WILDCAT PRIDE

10/12/2012 12:29:00 AM WILDCAT PRIDE Ninety Six upsets Region 2-AA volleyball champion Abbeville

Ninety Six High School volleyball players celebrate Thursday after winning a point against Abbeville. The Wildcats upset the Region 2-AA champs in four sets. (Matt Walsh | Index-Journal) By CHENG SIO ABBEVILLE - When the volleyball bounced off the hardwood floor for the final time Thursday night, Ninety Six High School coach Kristen Hopkins and the six players who sat near her leaped off the bench in joy and mobbed the six Wildcats on the court. Ninety Six's junior varsity team, many of them sitting behind the referee stand, jumped out from the crowd and stampeded toward their teammates. The Wildcats acted as if they won a region title. One problem, though. They didn't. Two nights after Abbeville beat Mid-Carolina to win the Region 2-AA championship and snap Ninety Six's run of 11 consecutive region titles, Ninety Six showed what kind of pride its program has by handing the Panthers their only blemish on the region schedule with a four-set victory (23-25, 25-20, 26-24, 25-22) on its archrival's home floor. "We just decided to come out here and played our butts off because they already stole the region title from us," said Quasha Williams, who had a team-high 23 kills. "They was undefeated, so we just went out there and did our thing." Meanwhile, some Abbeville (11-2 overall, 9-1 region) players walked toward the locker room with tears strolling down their cheeks. Others were consoled outside the gym after the postgame meeting. SEE MORE IN FRIDAY'S INDEX-JOURNAL.

Wildcat Marching Band Competitions

Wildcat Marching Band Competitions

9/22 Irmo 2A 4th w/ excellent rating

9/22 Newberry 3A 1st w/ superior rating

9/29 White Knoll 1A 2nd w/ excellent rating, Best Drum Major

10/6 Laurens 3A

 1st w/ superior rating, best horn line, and 1A-3A grand champs

Wildcats' Liner is Lakelands FCA coach of the year

10/10/2012 12:43:00 AM MAN OF FAITH Wildcats' Liner is Lakelands FCA coach of the year Ninety Six High School football coach Chris Liner watches a game from the sidelines. (Index-Journal | File) By SCOTT CHANCEY NINETY SIX -- Coaches draw inspiration from others, and Ninety Six High School's Chris Liner is no different. The moments that shaped the Wildcats' football coach, though, did not necessarily involve X's and O's. Take, for instance, his days as a Greenwood assistant coach under then-coach Shell Dula, who guided the Eagles to three state championships. Dula's words mattered to Liner. But Dula's actions mattered more. "You walk into his office at any time during the day, he's going to be reading his Bible about three-fourths of the time," said Liner, who was recently honored as the Lakelands Fellowship of Christian Athletes coach of the year. "I like to watch other people, especially people who are successful and try to emulate them. That was an advantage of growing up in a family environment where being a Christian was first. And working for coach Dula was a blessing for me. And a lot of the guys on his staff were Christians, too. That was a time in my life when I needed that kind of direction, and it's something I can never repay. But I certainly try to pass on what I have learned. And that's what we're doing." Hence Liner's lesson after seeing this quote from legendary basketball coach John Wooden: "You can't live a perfect day until you do something for someone who will never be able to repay you." Whether it's helping organize an FCA meeting at Edgewood Middle School, where he works as an assistant principal, or taking his football team to an FCA camp, Liner said an underlying goal of his job is to prepare players for more than just Friday nights. He wants to prepare them for life - a successful one at that. SEE MORE IN WEDNESDAY'S INDEX-JOURNAL. www.indexjournal.com

ESEA Flexibility Community Stakeholder Meetings

TO:                 District Superintendents

FROM:          Mick Zais, State Superintendent of Education

DATE:            September 27, 2012

SUBJECT:     ESEA Flexibility Community Stakeholder Meetings

On October 10, 2011, I emailed to you a copy of a letter to U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan informing him of the State’s intent to seek a waiver from certain requirements of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).  The U.S. Department of Education (USDE) established a process for States to request such flexibility and deadlines when requests could be submitted.  The South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) submitted an ESEA Flexibility Request on February 28, 2012.  It was approved on July 19, 2012.

As part of the SCDE’s continued engagement of stakeholders, the Department will hold a statewide virtual meeting on Wednesday, October 3 from 6:00pm – 7:30pm.  The purpose of this meeting is to provide an update on the implementation of the ESEA Flexibility Request.  The public will have the opportunity to submit questions during the meeting and the Department will answer them, time permitting.

In addition to the statewide virtual meeting, the SCDE will host five regional community stakeholder meetings across the state.  The SCDE will contact school districts when locations for these meetings are finalized.  A final schedule of community stakeholder meetings will be sent to all school districts.

Please share this information with your teachers, principals, administrators, and school board members.  Most importantly, please share it with your students, parents, and the public you serve by posting the following links on your website.

Link to watch the October 3, 2012 statewide virtual meeting and submit questions: http://ed.sc.gov/events/esea/

Link to review all documents and presentations regarding the ESEA Flexibility Request: http://ed.sc.gov/agency/lpa/ESEAFlexibility.cfm

Miscues by Rebels benefit Wildcats

9/29/2012 12:46:00 AM Miscues by Rebels benefit Wildcats

CHRIS LINER By FRANK BUMB NINETY SIX - Ninety Six High School's football team had as good a first quarter as a football team could have on its way to a 35-15 victory against Region 2-AA foe Mid-Carolina. The Wildcats even scored on a lucky break, with Reid Slack pouncing on a Brandon Cheatham fumble in the end zone for the score to give Ninety Six an early lead. Mid-Carolina did itself no favors as a botched reverse on the kick return sacrificed field position. After six plays, the Wildcats forced a punt and scored on their first play on a 54-yard pass from Hunter Watson to Christopher Prater. Mid-Carolina's misfortunes on kickoffs continued as a skied kick was pounced upon by Cedric Williams to give the Wildcats another opportunity to score. Brandon Cheatham capped the 32-yard drive with a 5-yard run to give the Wildcats a 21-point advantage against the stunned Rebels. "We've had opportunities these past two weeks and really all season to make plays, but just didn't make them," Ninety Six coach Chris Liner said. "Tonight, we made some really good football plays." But the Wildcats were not afforded the opportunity to waltz through the second half, as the Rebels came out fired up and scored on a 26-yard run by Nick Sims-Metts. The next Wildcat possession saw the Mid-Carolina faithful become irate after Watson was ruled down, taking a potential fumble recovery away from the Rebels. After a false start, Watson and the Wildcats responded with a 57-yard strike to Ryan Booker to silence the crowd and put things out of reach for the Rebels. "We answered when things got rough," Liner said. "This season we've had some adversity and hadn't really stepped up, but tonight we said, 'So what?' and came right back. I couldn't be prouder of our guys and our coaches." MORE IN TODAY'S INDEX-JOURNALwww.indexjournal.com

Ninety Six turns the tables

9/8/2012 1:52:00 AM Ninety Six turns the tables Wildcats get first win of season after Ware Shoals starts strong

By FRANK BUMB WARE SHOALS - Things finally looked up for Ware Shoals High School's football team. After taking a go-ahead, four-point lead against visiting Ninety Six, Hornet Shamar Rice leapt in front of a Hunter Watson pass for an interception. Three plays later, the Hornets' explosive running back, Jaquan Hicks, was stood up at the tail-end of a 13-yard run and stripped by Ninety Six sophomore Rod Johnson. It was practice coming through in the clutch for the Wildcats. The Wildcats won their first game of the season Friday night, topping Ware Shoals 30-13 at Riegel Stadium. "We practice tackle and strip every single day," Ninety Six coach Chris Liner said. "Ten minutes every day, and in the end, it really helped us there." For Ware Shoals, it represented a crushing reversal when Ninety Six managed to get a touchdown off the turnover. "I mean, obviously, that made things an entirely different ballgame," Ware Shoals coach Lance Abernathy said. "If we had been able to go down and score off the interception ..." Johnson had two big turnovers, both of which led to points. Johnson's strip led to a Jaquon Louden 2-yard touchdown and his 60-yard return of an interception on a desperation throw by Hornet quarterback Shamar Rice sealed the game. "Sometimes when you get a young team, you need to see how they react to adversity," Liner said. "We challenged our old heads to keep things cool and to lead us when things got chippy and tight." MORE IN TODAY'S INDEX-JOURNAL

Earth Buddies at Ninety Six Primary School

The following students have been chosen as the first 9 week Earth Buddies at Ninety Six Primary School: Emmaous Thomas, Jasmine Capley, Jaycob Gonzalez, Amerria Payne, Iyanna Hart, Zaylan Griffin, Caroline Gunter, Gabe McCary, Aniya Louden, Sophia Tafta, Chaney Smith, and Abi Stewart. Second graders can complete an application to apply for a position as one of 12 students (each 9 weeks) who are responsible for gathering recyclables at the school. Earth Buddies are chosen by their classroom teacher and Science Lab teacher, based on their adherence to the school pledge to be 'peaceful, respectful, and responsible'. A new group is chosen for each 9 week period of the school year. A special 'thank you' to the 2011-2012 PTO for the shirts! Ninety Six Primary School is proud of their Earth Buddies!