On February 7th, Ten at the Top’s Upstate Senior Issues group reconvened for their first session of the new 2019 Senior Issues Workshop Series.
In September of 2018, the Ten at the Top Senior Issues group convened to discuss goals for 2019. It was determined that moving forward, that this group must be more intentional with their approach to address senior needs collectively. After much conversation, the group decided to move forward with topic-focused meetings that address the top senior needs in our region.
The Appalachian Council of Governments proposed that the group utilize data from their 2018 Senior Needs Assessment, which was conducted in early fall. It was agreed that these topic-focused workshops seek to address the most pressing senior needs that were identified in this assessment. The workshop series will address topics such as food access, transportation, and senior household needs.
The first session was surrounding lifelong learning opportunities in the Upstate. Lifelong learning is an important topic of discussion because studies show that those who are well connected to family, friends, and community are happier and physically healthier, and they live longer than those who are less connected.
Nancy Kennedy from OLLI at Furman led a panel discussion, which included panelists:
Jack Hansen, Author, Speaker, OLLI member
Andrea Smith, Executive Director & CEO, Senior Action
Morgan Jordan, Director, Lifelong Learning at Wofford College
The group engaged in a thoughtful dialogue about lifelong learning and other social engagement opportunities available in the Upstate. They also talked about the challenges of reaching parts of the senior population with these opportunities.
Some of the many opportunities available in these ten counties of the Upstate are:
OLLI@Clemson
OLLI@Furman
Senior Action
Lifelong Learning at Wofford
Lifelong Learning Institute at Anderson University
Lakelands Lifelong Learning Network in Greenwood
Community Centers/Senior Centers in many communities
Those 60 and older can audit courses at no charge at state colleges, universities, and technical schools.
The goal of these discussions is to raise more awareness than ever before of our seniors in the Upstate and the issues they face on a daily basis. The workshop series is sponsored by Upstate Home Care Solutions and the Better Business Bureau (BBB).
To get involved or attend a workshop please contact Adelyn Nottingham at: anottingham@tenatthetop.org
Upstate, SC [February 5, 2019] –Ten at the Top (TATT), a non-profit organization created to foster collaboration and planning in South Carolina’s Upstate region, has announced its new board members for the 2019-2021 term. They join existing members to form the governing board for the 10-county non-profit organization.
New members of the Ten at the Top Board of Directors are:
Scott Carr, Vice President – Commercial Business & Communications, GSP International Airport
Peggy Hill, President & CEO, Western Upstate Association of Realtors
Charles McManemin, Greenville Office General Manager, Fluor
Jessica Miserendino, International Trade Import Manager, AFL
Rich Robinson, Environment & Risk Prevention Manager, Michelin North America
George Shira, Vice President of Human Resources – Chemical Division, Milliken & Company
The TATT Board of Directors is composed of public, private and civic leaders from across the 10-county Upstate region. TATT board members are charged with representing the region and their community in fostering trust and collaboration across the region on issues of regional significance, serving as an advocate for regional thinking within their specific city or county, assisting TATT in engaging elected officials, business and community leaders, and supporting general organizational functions.
One of Ten at the Top’s focus areas for 2019 will be convening various stakeholders to address what is becoming a serious problem in South Carolina: a shortage of teachers to meet the growing demand.
Working with Ten at the Top to spearhead this initiative is Ansel Sanders, president and CEO of Public Education Partners, whose mission is “to lead our community in acting collectively to support, strengthen and advance public education and student achievement in Greenville County Schools.” That mission positions Sanders ideally to gather interested parties to address the shortage.
Ten at the Top has for some time been convening district superintendents and business leaders in the Upstate, but it has been with a workforce development focus in the past. The group evolved to include leaders in higher education in an effort to bridge the gap between K-12 and higher education institutions.
After several meetings with representatives from those three sectors, it became clear that the state’s teacher shortage—which is only projected to worsen if steps are not taken to address it—is an issue that needs focused attention.
The problem is two-pronged: the over-all student population in South Carolina public schools has grown by an average of 7,400 students per year over the last 5 years, and higher turn-over and fewer teacher graduates means a diminishing supply of teachers to meet the demand. (For an in-depth analysis of the issue, click here.)
In an effort to get their arms around what is needed to tackle this issue, the group began by forming three committees to address the following:
Understanding the challenge—why is there a shortage? What are teachers actually saying?
Thinking about elevating the profession. How do we better tell the story of teachers? This a marketing strategy, both to potential teachers and the public.
Thinking specifically about teacher retention and recruitment strategies.
The first is important because, Sanders says, the shortage is really a symptom of an underlying problem, and without an understanding of what’s causing it, any measures taken to address it will be ineffective—or at least not as effective as they could be. Teacher pay gets a lot of press, but it is far from the only issue. Public perception of teachers and education is also a factor, as is a lack of stature for the profession, and the 2nd and 3rd committees seek to address those issues.
The key, says Sanders, is “how to elevate, modernize, and professionalize teaching.” What makes a profession a profession? Compensation is a piece of the puzzle, certainly, but it’s also training and the autonomy to do one’s job, as well as the respect that is afforded to other professions, Sanders says. He continues: “We respect them, but do we respect and honor them the way we do, say, our military, or other highly honored professions? Are we telling our own children that they should aspire to be teachers, or are we not?”
Alternate routes to certification are another piece of the puzzle—not to replace the traditional route through colleges of education, but to supplement it as a source of teachers. An added benefit of that is that the pool of teachers entering the profession will have added diversity, with older teachers who have had other professional experience to draw on.
The three committees are just underway and will meet in January and early February and will report to the larger group, called the Education Spectrum Forum, in April. Each has 10-12 members, comprised of K-12, higher education, and business sectors. Although Sanders hopes to engage policymakers, the outcome of the committees is not policy recommendations, but the hope is that policy will emerge from the process.
This group’s efforts are running parallel to legislative efforts, in fact, with education being at the forefront of policy initiatives in Columbia. South Carolina Public Radio reports that Gov. McMaster’s budget recommendation calls for a 5% pay raise for teachers among other things as part of his promise to fix education in the state. The money to pay for the proposed reforms comes from a budget surplus as well as increased tax revenues from a growing economy. And McMaster promised in his State of the State address to sign into law reform bills that have been proposed in the state assembly.
Ten at the Top and Public Education Partners will continue to focus on this issue throughout 2019 and will continue to use this space to update constituents on the progress.
Located near the town of Walhalla are two of Oconee County‘s top attractions, Stumphouse Tunnel and Issaqueena Falls. Stumphouse Tunnel maintains a near constant 56 degree temperature and is a welcome respite on a hot summer day. Nearby at Issaqueena Falls visitors can enjoy the waterfall and have a picnic at the shady retreat.
Stumphouse Tunnel
In 1852, this railroad tunnel was begun as part of a route that was to go from Charleston to Knoxville and eventually on to Cincinnati. Fifteen hundred workers, mostly Irish immigrants, worked twelve hours a day, six days a week using only sledge hammers, hand drills, and black powder to carve out the hard granite from Stumphouse Mountain. It’s been said that the Mountain defeated the Rail Line because in 1859 lack of funds interrupted construction and then the Civil War brought construction to a halt. There were various efforts by the Blue Ridge Railroad to revive the tunnel construction but it never came to fruition.
In the 1950s, a professor at Clemson University realized that the constant fifty-six degrees with 85% humidity conditions of the tunnel were ideal for making blue cheese. They used the tunnel to perfect the curing process for several years before it was moved back to the college.
Today the 1617 foot-long tunnel is one of the most visited sites in South Carolina. It’s considered somewhat of an oddity and a monument to pre-Civil War engineering. When visiting, be sure to take a flashlight as the tunnel is very dark, and don’t disturb the bats overhead. In recent years, there have been some falling rocks near the airshaft so a gate has been installed and you can only go about 50 yards into the tunnel.
Issaqueena Falls
This waterfall is named for a Creek Indian maiden named Issaqueena who had been captured by the Cherokees. She met and fell in love with a white trader named Allan Francis. When she learned that the Cherokee were planning an attack on the fort where her beloved lived, she warned the white settlers. When the Cherokee came after her, Issaqueena saw them coming and, knowing that they believed evil spirits lived in waterfalls, she pretended to jump over the falls but instead she hid on a ledge behind the falls. She remained there until they were gone and it was safe, thus tricking her pursuers.
There is a short, easy walking trail that leads to an overlook where you can view the 200-foot cascading falls.
Blue Ridge Railroad Trail
If you’re feeling adventurous, the Blue Ridge Railroad Trail at Issaqueena Falls is one of the lesser trekked trails in Oconee County. It’s marked by a small sign and yellow trail blazers. The moderately strenuous trail is about 4.5 miles round trip and follows along the railroad grade approach to Stumphouse Tunnel. Be prepared with bug spray as some of the trail is a little overgrown and spiders and ticks are prevalent.
Museums are a great way to learn about a small slice of history—and from trains to baseball to kitchen gadgets to Cherokee Nation history, there are some fascinating museums big and small in various corners of the Upstate that are worth checking out.
For art lovers, there are a few not-to-be-missed museums in the area, like the Greenville County Museum of Art, which has the largest collection of Andrew Wyeth watercolors of any public museum in the world; and the Spartanburg Art Museum at the Chapman Cultural Center in Spartanburg, whose current exhibit, In Their Element, explores the four basic elements—earth, fire, water, and air—as metaphors for life.
The Bob Jones University Museum and Gallery, whose collection includes 420 religious-themed paintings by masters such as Rubens, Botticelli, and Honthorst and more than 1,000 antiquities spanning 37 centuries, is currently closed for renovations, but there are still ways you can see parts of the collection in the meantime.
For kid-friendly museum exploration, visit the Spartanburg Science Center, full of interactive exhibits, live animals, bones and fossils, and educational displays, or the Children’s Museum of the Upstate—which has a second location in Spartanburg—where kids (and grown-ups) can explore art, music, water, movement, and more.
General Store Museum: a recreation of England’s General Merchandise store, with genuine historic artifacts (127 E. Main Street, Westminster, SC; open Thursday–Saturday 11:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.)
Bob Campbell Geology Museum: more than 10,000 rocks, minerals, and fossils plus paleontological exhibits (140 Discovery Lane, Clemson, SC; open Monday–Sunday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.)
Hub City Railroad Museum: housed in the depot building, displays include railroad artifacts as well as items that would have been shipped by railroad (298 Magnolia Street, Spartanburg, SC; open Wednesday and Saturday, 10 a.m.–2 p.m.)
Miller Bible Museum at North Greenville University: A collection of rare printed Bibles, including a tiny Bible only an inch and a half tall (7801 N. Tigerville Road, Tigerville, SC; call 864-977-7091 for hours)
The Historic Belton Train Depot houses two different museums: The Ruth Drake Museum’s holdings include all kinds of artifacts of domestic life, from kitchen gadgets to farm implements, and the South Carolina Tennis Hall of Fame includes portraits of inductees, and plenty of other tennis memorabilia. (100 N. Main Street, Belton, SC; open Wednesday–Saturday; call 864-338-7400 for hours)
Spartanburg’s Chamber of Commerce is serious about supporting its local businesses, creating the Spartanbucks program to encourage spending in the community. So far, 24 local merchants have signed on to the program, and $40,000 worth of Spartanbucks have been purchased—with that much more pledged to be purchased between five different companies.
While individuals have purchased Spartanbucks in the form of gift cards, the bulk of what has been purchased and committed has come from corporations for employee gifts and bonuses. Just as important, though, is getting merchants to sign on so that recipients have a number of options to choose from in spending their bucks.
Shauna Axelrod, executive assistant at the Spartanburg Chamber and Spartanbucks point person, says, “As we grow this, it’s ideal that we grow both merchants and employers. We’d like to make it as big as possible, and at the end of the day, it’s just putting a lot of money back into the community, which is great.”
Right now, in the beginning stages of the program, the participating merchants are almost all in the downtown area, but Axelrod says she hopes as the program grows, merchants across the county will participate as well.
Many of the merchants are restaurants, but Spartanbucks can also be spent at the Chapman Cultural Center and the Children’s Museum of the Upstate, as well as at local retail stores.
Recipients will get a link sent either to their phone or their email, and that link will contain the list of participating merchants. With the link, they’ll have either a printed gift certificate or an electronic one on their phone, and that gives the merchant a credit card number to run.
On the merchant side, the credit card number is sent to the store via a link, and once a ten-cent transaction is run using the number, they are set up with the Spartanburg Chamber as a participating merchant—so customers can’t simply use that credit card number at Wal-mart or another non-participating store.
For level 1 chamber members, the cost is $100 per year; for those at level 2 and above, it is complimentary as part of their chamber investment. Non-members may also participate for an annual fee of $250.
The back end of the program is run through a company called Yiftee, which provides Local First gift card services for any community that wants to commit to keeping money local, supporting local businesses. There is a per-merchant fee, and Yiftee requires 12 participating merchants to set up the program. The Spartanbucks program is a simple one, with no physical cards, but branded merchant cards are available through Yiftee for a monthly fee.
To become a participating merchant or to find out more about using Spartanbucks as an employee reward system, contact Shauna Axelrod at (864) 594-5011 or email her at saxelrod@spartanburgchamber.com.
The first is important because, Sanders says, the shortage is really a symptom of an underlying problem, and without an understanding of what’s causing it, any measures taken to address it will be ineffective—or at least not as effective as they could be. Teacher pay gets a lot of press, but it is far from the only issue. Public perception of teachers and education is also a factor, as is a lack of stature for the profession, and the 2nd and 3rd committees seek to address those issues.
the Education Spectrum Forum, in April. Each has 10-12 members, comprised of K-12, higher education, and business sectors. Although Sanders hopes to engage policymakers, the outcome of the committees is not policy recommendations, but the hope is that policy will emerge from the process.
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And, of course, there are plantations and historic homes that preserve history so visitors can step back in time: the 
On the merchant side, the credit card number is sent to the store via a link, and once a ten-cent transaction is run using the number, they are set up with the Spartanburg Chamber as a participating merchant—so customers can’t simply use that credit card number at Wal-mart or another non-participating store.