Have a happy Halloween!
From the Director’s Corner
October is the month when we take time to honor our educators. World Teachers’ Day is observed every October 5. This is a day that celebrates the incredible role that teachers all over the world play and their important contribution to society. World Teachers’ Day is a United Nations observance first recognized in 1994 by UNESCO. It ensures the standards, rights, and responsibilities for teachers across the globe. The commemoration is a collaboration between UNICEF, the International Labour Organization, and Education International. The aim of World Teachers’ Day is to raise awareness of the importance of teach- ing and to highlight the current issues affecting teachers.
In the spirit of National Tutor Appreciation Week (held from October 4 through 8), Palmetto Literacy Council would like to recognize all of our dedicated tutors. Without these men and women, PLC would not be able to carry out our mission to improve literacy in Horry County. And so we send a big thank you to our tutors:
Peggie Anderson, Samih Baalbaki, Cheryllynn Cardin, Raphael D’Ascoli, Eileen Foulger, Karen Haas, Jordan Harrell, Michael Kastner, Bonnie Kelley, Mary Lott, Karen Maddry, Xandi Matu, Fabiola Moreno- Solis, Jason Parker, Polly Putorti, Barbara Slife- Shipley, Hope Smith, Phyllis Townsend, Michael Turk, and Haden Utrilla.
We also have several volunteers waiting to be paired with students: Kevin Conway, Megan Jordano,
Thomas McKeon, JoAn Pittard, Kim Savon, Savanna Stack, Sue Ann Whittick, and Mary Elllen Wysznski.
Our tutors and parents have expressed an interest in learning more about how to understand reading scores. To meet this need, we have scheduled our first monthly seminar: “Understanding Reading Scores.” This seminar will be held on Monday, October 11, 2021, at 6:30 pm at The Sneaky Beagle, 5040 Carolina Forest Boulevard, Myrtle Beach. If you would like to attend, email [email protected]. We will be outdoors, but ask everyone to wear a mask except when removing it to eat and/or drink.
On October 16, Palmetto Literacy Council will host the first in a series of programs “Authors in Support of Literacy” featuring Jonathan Haupt. You can read a full description of this program on page 3. Sign up by email: [email protected]. We hope to see you all there.
Palmetto Literacy Council would like to extend its thanks to Dr. Stephanie Southworth for serving on
the Board of Directors and would like to welcome Catheryn Weitman as our new Chairman and Thomas McKeon as a new member at large. Dodi Hodges will remain Executive Director.
Stay safe and well,
Dodi
How You Can Support PLC
Individual membership: $25/year (Pays for materials for one student)
Business membership: $50/year (Pays for materials for two students)
Your business card will be featured in the newsletter and on our website Donate through palmettoliteracycouncil.org
What’s in the news?
Smile.Amazon.com
When ordering from Amazon.com, please consider designating Palmetto Literacy Council as the charity of your choice. Amazon does not charge you extra and sends us a percentage of their profit on the items to us. Please sign up and make your Amazon purchases through smile.amazon.com to help us help our community.
PLC Book Lovers Book Club
Do you enjoy reading and discussing books with other bibliophiles? Then you might like to join the PLC Book Lovers Book Club. Patricia D’Ascoli will be organizing this monthly book club and would love to hear from those who are interested. Proposed format: Each month the group will meet in one of the member’s homes. The member who hosts that month will choose the book to read. Book clubs are a fun way to share your reading experiences with others! The tentative start date is mid-November. Contact
Patricia at [email protected]
Volunteers Liasons
Student parents and students, please contact your Volunteer Liaison and let them know how things are going. This only applies to those being tutored at Socastee Library and Conway Library. We will be performing progress checks in October.
Volunteer Orientation and Training
Volunteer Orientation and Training on Zoom is scheduled for Thursday, October 14, 2021, at 6:00 pm. Carla Taylor is hosting this event. Contact Carla at [email protected] or call the office (843) 945-9278 and leave a message.
Speaking Engagements
Do you belong to a civic-minded organization that utilizes speakers? Dodi would love to talk to your group about Palmetto Literacy Council. Text, email, or call Dodi and let her know if your group would like her to speak to its members about PLC.
On October 14, Dodi will be speaking at the Theodosia Burr Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the Revolution.
The Logophile by Preston McKever-Floyd
“October is the opal month of the year. It is the month of glory, of ripeness. It is the picture Month.”
– Henry Ward Beecher
October is the month of harvest and Halloween. Traditionally, the time from August to November was known as the harvest; however, as the term evolved it was displaced by autumn or fall with a veiled reference to harvest. It is of Germanic origin, harbitas, and appears in Old English as haefest “autumn.”
In the mid-thirteenth century in English harvest was honed into meaning the time for gathering crops as well as the work itself (harvesting) and the result (harvest). This became the established denotation after the fourteenth century, but with a more symbolic use appearing in the 1530s, giving rise to Harvest Home (1570s) a celebration of the final ingathering of the harvest; in 1704, harvest moon, the full moon appearing within two weeks of the autumnal equinox.
“Halloween,” the night of ghosts and goblins, came into English usage in the late 18th century. “All Hallow Even” and “hallow even” became Halloween: “hallow” to make holy and “even” evening.
On the Christian liturgical calendar, this is the eve of All Saints Day, which is celebrated on November 1. The celebrations associated with Halloween are borrowed from the Druid Samhain (sow-inn) Feast of the Dead. This tradition arose at least 2,000 years ago among the Celts (Ireland, United Kingdom, and northern France) who celebrated Novem- ber 1st as New Year.
Pat Conroy’s Reverence for Teaching
Presented by Johnathan Haupt
As the first Authors in Celebration of Literacy program, the Palmetto Literacy Council will host Pat Conroy Literary Center executive director Jonathan Haupt for a public presentation, “Pat Conroy’s Reverence for Teaching” on Saturday, October 16, at 11:00 a.m. The program will be held at Carolina Forest Recreation Center, 2254 Carolina Forest Boulevard in Myrtle Beach, S.C. Light refreshments will be served, and books will be available for sale.
Acclaimed southern storyteller Pat Conroy (1945-2016) is best remembered as the author of a dozen beloved books, including The Water Is Wide, The Great Santini, and The Prince of Tides. Jonathan’s presentation explores Conroy’s transformational years as a student at Beaufort High School and later as a teacher at BHS and on Daufuskie Island, as Conroy found the mentors and students who changed the course of his life and inspired his storied writing life. Included are audio and video clips, photographs, and both published and unpublished excerpts by and about Conroy (1945-2016). The program also includes a brief overview of the work of the nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center in honoring and continuing Conroy’s legacy as an educator.
Jonathan Haupt is the executive director of the nonprofit Conroy Center and the former director of the University of South Carolina Press, where he created the Story River Books fiction imprint with Pat Conroy, named by Garden & Gun magazine as one of “the top ten things to love about the South.” Jonathan is co-editor of
the anthology Our Prince of Scribes: Writers Remember Pat Conroy, the recipient of seventeen-book awards. He is the host of the Live from the Pat Conroy Literary Center podcast on the Authors on the Air Global Radio Network and a frequent presenter on the writing and teaching life of Pat Conroy. In 2020, Jonathan was recognized with the Doug Marlette Literacy Leadership Award presented by the Pulpwood Queens, the largest book club in the U.S.
The event is made possible by a grant from South Carolina Humanities. The mission of South Carolina Humanities is to enrich the cultural and intellectual lives of all South Carolinians. This not-for-profit organization presents and/or supports literary initiatives, lectures, exhibits, festivals, publications, oral history projects, videos, and other humanities-based experiences that reach more than 250,000 citizens annually. South Carolina Humanities receives funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities as well as corporate, foundation, and individual donors. It is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors comprised of community leaders from throughout the state.
Admission is free, but donations to Palmetto Literacy Council are greatly appreciated. Sign up via email: [email protected].
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MISSION STATEMENT
To improve the literacy of youth and adults in our community by teaching/tutoring basic literacy skills for those who struggle with reading, writing and/or math.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
CHAIR: Dodi Hodges: [email protected]
VICE CHAIR: Shawna Roessler [email protected]
TREASURER: Maria Denney [email protected]
SECRETARY: Preston McKever-Floyd [email protected]
MEMBERS AT LARGE:
FUNDRAISING CO-CHAIRS: Patricia D’Ascoli [email protected], Stephanie Southworth [email protected]
TRAINING COORDINATOR: Carla Taylor [email protected]
MAILING ADDRESS: 1229 38TH Avenue North, #130 Myrtle Beach, SC 29577
PHYSICAL ADDRESS: 1010 5th Avenue North Ext., Suite 101I Surfside Beach, SC 29575
FOR INFORMATION OR QUESTIONS:
OFFICE PHONE: 843-945-9278
OFFICE EMAIL: [email protected]
WEBSITE: www.palmettoliteracy.org
