CLARENDON SUN Striped Bass Festival is back for 39th year SERVING SOUTH CAROLINA SINCE OCTOBER 15, 1894 Event has parade, rides, FRIDAY, APRIL 20, 2018 75 CENTS tournament and more A7 ‘I’m sorry to the family’ Parents of victim, accused devastated at 1st appearance hearing over fatal armed robbery BY ADRIENNE SARVIS Jaelon Jackson, 21, who is accused and aunt, her voice cracking, as leaned on the shoulder of Good- [email protected] of fatally shooting 17-year-old she left the courtroom. man’s father. Joshua Goodman during an at- Looking at the other grieving The tears continued as Jackson’s Though only one person died tempted armed robbery on Sun- family through tearful eyes, Jack- mother left the courtroom with her during a shooting on Sunday, the day, ended with the families of son’s mother stopped in front of husband by her side. She could be lives of six young people will likely both the victim and defendant the judges’ bench. heard making an emotion-filled plea be cut short, leaving multiple fami- shedding tears Thursday. “I don’t know what happened,” for forgiveness even in the lobby. JACKSON lies grieving. “I’m so sorry,” Jackson’s mother she said. “I’m so sorry.” The first appearance hearing for said to Goodman’s mother, father Goodman’s mother cried as she SEE HEARING, PAGE A4 Bringing learning to LIFE ADMS 2nd in U.S. to use VR, AR headsets BY BRUCE MILLS [email protected] f you go by the idiom “a picture is worth a thousand words,” then Ithe images these gadgets produce “are worth a thousand and then some.” They are Alice Drive Middle School’s new virtual reality and augmented real- ity headsets, and they are redefining the educational process. Virtual reality headsets and viewers have been in the U.S. public education system for a few years now, putting stu- dents into an environment setting and allowing them to visit far-flung corners of the world. But now augmented reality is coming into the mainstream. In AR, the envi- ronment basically comes to you for study, such as holding a 3-D heart in SEE HEADSETS, PAGE A4 PHOTOS BY MICAH GREEN / THE SUMTER ITEM An Alice Drive Middle School student wears a new virtual reality and augmented reality headset. The school is Using augmented reality, students can see only the second in the nation to have the new combination of VR and AR headsets, which will help students 3-D images on their desks to study them. be immersed in their learning at the STEM-accredited school. Demographics study shows 10-year enrollment decline the school board’s Facilities As total county school dis- ment total used in the report F.J. DeLaine, Mayewood’s combined Committee on Thursday. trict enrollment has been basi- was 16,798. Templeton projects In a meeting at the district of- cally flat or slightly declining the district’s enrollment in total would have been 234 students fice, CFO Chris Griner dis- in recent years in Sumter, five years to be 16,562. By 2027- cussed findings and enrollment Templeton projects basically 28, the district’s enrollment BY BRUCE MILLS im superintendent have been projections from the report the same moving forward in forecast is 16,341. That would [email protected] seeing, Sumter School Dis- completed by independent con- its 10-year forecast of enroll- be a decrease of 457 students trict’s chief financial officer sultant Templeton Demograph- ment projections through during the 10-year period, or Describing it as confirma- detailed a recently completed ics, based out of Texas, at the school year 2027-28. tion of what he and the inter- county demographics study to end of last month. The district’s current enroll- SEE ENROLLMENT, PAGE A6 VISIT US ONLINE AT DEATHS, B4 and B5 WEATHER, A12 INSIDE Kenny L. Burroughs Josephine L. Toney Samuel Johnson SUNNY AND COOL 3 SECTIONS, 28 PAGES the .com VOL. 123, NO. 131 Leonard Roberts Sr. Gertrude P. Wilson Audrey E. McCoy Sunny and cooler but Isaac Johnson Sr. Jack H. Abbott David L. Wright pleasant; mostly clear and Classifieds B6 Sports B1 Virginia G. Ardis Joshua T. Goodman Willie Sanders chilly tonight Comics C6 Television C4 Carolyn Brown James Taylor Yvette Morris HIGH 69, LOW 42 Opinion A10 USA Today C1 A2 | FRIDAY, APRIL 20, 2018 THE SUMTER ITEM Call: (803) 774-1226 | E-mail: [email protected] LOCAL BRIEFS FROM STAFF REPORTS Officials: 12-year-old boy found safe Thursday A 12-year-old Furman Middle School student who had been missing since Monday after- noon has been found safe and reunited with his family, offi- cials confirmed. Jakell Simmons was found by a Sumter County Sheriff's Of- fice deputy at a convenience store just before 5 p.m. on April 19, three days after he left his home on April 16 and had not SIMMONS been seen since, according to Ken Bell, public information officer for the agency. Other than being "a little tired," the boy appeared to be fine. A caller reported to authori- ties that a friend had said a PHOTO PROVIDED young boy knocked on their The Mayesville Presbyterian Church invites the public to its fourth Hymn Festival on Sunday, April 29. The church choir will lead the con- door Thursday afternoon ask- gregation in singing hymns by Isaac Watts, known as “the liberator of English hymnody.” Choir members are: front row from left, Angie ing to use the phone, Bell said. Bland, Cyndi Eckley, Jane Watson, Cathy Peake, and director-organist Tammy Williams; back row from left, Jimmy Bland, Gordon Eckley, Deputies began searching Jo Ellen Miller, Jane Hammond. Not pictured are Don DuBose and Marsha Nelson. that area and found the boy at the Kangaroo gas station on Pinewood and Wedgefield roads. Mayesville Presbyterian Church Deputies had been distribut- ing missing posters all day Thursday. “We are just glad that this story had a happy ending,” holding hymn festival on April 29 Sumter County Sheriff Antho- ny Dennis said. “It very easily could have ended badly.” BY IVY MOORE John Calvin, a central figure in the Protestant Reformation. Jakell willingly rode with the Special to The Sumter Item Watts was challenged to write “singable” hymns by his father deputy and was soon-after re- after he complained about the dismal singing of the congre- united with his family. Mayesville Presbyterian Church will continue its tradition gation, who were limited by the fact that Calvin thought only Authorities are still investi- of offering a hymn festival for the community on Sunday, April the words of the Psalms were proper for worship services. gating and talking with the boy 29. Frustrated by this practice, Watts wrote hymns with about his motive for leaving his The 4 p.m. festival at the church is aimed at those who enjoy smooth, even poetic meter and included his own paraphrases Cherryvale home and where he singing hymns, which choir director and organist Tammy Wil- of psalms and even ventured into New Testament themes, spent the past two nights. liams calls “perhaps the most satisfying element of a hymn fes- Williams said, ensuring “that the language was simple and “The main thing,” Dennis tival.” that the theme of each hymn was clearly stated.” As a result, said, “is that this child is safe Participants will have the opportunity “to engage in hearty “Watts is known as ‘the liberator of English hymnody,’” his and home with his family.” singing with a church full of other hymn lovers." songs inspiring the work of such hymn writers as Charles Featured hymn writer Isaac Watts, an Englishman who lived Wesley, she said. Help sought locating from 1674 to 1724, will be present in the person of Linwood The hymn collection “Psalms of David Imitated in the Lan- missing 15-year-old girl Turner for an interview with journalist Paula Preacher, por- guage of the New Testament,” Williams noted, “remains in trayed by Rose Rhodes. In the scenes, Preacher is a reporter for print and available for purchase 299 years after its first publi- the fictional religious newspaper, The Reformed Informer. All cation.” of Turner’s lines will comprise Watts’ own words, taken from Under Williams’ direction, the Mayesville Presbyterian his writings. Church choir will lead the singing and will also present cho- Watts wrote more than 500 hymns in his lifetime. Williams ral settings of two of the hymns. said hymns on the festival program will include favorites “Our The Rev. Brian Peake, pastor of the church for 17 years, God, Our Help in Ages Past,” “Jesus Shall Reign Where’er the said he looks forward to the opportunity to welcome friends Sun,” “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross,” “My Shepherd and visitors. Will Supply My Needs,” “Join All the Glorious Names” and The hymn festival is a free offering to the community, but others. donations are gratefully accepted. Mayesville Presbyterian The Watts family were Dissenters, following the teachings of Church is located at 109 W. Sumter St., Mayesville. PHOTO PROVIDED Zyarriah Myers, right, is thought to have run away with the young man pictured. Lawmakers seek tour of Lee Correctional Institution Sumter County Sheriff's Of- COLUMBIA (AP) — A handful of James Smith and Will Wheeler. "Rath- from having — as the No. 1 security fice is seeking the public's assis- South Carolina lawmakers told state er, we believe it is preventable. Lack of threat behind bars, saying the state tance in locating 15-year-old officials Thursday that they want to action now to stop an incident from oc- wants the ability to utilize technology Zyarriah Myers, who is thought see firsthand the conditions inside a curring in the future would be an inex- that will jam cell signals behind bars.