her favorite Rec Center activities. Nana’s talents and spirit spread from IOP to Goose Creek, from Park Circle to West Ashley and beyond. Fond of the expression “Do it right or don’t do it at all” and addressing scraped knees and elbows with “It’ll be better before the time you get married” Nana Grace DeWitte passed her wisdom on to four grandchildren and five great grandchildren (with one on the way).

The family would like to thankfully acknowledge Theresa Ponessa and her team at Roper Hospice Home Health for their dedicated attention to Nana’s final needs. A remembrance party and internment at Mepkin Abbey Columbarium will be held at a date to be announced forthcoming.

It’s autumn in the South, and we all know what that means: helmets crashing, cheerleaders jumping and crowds roaring. The Friday night lights are blazing, so it’s time to introduce you to three of Mount Pleasant’s brightest football stars.

At Oceanside Collegiate Academy, senior Zach Hagedon is helping build a football legacy. His senior class is only the fourth to graduate from the young charter school. This is also only Hagedon’s fourth year of football; prior to high school, he played soccer. But American football was always in his blood.

“I watched football my whole life,” he said. “I had to try it.”

He tried out, made the team and became a key defensive player for Oceanside.

“I played linebacker my freshman year and learned I really like tackling people. That’s where I make a big impact.”

Since then, he’s settled into other defensive roles, including cornerback and safety.

“I’m looking forward to making a last run with the players and friends I’ve been with for the last four years and trying to win the state championship,” he said. “We’ve been working so hard. It’ll be nice to see it pay off.”

Next year, Hagedon plans to go to college. Coastal Carolina is his dream school, but he’ll see where the next few months take him

Over at Lucy Beckham High School, quarterback Jimmy Webb is pumped. Literally. He’s been working out hard his whole life, waiting for this moment.

“I’ve been playing football since I was 5 years old,” he relayed. “I started with flag football, then moved up through the ranks.”

He used to be a lineman, both offensive and defensive, which requires a very specific size and physique. However, after a year of diving into the weight room and nutrition planning, Webb and his coaches realized he wasn’t fitting into that mold anymore. They moved him to starting quarterback.

“I grew up playing baseball,” said Webb. “I had a good arm already, but I owe everything to Coach Hart, the offensive coordinator and quarterback coach. He brought me up from scratch.”

For his senior year, Webb said, “I want us to do the best we can. There’s no reason we can’t be the best team in the state. We have the talent at every position. We’ve [beaten] teams that other schools didn’t think we could. So why not us?”

His is the first senior class at Lucy Beckham.

“I think being the first class that’ll graduate, I’ve really been able to make my mark on the school. And for the younger guys on the team, I’ve tried to be a role model and leader, on and off the field.”

For college, Webb hopes to stay in state. While he’s gone to a few football camps and on a few tours, he’s not sure he’ll play in college. But there’s still a whole season ahead of him. That’s what’s most important to him at the moment.

Of course, we can’t talk about Mount Pleasant football without including Wando High School, one of the biggest schools in the state. It’s there that senior Mikey Rosa is getting ready to have the season of his life.

“I’ve been playing since elementary school,” offered the starting linebacker. “Football is my whole life. It’s my favorite thing in the world. It’s my escape from the world. Football gets my mind off everything else. You just play.”

As a linebacker, he’s a leader of the Wando defensive squad.

“You’ll see me on the field, yelling my head off,” he said. “It’s my job to recognize the strengths in the other team’s offense and get people where they need to be.”

Rosa spent much of the summer injured but has been cleared to play. The whole team’s been working hard in the weight room, implementing a new strength and conditioning program. Rosa hopes to make his own mark by being a leader and helping to shift the team culture to be even more of a winning one.

He told Mount Pleasant Magazine, “I want to help raise these freshman and sophomores and shape them into what a winning team looks like. I want to show them how to do it on and off the field.”

Unlike Hagedon and Webb, Rosa knows where he’s going to college, but he’s keeping that info close to his chest for a while. He’s excited about the future, but right now, he’s focused on the present. That means making his senior season at Wando truly incredible.

You can catch Hagedon, Webb and Rosa on the field for the next few months of Fridays, where their talents are sure to shine as brightly as the lights cast upon them. Cheers to all of them for representing Mount Pleasant. We wish them each a safe season.

By Leah Rhyne (edited) Photo by Mark Staff

A Look at South Carolina’s Two Rival Teams for 2021 Kim “Kimbo” Richardson Honored on Pitt Street: The TOWN of Mount Pleasant’s Spirit Shines Parents Who Coach: Time Well Spent Meet Your District Candidates: Local Politicians Vie for Chance to Represent Mount Pleasant at State Level

CAROLINA FOREST — As many Horry County school buildings reach their limit, the district has released more information on its plan to build a new elementary school in the Carolina Forest area.

The district’s new elementary school will be split between two building locations in Carolina Forest — a 20-acre site along Carolina Forest Boulevard and a 35-acre site in the River Oaks area, according to District Planning Coordinator Joe Burch.

This comes as many of Horry County’s school buildings are overcrowded and have exceeded efficient functional capacity levels, including seven of the nine Carolina Forest schools, per county documents.

“Based on our current attendance area, our schools and capacity within the Carolina Forest area, we need these schools,” said Neil James, who represents District 10, which borders Carolina Forest, on the Horry County Board of Education.

Though the project is still in early stages, construction will likely be completed in 2024, and both sites will be constructed simultaneously. There are no available numbers yet on the anticipated capacity of these new buildings, Burch said.

There are currently nine schools serving the Carolina Forest area — five elementary schools, three middle schools and one high school.

After this new elementary school is built, the district may consider building additional middle schools and high schools in the Carolina Forest area, Burch said. However, no decisions have been made on that yet.

This new project comes as many schools in the Horry County School District have exceeded their functional capacity for the 2022-23 school year, according to Horry County Planning Commission documents.

Functional capacity reflects a school’s space constraints, and helps districts plan for individual facility needs. It is based on the use of rooms and current pupil-teacher ratio, and measured as a percentage.

Per county documents, 85 percent is considered to be “efficient” functional capacity. However, at least 24 schools across the district have exceeded that 85 percent, with 12 of them exceeding 100 percent.

These 24 schools include all five schools in North Myrtle Beach, two schools in Aynor, seven schools in Carolina Forest, three schools in Conway, three schools in Myrtle Beach, two schools in Socastee and two St. James schools.

These critical levels of functional capacity point to a district-wide issue of overcrowding, which has become more pressing as the county’s population continues to grow.

Horry County is the third-largest county in the state, and its population and housing stock have more than doubled over the past 30 years. By 2040, its year-round population is estimated to nearly double again, reaching up to more than 584,000 permanent residents, per county documents.

Since the 2000 Census, more Horry residents have moved away from the beaches, settling in areas like Burgess, Socastee, Forestbrook, Carolina Forest, Conway, Little River and the S.C. Highway 90 corridor.

Lisa Bourcier, the district’s communications director, said the district knows it needs to expand its services and facilities to meet the growing student populations.

Since 2011, the county has built nine school buildings at the total cost of $297.2 million, with one currently under construction, budgeted for $58 million. Also, 11 schools have received additions or been renovated, at a total cost of $98.5 million.

The district has also used modular classrooms to help alleviate overcrowding. Modular classrooms are portable classroom buildings placed on school property. They can often include up to eight classrooms, with each fitting up to about 30 students.

The Horry County School District is utilizing 124 total modular classrooms throughout the district. That total includes 36 additional modular classrooms that were added this school year at an estimated cost of $6.6 million. District officials said they anticipate more modular classrooms being needed next year.

District leaders hope the two new Carolina Forest school buildings will help alleviate some of the district’s overcrowding in the coming years.

The Horry County Board of Education plans to vote Sept. 26 on the approval of Mount Pleasant-based SMHa Architects as the new architectural firm for the project. SMHa Architects is a commercial architecture firm originally founded in 1990. The school district has no prior history with the firm.

If approved by the board, the district will pay SMHa Architects $4.4 million for the design of both sites. Burch said the $4.4 million includes a set design fee, reimbursable expenses and additional consultant fees.

The district has not provided information on the total cost of construction, beyond this $4.4 million for the contractor.

The district’s evaluation committee recommended SMHa Architects to the board for approval after conducting interviews with 10 interested firms.

Specifically, the firm’s responsibilities would include designing the school, providing full-site plans and off-site improvements and completing permitting activities in preparation for construction, among others, according to school officials.

MT. PLEASANT, S.C. (WCBD) – Proposed changes to the Town of Mt. Pleasant’s short-term rental (STR) ordinance have many rental owners pushing back.

Michele Reed, the town’s Planning Director, says the ordinance needs to be tightened up and language clarified after some issues have come up since it went into effect in January 2020.

A public hearing during a planning commission meeting Wednesday brought at least two dozen STR owners to oppose the proposed changes.

“This is your time to stop and listen to what the people are saying,” said one rental owner.

“We are not the issue, we are the experts,” said another.

One proposed change to the ordinance would be changing the language to enforce the cap of short-term rental permits at 400.

That’s what’s written in the current ordinance, yet the current STR permit allotment sits above that due to longtime STR owners being grandfathered in, according to an STR owner.

Laurie Bixler, who owns and operates two short-term rentals in town says she believes the cap should be the only change made to the ordinance.

“I believe the only thing that should be changed right now is to clarify the cap and come up with a system to attrition is back to the 400, if that’s what the council wishes,” said Bixler. “I would like to see all the red lining and all the draft changes put aside for now.”

She and other rental owners believe the proposed changes are more harmful than helpful. That includes Mari Ricozzi, another longtime STR operator.

She is concerned about a possible fee increase that would come along with a proposed two-tiered system.

One tier, considered part-time, would include STR owners that rent their properties between 15-72 days out of the year. 15 is the minimum to qualify for a permit. Lower tier permit holders would pay a 4% tax rate to the county and a $250 permit fee to the town.

The other tier, considered full-time, would include STR owners that rent their properties more than 72 days out of the year. That would come with a 6% tax rate to the county and a $500 permit fee to the town.

Previously, the planning commission was considering a $1,500 fee for full-time operators, but that was taken out of the proposed ordinance and knocked down to $500.

Ricozzi is a full-time operator who says she shouldn’t have to pay more for having a successful business.

“So in essence, my fee would be doubled. So I’m being penalized,” she said. “I was a little disappointed that the commission didn’t seem to grasp the reality of how this document will change the business for us. There are so many little nuances that are put into this ordinance that puts strains on us as a business that other businesses in town don’t necessarily have to comply with.”

Other changes include possible changes to guest parking and more.

Ricozzi says this isn’t the end of the fight and she will work with other STR owners in town to continue to push back against the proposed changes.

“We have an organization called STRAMP which is Short-Term Rental Association of Mt. Pleasant. We plan on meeting again before the planning committee meeting next month so hopefully, this isn’t the end.”

The planning commission voted to push the proposed changes forward. They will be heard by the planning committee next month and if given the green light, the full town council will have the final decision.

Beach Cowboy Fitness offers inclusive gym classes for homeschooled, challenged and neurodivergent children at its Mount Pleasant location on Queensborough Boulevard.

Owners Cynthia and Cameron Lett, a mother-son duo, started Beach Cowboy Fitness to improve a societal issue: the degradation of communication and interpersonal skills in today’s youth.

“We’re trying to turn that around through fitness and fun,” said Cynthia.

Nearly 22% of schools have no physical education programs at all and only 4% of elementary schools have daily gym classes, according to social scientist Claire Nader. Meanwhile physical education is the only class known to improve physical, mental and emotional health, as well as executive function. Students who participate in gym class are more likely to see improvement in math and reading, thanks to a higher level of effective executive function.

Despite the proven, important role exercise plays in cognitive development and social skills, gym classes are one of the first things to be cut as schools tighten their budgets.

This is precisely what Cynthia and Cameron Lett hope to counter. Their fitness classes teach children the fundamentals of exercising, including how to warm up and cool down, but their larger focus is creating a sense of camaraderie. Students participate in a combination of games that are competitive, with an urgency to work together in teams to achieve a common goal.

All the games and classes at Beach Cowboy Fitness are inclusive and adaptive to students with physical or intellectual challenges.

“We make adjustments so everyone can participate, and they don’t feel left out or unable to achieve,” said Cynthia.

They also encourage children of all levels and abilities to work together. “Neurotypical students are going to learn how to work with students who have challenges — they’ll learn empathy, accommodation, and practice kindness. They’re all going to have the same competitive opportunities,” Cynthia added.

Gym classes at Beach Cowboy Fitness focus on winning and losing graciously. Negativity, name calling and bullying are not tolerated.

Instead, students will learn how to celebrate the opposing team’s wins and encourage them after their losses. The goal is for students to understand that just because their team lost, it doesn’t mean they’re losers.

“We think it’s important that reality is very much a part of the curriculum,” said Cynthia.

Beach Cowboy Fitness follows the South Carolina Department of Physical Education Program, so students can earn academic credit after completing two semesters, with a minimum of two classes per week for 18 weeks in a semester. Programs for homeschooled children can be purchased by the semester. Each class is based on the grades the children are in with forms and assessments completed by their coaches after each class. Financing options are available for semester purchases.

All classes are limited to ten children with two certified coaches: Cameron Lett and Eliza Athans. During special needs classes, family members and friends of the student are welcome to purchase a membership and participate with them.

Beach Cowboy Fitness is located at 1200 Queensborough Blvd., Suite B, in Mount Pleasant. To learn more, visit their website at beachcowboyfitness.com or call (843) 438-4833.

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