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INSIDE THIS SECTION:
? Brides , Page 2
m ROCAME winners, 7
RICKY JONES (in photo above) flashes his characteristic smile as
he crosses the finish lime in the last slate of the obstacle course.
In photo below, watchful eyes observe the technique of Thomas
Armstrong Jr. as he takes a shot iu the soccer kicking competition.
Shown {from left) art Wayne Boyd, instructor Rita Long, Dale
James, Timothy Biouir and Armstrong.
ENJOYING the action while awaiting their turns to compete are (from left) Trina Bland, Timothy Russ, Brian McMillan, Kelt)
Humphrey, Mary Holmes, Kelvin Williams , Robert Stanley, Debbie Andrews, Shane Stsnley and Randy Cheers.
A Special Day
With Special People
BY ERIC CARLSON
? t was the perfect spotting event
I Everyone who took put ?
they competed, helped
out or just watched ? came home a
winner from the first annual Chal
lenge Day at Brunswick Community
College Friday morning.
The event, co-sponsored by the
Brunswick Interagency Program
(BIF) and the county Parks and
Recreation Department, brought
about 65 sdults with developmental
disabilities out for a day of friendly
fun and minted competition.
There was a soccer-ball kick
(with points for distance and accura
cy), a tennis-ball throw, basketball
shooting, a football toss, a walking
race and a challenging obstacle
course.
Happy faces, wide smiles and
peals of laughter were the order of
the day, with competitors exchang
ing shouts of encouragement, pats
on the back, cheers for winning ef
forts and hugs for valiant attempts.
"It's hard to say who had more
fun," said B1P worker Itinera
LeGette. "I think it was more of a
challenge for toe instructors than the
students. They just jumped right in
and had a ball!"
The BIP students attend classes at
the college five days a week, just
iike any ixbcr scbooi. They take
ccsiiscs is iSMyi ?y' i r mSiir^
social science, community living,
health and consumer and vocational
education. The classes are designed
to enhance their personal indepen
dence by helping each participant
reach his U her ultimate potential.
An adult developmental activity
program is also offered, helping stu
dents gain confidence in the chal
lenges of day-to-day living through
wotk activi
ties and arts and crafts programs.
through
BY BILL PAVER
Thaw of us who have seen the beach i
the liking heads of the
know how beautiful that scene can
be. We also know how important
those sea oats can be 10 helping pro
tect the dune structure at our de
fense against the relentless sea. Sea
: plants.
When storms do come, the long
network of toots from sea oats and
other dune plants often hold fast
rAVU and stabilize the sand. Even when
erosion occurs, the sea oats roots often remain to begin
(he process of rebuilding the dunes.
Dunes begin in the ocean when waves push loose
<utnd in the shore. The wet sand dries out in the sun and
wind carries small particles of dry sand over the land.
When an object is encountered on the beach, such as a
clump of grass, a shell, a piece of driftwood or litter,
the wind slows and drops s part of the sand it was car
rying. When grass traps the sand, the plant will grow
and spread and more sand will be trapped. Eventually a
hump of sand will be formed on the beach around the
clump of grass. As the process continues, clumps be
come joined and a dune system is formed.
Sometimes it is necessary to expedite the process by
pushing up sand, *^'ng storm fence, Aim
grasses. Though sea oats ate difficult to trausptant, they
arc native io our area and wiii grow well if Riven die
right conditions.
Donna Guyer sums up the value of sea oats in her
poem:
In tangled miles of grass they bind the sand,
their roots caught firmly in uncertain sod.
David before Goliath, sling in hand,
each (wk the ocean i anger starts to boil
On guard against and unremitting sea,
this fragile army curtsies agatnst the wind
with tufts aloft, part of the beach debris,
where land and water war, undisciplined
You on the shore, taking a traveler !t troll,
thinking pff hnn* fn bfitg 5J"!f Psiic
leave undisturbed this halanre of patrol ?
destroying sea oats widens the attack.
In combat, when the greatest will subdue,
the weak may be the stronger of the two.
Sea oats are not only important for the beauty of sun
sets and sea oats at day's end, but for the role they play
in stabilizing this special place where sunsets are the
tiKMt beautiful.
INSTRUCTOR Joy Knotts (in photo above) helps Lisa Cheers as
she maneuvers her wheetbamm toward the obstacle course finish
tine. In photo at right, Shane Stanley responds to comments from
the peanut gallery as he prepares to take a shot in the soccer kick.
Their artistic endeavors are going so
weli that program organizers are
thinking about opening a shop to
market the students' creations.
Nearly half of the program's 75
participants hold part-time jobs. The
college catetena is operated largely
by 51? sradcats. Oteis wo* for a
yard crew that does mowing and
landscaping work at the school and
at public buildings and private
homes around the county.
Several of the students hold regu
lar jobs in the community ? like
Kelvin William, who makes burg
ers and biscuits at the Hardee's
restaurant in Southport.
Be? !ik? sflyns; sfe nils isus
of their time at school or work, the
BIP students enjoy a break every
now and then. So they often pile into
vans for group outings like their trip
to the circus in Fayetteviile last {all
or their recent tour of the North
Carolina Aquarium at Ft Fisher.
II* Brunswick Challenge Day ?
an adult version of the Special
Olympics ? was planned as another
opportunity for BIP students to get
together and enjoy themselves with
their classmates outside the school
setting.
And enjoy themselves they did.
Each student received a T-shirt (pro
vided by the Parks and Recreation
Department) and a certificate ot ymt
ticipation. Ribbons were awarded to
itt fuai, wwni, intra and fourth
place finishers in each event, so
everyone went home with a prize.
Competition was intense but
light-hearted, with the students hav
ing as much fun rooting each other
on as they did during their own at
tempts. Parks and recreation work
ers, BIP instructors and volunteers
cheered right along with them, lend
ing a hand or a bit of encouragement
whenever necessary.
With all the enthusiasm, it wasn't
surprising to hear them talk about
how mudi they enjoy their jobs.
"When you work with these folks,
you can never say you've seen it all
or heard it all. Because as sure as
you do, they'll come up with some
thins else that will Mirnri?t von "
LeGette said. "There's never a dull
day at BIP."
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