Zone 33 Rotary Peace Symposium Includes Anti-Bullying Message from Beaufort High Students
Beaufort High students’ anti-bullying show invited to Rotary Zone meeting
A troupe of drama students from Beaufort High School is attracting growing numbers of fans who support the group’s anti-bullying show, and local Rotarians think so much of the students’ work that they bankrolled a trip to a regional Rotary conference in North Carolina.
“If You See Something, Say Something,” is a collection of dramatic sketches aimed at getting students to intervene or contact responsible adults when they witness their fellow students being bullied.
“It’s a very positive message delivered in a very powerful way,” said Bill Evans, chairman of the Beaufort County School Board and a member of the Rotary Club of the Lowcountry. “And it’s exciting to see the production’s creativity and energy gaining a wider audience.”
The Zone 33 Rotary Peace Symposium April 5 in Chapel Hill, N.C. attracted Rotarians from South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee, Delaware, Maryland and the District of Columbia. The Beaufort High group performed last month at an Eastern South Carolina Rotary conference in Myrtle Beach, where the students also participated in a question-and-answer session and discussed ways in which the show might serve as a model for statewide Rotary programs.
Seven Rotary clubs in Beaufort County – Hilton Head, Van Landingham, Sunset, Bluffton, Beaufort, Sea Island and Lowcountry – contributed to defraying the drama students’ traveling expenses to Chapel Hill, and the school district is covering their transportation costs.
Beaufort High Drama Director LaRaine Fess and her students performed their show to sixth-graders across Beaufort County earlier this year. Rotary Club of the Lowcountry members distributed anti-bullying activity books and bookmarkers to students as they left the assemblies, and both contained the school district’s toll-free anti-bullying hotline numbers (843-322-2435 or 866-611-1102) and e-mail address (bcsdbullyinghotline@beaufort.
“Rotary’s partnership with this performance – and the club’s broader partnership with the school district to help prevent bullying – is what schools and communities should be all about,” said Chief Student Services Officer Gregory McCord. “We continue to receive messages from middle-schoolers throughout the district who talk about how the show has helped to change their attitudes and perceptions, either as an active participant in bullying or as an observer.
“At the end of the day, we have students and the community fully engaged in support of a unified message”, McCord added.
Thailand Exchange Update
Saturday – Tuesday were varied and wonderful days. All of Saturday was spent traveling to the Hilltribe area to one of the poor villages and then providing food, school supplies, and treats to about 40 young children. Chiang Mai South Rotarians took large amounts of noodle soup ingredients, ice for making shaved ice with milk dessert, book bags with books, paper, and toothbrushes to this remote site. The one room education center is also where the village teacher sleeps. Residents of this village are Burmase refugees that are not given documentation and cannot therefore qualify for public schools per SE, health care given to Thai citizens, and other services citizen residents might have. Every Saturday this Rotary group goes to one of the remote villages giving similar help. Impressive to me was the fact that Rotary fathers had brought their own children to see and help these less fortunate children.
Upon leaving the village, we went to mountain vacation cabin of one of the Rotarians. The owners and other hosts of the dinner slept in tents so we could have space in cabin.
Sunday after returning to Chiang Mai, we went to the downtown night market, visited several watts or Buddhists temples and chosen between a Thai massage or spending time in the regional museum. My museum visit gave me a detailed and beautifull visual look at the Northern Thailand Lanna culture.
Harriett Hilton for Friendship Exchange
Rotary Club of the Lowcountry Donation Boosts United Way

Rotary Club of the Lowcountry President Dick Bowen presents a check for $11,000 to United Way of the Lowcountry Board of Directors Chairwoman Sandra Chavez
The Rotary Club of the Lowcountry contributed $11,000 to the United Way of the Lowcountry’s 2012 campaign, becoming the first civic organization in Beaufort and Jasper counties to qualify for the Alexis de Tocqueville Society. Sandra Chavez, chairwoman of the United Way of the Lowcountry Board of Directors, accepted the gift. “This is an amazing contribution from an amazing group of people,” Chavez said. “The Rotary Club of the Lowcountry has a long history of helping make the Lowcountry a better place, and we will use their gift to advance the common good even more. “We are hoping other organizations will see this as an example of civic leadership and help us reach our $2.8 million goal for 2012,” she said.
• Alzheimer’s Family Services of Greater Beaufort
• AMIkids Beaufort
• Child Abuse Prevention Association (CAPA)
• Citizens Opposed to Domestic Abuse (CODA)
• Hope Haven of the Lowcountry
• Lowcountry Habitat for Humanity
• Wardle Family YMCA.
Rotary Club of the Lowcountry Recognizes Outstanding New Teacher Awards
Rotary Club of the Lowcountry Recognizes Outstanding New Teacher Awards
The Rotary Club of the Lowcountry recently honored the Outstanding New Teacher Awards for Beaufort County. This award recognizes individuals early in their professional career who are showing distinction as teachers. Nominees are selected from the elementary, middle and high school level and must be in their first five years of teaching. We wish to congratulate these teachers for showing exceptional dedication to their students and demonstrating excellence both in and out of the classroom!
President Elect Charlotte Gonzalez presenting to Melony Biggs of St Helena Elementary
Davina Walker, teacher at Beaufort Middle School receives he award from Charlotte Gonzalez
Recipient Scott Klumb of Beaufort High School shown with Principal Corey Murphy and Charlotte Gonzalez
Rotary Club of the Lowcountry in Beaufort has Club Social
Rotary Club of the Lowcountry enjoyed a wonderful social at the Historic Beaufort Arsenal with a “Tail Gate Party” on August 31st. Members were encouraged to bring their favorite tail gate dish to share and wear their team colors. Thanks to the fantastic work of President Dick Bowen and his wife, Gayle we were able to have a cornhole competition as well. There was wonderful fellowship and a great time was had by all!