Car Accident Attorney inGramling, SC

District 1 Schools recently announced its 2012-13 Teachers of the Year for each school and the Teacher of the Year.

Teacher of the Year for District One Schools and Chapman High School Teacher of the Year is Mrs. Erin Gramling, English/ language arts. Gramling is a graduate of the University of South Carolina Upstate, has a master's degree in education and has been teaching for seven years, all at Chapman High.

Gramling teaches ninth and 10th grades and serves as cheerleading coach for the Chapman Competitive Cheer Squad. She is married to Trey Gramling.

Mrs. Gramling says, “With support, a student can be successful. I want to teach because I have an opportunity to give, selflessly, every day. Teaching is rewarding because my heart almost bursts with happiness when I am able to help children believe in themselves. Since I am only one person, the reality that I am expected to be the teacher, parent, mentor and counselor for each child is overwhelming. Since I rely on prayer to guide me through life, I am able to achieve a sense of peace as I begin each day.”

Mrs. Anna Hodge is the Campobello-Gramling School Teacher of the Year. She has been the art teacher at Campobello-Gramling School for 12 years and holds a master's degree in education.

The Teacher of the Year for Holly Springs-Motlow Elementary School is Mrs. Melissa Lark, who teaches third grade. Lark has been teaching for 20 years, all at Holly Springs Motlow Elementary. She holds a master's-plus-30 degree.

Mrs. Mary Somers, special education teacher, is Inman Elementary School's Teacher of the Year. She has taught for 32 years, 17 of those at Inman Elementary. She has a master'splus- 30 degree.

Media specialist Amber Keeran is the Teacher of the Year for Inman Intermediate School. She has taught for 26 years as a media specialist, special- education teacher and public library media specialist.

Col. Robert Sanders is the Landrum High School Teacher of the Year. Sanders holds a B.S. in engineering from West Point and a master's degree in counseling from Auburn University. He spent 28 years in the Army and has been an ROTC instructor for eight years.

Landrum Middle School's Teacher of the Year is Mrs. Jackie Putman. Putman has been teaching for 28 years and for six years at Landrum Middle School. She has a master's-plus-30 degree.

Mrs. Tammy Starosto is the Teacher of the Year for Mabry Middle School. Starosto has taught for 28 years and has been a math teacher at Mabry Middle for four years. She holds a master's degree.

O.P. Earle Elementary Teacher of the Year is Ms. Anna Mathis, who teaches fourth grade at O.P. Earle. Mathis holds a B.A. in elementary education and is elementary and middle level math-certified.

Mrs. Gayle Elrod serves as guidance counselor for New Prospect Elementary School and represents the school as Teacher of the Year. Elrod has taught special education for nine years and has been school counselor at New Prospect for five years. She has a master's degree in guidance and counseling.

Teacher of the Year for Swofford Career Center is Mrs. Tracy Thornton, who teaches graphics and printing at the school. She has been in that position for 11 years. She has degrees from Spartanburg Community College and career certification from Clemson University.

The Teachers of the Year were honored by the District 1 Board of Trustees at a dinner in their honor on Aug. 13. Each teacher received a name plaque to be placed outside the classroom door identifying him or her as Teacher of the Year. They were also recognized at the annual District 1 Convocation of all staff on Aug. 16.

Call, email or mail Ashley Dill at:

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-- Town Square, Herald-Journal, P.O. Box 1657, Spartanburg, SC 29304

Ben Gramling built his reputation in the Lowcountry on the residential side of the real estate business, developing one of the largest and fastest-growing master-planned communities in the state. In the past eight years, however, Gramling Brothers Real Estate & Development has moved boldly into commercial development, especially in Mount Pleasant.

The company, originally based in the Upstate, has purchased four tracts of land along Coleman Boulevard. Construction on buildings that will house restaurants and office space is well underway on two of them.

A three-story building is scheduled to be completed by the end of this year where Coleman Boulevard and Lansing and Broadway streets intersect. Further east, at the site of the former Fonduely Yours restaurant, construction on a two-story, 12,000-square-foot building is moving along on schedule.

Gramling Brothers also owns the location of the now-defunct Boulevard Diner and the properties behind and beside it, as well as the Peach Orchard Plaza, a shopping center bounded on the east by the other end of Broadway, which forms a semi-circle that touches Coleman in two places.

Gramling, a third-generation builder and developer, is well aware of the controversy that surrounds Mount Pleasant’s off-the-charts growth, and he said he intends to remain above the fray. He’s not taking sides.

“Building is a very delicate process,” he commented.

“We want to maintain the character of the town. Our goal is to do the right thing.”

Mikell Harper, vice president of business development for Gramling Brothers, explained why the company decided to play a key role in the development of Coleman Boulevard.

“It’s the heart of the town,” Harper said. “When people come to visit Mount Pleasant, they come to Shem Creek, which is ground zero for it all. Businesses want to be there and people want to live there.”

The building at Lansing, Broadway and Coleman, across the street from Metto Coffee & Tea, will be the new home of The Kickin’ Chicken restaurant and will serve as the headquarters of Ameris Bank. Gramling said the third floor of the 30,000-square-foot building has not yet been rented. The developer also owns the land behind the building, which will be 50 feet tall, five feet more than the current maximum at most places on Coleman. When Gramling Brothers bought the property, the limit was 55 feet.

Despite the unexpected zoning change, Gramling Brothers is satisfied that the property will turn out to be a good investment. A traffic light already in place will provide easy access for tenants and customers of the restaurant.

“It’s a good corner. When we bought it, there were plans for landscaped medians in the center of the road, so there was a premium on signalized intersections. We had a hunch this would be a valuable property,” Harper said.

The Granary, a restaurant currently located in the Belle Hall Shopping Center, will be moving to the building that once was home to Fonduely Yours. Gramling said Dunes Properties and Hibbits Insurance also are renting space there.

Harper said there are no firm plans yet for the Boulevard Diner property, which includes an office building and Automotive Excellence, a business that has been in that location since 2001. He pointed out that one of Gramling’s partners, Roberts Perry Miller (RPM), The Kickin’ Chicken’s parent company, has moved into the office building behind the former restaurant, and that the auto repair shop would remain, for now, on a short-term lease.

The same is true for the tenants in Peach Orchard Plaza, where Gramling’s partner is Rusty Bennett. Harper said they all are on leases of five years or shorter.

According to Harper, Gramling Brothers currently is working on “six to 10” commercial ventures in the Charleston area, including two hotels and an office building downtown, a shopping center in West Ashley and projects on Savannah Highway, Folly Road and Main Street in Summerville. Gramling made his original mark in the Lowcountry in residential construction, developing Cane Bay Plantation, a 4,500-acre master-planned community in Berkeley County consisting of several distinct neighborhoods that eventually will be home to around 7,500 families. Gramling Brothers donated the land for Cane Bay’s elementary, middle and high schools.

Gramling Brothers also developed Reverie on the Ashley, a condominium community on the Ashley River; and Arbor Oaks, Summerhaven and Summer Park, all located in Summerville.

About six to eight years ago, according to Gramling, the company expanded its focus and started looking at the commercial side of Lowcountry real estate. The company’s penchant for “creating comfortable, safe, convenient and beautiful communities that people can proudly call home,” according to its website, apparently has carried over to its commercial projects.

“I’m inspired by Ben’s passion for what he does,” said Kelly Seger, who has served as Gramling Brothers’ director of marketing since 2009. “He thinks about things from every angle. He does what’s best for all involved. It’s great to work with someone who cares so much about what he does.”

Harper, like Gramling, a Charleston resident, echoed her sentiments.

“We live here. He can’t run and hide from something we’re responsible for. We intend to be proud of whatever we build,” he commented.

By Brian Sherman

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With the fall sports season winding down, it's time to look forward to the basketball season. Here's a look at some of the top girls basketball players from the Spartanburg area to watch in the 2022-23 season.

Note: Stats were submitted by coaches or found on MaxPreps or Hudl. Players are listed in alphabetical order.

KaDerrah Beason, Forward

High Point, Sr.

Beason led High Point in scoring with 17.7 points a game, while adding 6.4 rebounds and a berth to the Upper State championship game. With guard Adiyah Owens graduating, Beason will most likely continue to carry the scoring load for the Grizzlies and could add a layer to her game as a playmaker for new coach Jamaal Brown.

Savannah Brown, Center

Landrum, Jr.

Brown led Landrum with 11 points, 4.5 rebounds, and two assists per game and was the driving force behind a young Cardinals team making a run to the AA Upper State championship game. Brown's handle, size and scoring ability from anywhere on the court is what makes her a special player.

Sadie Burnette, Guard

Woodruff, So.

As a freshman, Burnette led the wolverines in scoring averaging 11.8 points a game, while adding 4.6 rebounds and 3.2 steals. With Burnette leading the way, Woodruff also brings back four of its top five scorers and should lean on her scoring but will also force defenses to stay honest when playing the Wolverines.

Te'Ericka Dowling, Guard

Byrnes, So.

The all-region team selection returns to Byrnes for her Sophomore season after averaging 12.3 points, 5.7 rebound, 2.2 assists and 2.3 steals a game. Dowling should have more opportunity to be the primary offensive weapon for Byrnes as scoring leader Savannah Porterfield has graduated.

Dasia Ferguson, Forward

Dorman, Sr.

Ferguson is the top returning scorer and rebounder from a great 2020-21 Dorman team, averaging 11.4 points, 7.5 rebound and 3.2 steals for the Cavaliers. Ferguson is a defensive stopper, constantly causing turnovers and crashing the defensive boards to end possessions, but this season with both of Dorman's leading scorers graduating, she'll need to increase her production on the offensive end for new coach Ashlen Dewart Dorn.

Annabella Foster, Forward

Blacksburg, Jr.

Foster was a force for Blacksburg in the middle of its offensive and defensive structures as a sophomore last year, averaging 7.4 points, 10.2 rebound and 3.3 steals. With scoring leader Tyty Tate graduating, there is a clear void on the offensive end for the Wildcats that Foster has the ability to fill.

Clara Gramling, Forward

Chapman, Sr.

Gramling averaged 15.8 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.3 steals last season for a Chapman team that returns most of its roster. Expect Gramling to help lead an improved Panthers team with her scoring and experience.

Leah Page, Forward

Gaffney, Sr.

Page is a versatile big guard/forward that can put the ball in the basket and find her teammates, she averaged 13.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists for a Gaffney team that finished 2nd in the region, and should be favored to win the region this season.

Shyrique Parker

Gaffney, Jr.

Along with Page, Parker was another big reason for Gaffney's success last season, averaging 16 points, 7.9 rebounds and 3.2 steals -- leading the team in scoring and rebounding.

Olivia Martin, Center

High Point, Sr.

Martin returns to High Point as one of the top interior players in the area, the senior averaged a double-double last season, 11.8 points and 10.3 rebounds a game. The front-court combo of Beason and Martin will be one the deadliest in the area and in all of the 1-A classification.

Krislyn Wilder, Guard

Chapman, So.

Wilder lead Chapman as a freshman in scoring, assists and steals with 16.6 points, 4.8 assists, and 2.4 steals a game while adding 6.8 rebounds.

Josie Workman, Forward

Byrnes, Sr.

The North Greenville commit and all-region selection, Workman averaged 12.3 points, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks and 1.9 steals last season for Byrnes. Along with Dowling, Workman should be one of the go-to scorers and leaders for the Rebels team this season.