E-News on the Hill
October 2012

The mission of Thomas Sumter Academy is to develop, in a safe Christian environment, well-rounded individuals who are fully prepared for college and for life.

A Note from Mrs.Nix
Hello Generals!
You’re walking down the halls of our Lower School building, and you see some money, a lot of money, on the beautiful hardwood floors. What do you do? We all know the right answer, but two of our eighth grade Generals lived out our motto, “action, not words”. Ben Janssen (on left) and Eric Lisenby saw the money, picked it up, and immediately turned it in to an administrator. In a day when pressures abound on our young people, it’s nice to know their roots are solid, and their hearts are right. Honor and integrity survive a lot longer than anything they could have bought with that money. Ben and Eric, you are awesome young men, you did the right thing, and we are all very proud to call you Generals!
God’s Peace! Go Generals!
Debbie Nix

Recognition

1st Quarter Honor Roll
Headmaster’s Honor Roll (All A’s)
Class of 2013-Shane Bishop, Jamie Brooks, Emily Burress, Hunter Harwell, Ryan Mitchum and Heath Sharrar
Class of 2014-Drake McCormick and Priya Patel
Class of 2015-Morgan Houde, Sara Jackson and Elizabeth Teague
Class of 2016-Tiffany Daniels, Myles Davis, Christian Gulledge, Ainsley Hutto, Lizzie Lowe, Paula Patel and
Samantha Studer
Class of 2017-Makayla Font
Class of 2018-Payton Houser, Josie Reed and Carmen Silvester
Class of 2019-Isabella Crowe
Class of 2020-Peyton Arrants, Graham Campbell, Ava Claus, Caleb Galloway, Gianna Maldonado and Joseph Mazurek
Class of 2021-Gabriel Harris, Olivia Joyner, Ethan Lisenby and Logan Long
Class of 2022-Sammy Kessinger, Porter Laney, Hayden Lyons, Jax Maldonado and Lucy Wiemer
Class of 2023-Noah Baugh, Ethan Brannon, Makayla Carnino, Torrie Chapman, Isabella Geiser, Emily Holladay, Annie Kessinger, Lillian Lindler, Kassandra Martin, Landyn Stevens, Bryson Watt and Tal Wilkes
Class of 2024-Maiya Allred, Ella Bell, Tyler Bryson, Crickette Chmiel, Connor Claus, Olivia Diller, Aaron Fryar, Isabella Grudzinski, Mary Harper, Ian Harris, Layla Joyner, Jack Kildron, Sam Matthews, Vayda Nygren, Asher Park, Henry Pitts,
Cadin Ragan, Marina Sawyer, Aria Smith and Jacob Wilkerson
Faculty Honor Roll (A’s and B’s)
Class of 2013-Cameron Barnhill, Amanda Brown, Taylor Byars, Joleigh Cadell, Joe Cahill, Katelyn Delbocca, Alex Eidson, Devin Felix, Kennedy Font, Tallon Graham, Fletcher Green, Matthew Holloman, Matthew Martin, Randi McAda, Mari-Douglas Nevels, Joseph Prewitt and John Luke Schumacher
Class of 2014-Kimberly Boswell, Mary Margaret Green, Michal Hoge, Julia Law, Meg McFarland, Caitlin Steele and Annie Willetts
Class of 2015-Elijah Baity, James Bracewell, Sarah Brandt, Daniel Branham, Tanner Brunson, Kayla Chappell, Julie Coffey, Jacob Crotts, Kelsie Decker, Emily DeMonte, Katherine Helms, Hannah Jenkins, Sarah Miles, Kaitlyn Pollock,
Christie Shannon, Carson Turner, Drew Stengel, Christopher White and Noah White
Class of 2016-Audri Bostick, Emma Gaulke, Adrian Hill, Anne-Marie Kildron, Kylie Kistler, Jenna Meadows, Luke Reed, Mary-Kathryn Ross and Brenda Shelton
Class of 2017-Joshua Barnett, Matthew Beymer, Callie Burnette, Ross Campbell, Mason Crowson, Will Crowson, Hannah Denithorne, Ryan Dixon, Caroline Dollard, Haley Fike, Baileigh Harrelson, Devin Harwell, Ben Janssen, Javon Johnson, Eric Lisenby, Nathan Martin, Logan Morris, Ashton Rogers, Tabitha Scruggs and Emily Stacey
Class of 2018-Hunter Arrants, David Crotts, Cameron Davis, Jonathan Dillon, Jana Marie Faircloth, Zachary Fugate, Joshua Galloway, Lindley Hodge, Eli Kessinger, Allie Lindler, Robin Majority, Marley McCormick, Doug Miles, Anna Mock, Connor Mouzon, Mason Studer, Gray Thompson and Ellie White
Class of 2019-Reagan Avery, Sydney Baity, Kayleigh Benenhaley, Karin Brannon, Justin Brown, Cassidy Brunson, Josh Burns, Riley DeLavan, Emily Jackson, Bryce Lyons, Kenzie MacQueen, and Chris Rembert
Class of 2020-Jada Allred, Kayla Balmer, Mercedes Byrd, Matthew Dailey, Cameron Dixon, Jonathan Fike, Joshua Fugate, Caleb Galloway, Autumn Gebler, Ava Guzman, Christopher Hepler, Ellie Hunter, Mackenzie Hyder, Blake Jayroe, Asia King, Madeline Ross and Joshua Sawyer
Class of 2021-Clara Burnette, Caleb Burns, Chase Cato, Rachel Gandhi, Preston Houser, Camryn Hutto and Lizzie Silvester
Class of 2022-Emma Bradley, Madeleine Britton, Stephanie Carges, Jacob Crowe, Landon DeLavan, Hailee-Rhodes Eargle, Libby Gore, Lillian Matthews, Ellie Nygren, Logan Scruggs and Cameron Turner
Class of 2023-Brice Berry, Mack Eades, Riley Hyder, Bryson Porter, Emily Porter, Savanna Price and Chase Rembert
Class of 2024-Levi Balmer, Madison Barnhill, Savannah Byrd, Caleb Hickmon, Jacob Marshall, Logan Wilkes and William Wright

Character Education
TSA’s character education recognition of the character trait “wisdom” was recognized at monthly chapel. They were seniors Jasmine Haynes and Ryan Mitchum; juniors Sydney Long and Drake McCormick; sophomores Morgan
Houde and Noah White; freshmen Jenna Meadows and Luke Reed; eighth graders Matthew Beymer and Caroline Dollard; seventh graders Jonathan Dillon and Carmen Silvester; sixth graders Sydney Baity and Josh Burns; fifth graders Caleb Galloway and Joshua Sawyer; fourth graders Natalie Boswell and Logan Long; third graders; Sammy
Kessinger and Lucy Wiemer; second graders Riley Hyder and Annie Kessinger; first graders Jack Kildron and Layla Joyner; kindergartners Wylie Hutto and Hannan Miner; and fouryear- old kindergarteners Gaige Barker and Matthew Ragan.
October’s Upper School honorees for the character trait of “Gentleness” were seniors Cameron Barnhill and Joleigh
Cadell; juniors Kim Boswell and Annie Willets; sophomores Elijah Baity and Julie Coffey; freshmen Anne Marie Kildron
and Javohn Rodriguez; eighth graders Hannah Denithorne and Devin Harwell; seventh graders Hunter Arrants and Garrett Davis; and sixth graders Isabella Crowe and Landon Rose.

Red Letter Day

TSA started the first National Junior Honor Society this month with the induction of eleven eighth grade students.
Advisors Lynne Newman and Debbie Nix along with President Randi McAda of TSA’s National Honor Society conducted the Induction Ceremony in front of family and friends and the student body. A reception followed in the Lower School library. The first members of TSA’s National Junior Honor Society are Matthew Beymer, Ross Campbell, Mason Crowson, Caroline Dollard, Haley Fike, Makayla Font, Baileigh Harrelson, Devin Harwell, Ben Janssen, Eric Lisenby and Tabitha Scruggs.

Academics
Physics At Work
Students in Physics study the conservation of angular momentum during a recent lab. The students visited the SC State Fair as well during the month to watch some of the theories of physics put into action.

General Skills Cooking
On Friday mornings, TSA’s cafeteria gets taken over during first and second periods by the students in Mr. Mac McLeod’s Generals Skills classes. The students are learning some basic cooking lessons. Many of TSA’s faculty and staff benefit by getting to taste their outcomes. Clemson Extension Agency Mary Caflisch, Clemson Extension Water Resource agent, visited the fourth grade class to discuss water population. Students painted different colors
representing different types of pollutants onto a 3-D model representing the world where they live. The students t watched the “rain” watch the pollutants wash into the local watershed as rain was simulated. The agent was impressed with the questions asked by the students and their excellent behavior. Fine Arts Assembly During a recent assembly, the Upper School got a taste of the vast array of fine arts available to students on campus. From dance to drawing,
Generals showed their talents to their classmates.

Sports
Cross Country
The Cross Country team competed in the State Meet the last weekend of October. The boys finished 7th as a team with individual results of: Jacob Crotts 13th, 19:30*; David Crotts 34th, 22:02*; Sean Davis 36th, 22:55*;
Hunter Harwell 47th, 25:46; Joshua Barnett 50th, 26:22; and Daniel Branham 51st, 26:33*. The girls finished 5th as a team with individual results of: Tabitha Scruggs 16th, 24:15; Jasmine Haynes 25th, 26:39; Atlanta Haynes 28th, 28:31*; Julie Coffey 29th, 28:33*; and Sara Jackson 36th, 30:52*. * indicate personal record

Tennis
The Varsity Girls Tennis team made TSA history with their tie for regional championship and then again with achieving runner-up in the state championship. The Saturday match for the state championship was well attended by TSA fans. The night before the girls had played a long, tough match against Pee Dee Academy that went on for more than five hours.

Equestrian Team
The TSA Equestrian Team competed in a Camden Equine Circuit competition at Dale Theil Stables recently. Seven
Generals brought home ribbons. Winners were Paige Brown, 1st and 5th place ribbons in Walk Trot; Emma Gaulke, two 5th and a 6th place in Long Stirrup; Megan Hanson, a 1st, 2nd, 3rd and Champion in Walk Trot; Michelle Harris, a 2nd, 3rd, and 4th in Cross Rails; Ainsley Hutto, 2nd and 4th places in Walk Trot; Porter Laney, a 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th in Walk Trot, Canter and Cross Rails; and Lillian Lindler, a 4th and 5th ribbon in Walk Trot.

Football
TSA brought home its sixth regional championship the last weekend of October. Traveling to the upstate, the Generals achieved a milestone with this victory.

Senior Night & Pink Out
The parents of senior football players and cheerleaders, along with their students took the field on the last Friday of the month in recognition of the end of their last season. The students presented their parents with roses and many times a kiss on the cheek. The senior cheerleaders performed their senior dance immediately following. This event was held in conjunction with the third annual Pink Out.

General News
See You at the Pole
On September 26, TSA students, family, faculty, and staff gathered around the flagpole to celebrate the annual “See You at the Pole” day. Spirits were raised as prayers were lifted up.

Mini-Cheerleading
Green and gold flashed up and down the halls of Thomas Sumter Academy as little Lady Generals prepared to cheer. After an intense week of jumping, cheering, shouting, and smiling, the Mini Cheerleaders performed before the TSA student body during the pep rally and then again in front of the home crowd at half-time of the football game. Fans of all TSA Generals crowded the stands to cheer on every General on the field, big and little. The mini-cheerleading camp was sponsored by the TSA Varsity Cheerleaders.

Homecoming
TSA celebrated Homecoming on “the Hill” with a jungle theme. The event kicked off with the annual assembly Friday morning. Speakers included Athletic Director and Head football coach, Troy Kessinger, alumnae Leigh Faircloth, class of 1985 and returning 2011 Homecoming Queen, Miss Sara Messier. The freshman representatives were Miss Emma Jane Gaulke and Mr. Jeffrey Luke Reed. Miss Kayla Marie Chappell and Mr. Brian Russell Prewitt were the sophomore representatives. The junior class was represented by Miss Aileen Rose Twohig and Mr. Drake Harrison McCormick. Queen candidates were Miss Jamie Joy Brooks sponsoring Mr. Matthew Ryan Mitchum; Miss Amanda Lee Brown sponsoring Mr. Joseph Bryan Cahill; Miss Emily Caroline Burress sponsoring Mr. Matthew Wayne Holloman; Miss Taylor Fawn Byars sponsoring Mr. William Fletcher Nettles Green; Miss Joleigh Ann Cadell sponsoring Mr. Matthew Nicholas Martin; Miss Kathryn Marie Carey sponsoring Mr. Edward Hunter Grant; Miss Katelyn Elizabeth Delbocca sponsoring Mr. John Luke Schumacher; Miss Kennedy Michelle Font sponsoring Mr. Shane Michael Bishop; Miss Joan Tallon Graham sponsoring Mr. Joseph Albert Prewitt; Miss Jasmine Makana Makamae Mai Kalani Haynes sponsoring Mr. David Austin Hayden; Miss Randy Nicole McAda sponsoring Mr. Devin Luis Felix; Miss Mari-Douglas Nevels sponsoring Mr. Raymond Brantly Gray; and Miss Marjorie Danielle Rye sponsoring Mr. Heath Richard Sharrar. The morning assembly was followed with a parade of banners and the court. The entire student body lined the driveway of the school to watch the banners created by each grade starting with sixth grade through 12th. The evening events featured tailgating, pre-game activities, football, an after-game bonfire, and the presentation of the homecoming court. With General fans of all ages watching, Miss Mari-Douglas Nevels, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Will Silvester, was crowned the 2012 Thomas Sumter Academy Homecoming Queen.

Pancake Breakfast
TSA’s Headmaster’s Advisory Council held their third semiannual fall pancake breakfast on Thursday, October 11 to raise funds for campus beautification. Students cooked a lot of pancakes and sausage, but the effort was well worth it. Parents, grandparents, friends and students came and enjoyed the tasty treat. Raising more than one thousand dollars, the group will start on their selected beautification project.

Fire Safety
Firefighters from Engine 209 at the Thomas Sumter Station visited the students in the fouryear- old kindergarten, kindergarten, and first grade classes. They talked about fire safety as well as what firefighters look like in full gear so
they will not be scared in case they are ever in a fire. The students then got a “tour” of the fire engine.

Drug Safety
Sheriff Deputy Trevor Brown discussed the impact of drugs on the lives of individuals with students in the Middle School during a recent assembly. He brought a display of drug paraphernalia to show students what to avoid touching
if they go to someone’s house and see something. Spencer Caples helped out by taking the display around for others to see up close.

Shuck and Toss
Everyone who attended TSA's First Annual Shuck and Toss had a terrific time! The food was delicious; the corn hole tournament was hilarious; and the atmosphere was relaxed and friendly. It was a great experience for TSA’s first time trying this type of event according to Development Director BJ Reed. Credit for making this possible goes to:
Mrs. Christi Brunson (Tanner-10th and Cassidy-6th) and Mrs. Glenda Johnson (grandmother of Tanner and Cassidy) who opened their beautiful plantation, BridleStone, for TSA’s use. Mike and Yvonne Gainey (Grayce-3rd) helped solicit food donations, cooked the Low County Boil, and helped in coordination of the pig pickin'. Barry Ray (Amethyst-6th) provided the hog for the pig pickin'. Lenny Nelson, grandfather of Lexi Farmer- K4 and Christopher Farmer-K3, for his
time and preparation in cooking the hog. Jake Crowe (Bella-6th and Jacob-3rd) for his hard
work in preparing the steamed oysters and his guidance in planning the event. Congratulations to Mike Gainey and Steve Guzman for winning the Corn Hole Tournament. If you were not able to make it this year, mark your calendar to attend the 2013 Shuck and Toss.

Trivia Night Huge Success
The semi-annual Upper School Trivia Night was another huge success and provided loads of fun for students, parents, and faculty. With teams made up of students, parents and teachers, the competition was rather stiff. Everyone had a great time as consolation prizes or special prizes for really hard questions were given out to various teams.

Phone-a-Thon
The fall Phone-a-Thon finished on Tuesday, October 30. The students received more than $15,000 in pledges from current parents, grandparents, alumni, alumni parents, alumni grandparents, and friends. Thanks to all the students who volunteered to work and to all who pledged their support.

Welcome New Generals
During the month of October, TSA welcomed six new students to ‘the Hill.’ They are 3-yearold Addy Stimets, first grader Owen Stimets, fifth grader Madison Evans, ninth grader Anaz Bose, ninth grader Grace Scott and tenth grader Tyler Grant.

Alumni Corner
Calling all TSA Alumni!!! We love you and want to keep up with you. Please send us any news and/or pictures about what’s happening in your lives so that we can share it with our TSA family. Send email addresses as well so you can receive our monthly E-news. You can send it to tsa.generals@thomassumter.org. Please let other graduates know about our Alumni Corner!

Class of 2007
Erik Stegall graduated Summa Cum Laude from USC in May 2012 with a degree in Criminal Justice. Erik also was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in the US Army and will be entering the Medical Services Branch.

Class of 2011
Meagan Cain was inducted into the Phi Eta Sigma National Honor Society in September. She is a junior at the College of Charleston where she is double majoring in Cultural Anthropology and Studio Art with a concentration in Photography.

Patrick Stegall is a sophomore at USC. He was named to the Dean’s List his freshman year and is on a full military scholarship with plans to enter the medical field. He also became a 4th generation member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity, following his 3rd generation father, Larry Stegall and uncle, Donnie Stegall, his 2nd generation grandfather, Paul Frets, and 1st generation great, great uncle Joe Frets.

Alex Williams made the Dean’s List for the spring semester. She is studying nursing at Clemson University.

Class of 2012
Jordan Warren was recently chosen to be featured in some of Anderson University’s Dance
department marketing materials.

E-News Quote of the Month
“But Thanksgiving is more than eating, Chuck. You heard what Linus was saying out there. Those early Pilgrims were thankful for what had happened to them, and we should be thankful, too. We should just be thankful for being together. I think that's what they mean by 'Thanksgiving,' Charlie Brown.”
- Marcie from “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving”