Roof Repair in Holly Hill, SC

The ceremony was attended by Orangeburg County School District Superintendent Shawn Foster, school board members, faculty, students and community members.

Several speakers at the ceremony thanked the community for supporting the $190 million bond, which included funding for the new school. Voters approved the bond issue in November 2022.

“Welcome to what you have done, because as a community, if you did not buy into Dr. Foster’s vision, you would not have voted for the bond referendum,” Orangeburg County School Board member Betty Pelzer said.

“So I want to say thank you for buying into Dr. Foster’s vision. I want to say thank you for buying into the needs of the students of this community.”

Faculty and students from each of the three area schools that will be consolidated into the new facility upon its completion – Holly Hill Elementary, St. James Gaillard Elementary and Vance-Providence Elementary – spoke at the event, including the principals of all three schools.

“For the past 69 years, our school has done her job well,” Avaeh Pratt, a student at St. James-Gaillard Elementary School, said. “Saying goodbye will be difficult and we will have a mixture of nerves and excitement as we prepare to walk the halls of the new facility. When our students see their new building, new desks and new materials, it will really make it all worth it.”

The school will cost up to $40 million and house 750 students upon opening, with the possibility of expanding further. Construction was previously reported to be scheduled for completion in 2025.

Many said the school would not only positively impact the students, but the wider community as well.

St. James-Gaillard Principal Keonia Gillard said the new facility would be “a pillar of our community for decades to come.”

“If you know me, you know I’ve been born and raised right here in this community,” Latanya Durant, principal at Vance-Providence Elementary, said. “In my 40-plus, almost 50 years of being here, I think this is very historical, because I’ve never witnessed a brand new elementary school being built for the children and I’m very proud to be a part of this process.”

Holly Hill Principal Johnnie Smith said students were excited about the new school being built when he talked to them in a class the day before the groundbreaking.

“And with all the distractions out there, anything that gets our students excited about learning is nothing less than phenomenal,” Smith said.

Allen Taylor, principal architect with the new school’s designers LS3P, said the ongoing construction will not only provide state-of-the-art facilities for the students, but also give them a chance to see STEAM (science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics) throughout construction.

Many speakers thanked Foster for his role in getting the school funded and built, but he did not want to take the credit himself, he said.

“It isn’t about me,” he said. “I appreciate the sentiments, but I’ll tell you I’m not that great to do this alone.”

Aside from the financial support from the community through the bond, Foster thanked the sacrifice from staff of the three schools who may not have a job after the consolidation in the new building.

“There’s always a concern about my livelihood,” Foster said. “Who’s going to be here? What am I going to do? So it shows an even greater investment from the adults at the three schools to say ‘I’m going to take a step even when I can’t see the stairway,’ as Martin Luther King said, because I know that what’s best for those little people is most important and everything else will work itself out. So I thank them for trusting us. Not only with their dollars, but with their livelihoods and with their teachers.”

“We’re going to continue to make sure we consider those things and consider the sacrifices that they made as well. We owe it to them because they are then putting in an even greater sacrifice for those young voices you heard earlier,” Foster said.

As of December 2022, the existing Holly Hill Elementary buildings were planned for demolition, The T&D previously reported.

While many were excited for the new facilities, some faculty, students and parents were also nostalgic for the original, existing structures, said Joseph Brown, school counselor and 36-year-employee at Holly Hill Elementary.

“It’s kind of bittersweet,” Brown said. “I always thought I would retire from Holly Hill Elementary, and I really considered doing that, but I said, ‘No, I think I’m gonna stick around just to see the transition.’ Because change is always good. I’m very excited, mainly for the kids, because they will get the opportunity to be in a new, upscale building with the latest technology, latest equipment and give them the opportunity to compete with kids from all around the state and all around the country.”

Correction:

The story “This is very historical,” which appeared on page A1 in Tuesday's edition incorrectly said remarks were made by a student from Vance-Providence Elementary.

It should have said the remarks were made by by Avaeh Pratt, a student at St. James-Gaillard Elementary School.

We apologize for the error.

ORANGEBURG COUNTY, S.C. (WCSC) - The family of a woman who has been missing since August says they are infuriated after finding exposed remains they believed to be hers.

Melissa Aguilar, 49, of Holly Hill, was last in contact with family on Aug. 17, according to Orangeburg County Sheriff Leroy Ravenell.

Aguilar’s sister, Sarah Shipman, says investigators told her Thursday that remains were found in Holly Hill, less than half a mile from Aguilar’s home.

After asking neighbors for an approximate location, she and Aguilar’s two daughters, Brittany Ranew and Shanna Brown, went to the site the next day, hoping for closure.

“As I was hugging my nieces and consoling them, I looked down and found my sister’s jawbone between my feet,” Shipman says.

After rushing her nieces out of the woods, Shipman says she returned to the site.

“I went back out there to see if that was what I had really seen, I found her dental work and close to 20 more pieces of my sister that they had walked over and left behind,” she says.

The Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office has not confirmed the remains are Aguilars. They say they’ve been sent to SLED for processing and identification.

“We know her smile, and that smile was in the dirt, and you don’t unsee that, and you know someone’s smile,” she says.

Shipman says investigators promised to collect the rest of the remains Monday. When she and Brown returned to the scene Tuesday, they found what appeared to be several more bones and a tooth.

“I knew, there was something telling me there was more,” Shipman says.

They immediately altered authorities again.

Ranew describes her mother as the glue of the entire family.

“It’s hard to list all the amazing things about her because she was so much more than anyone could describe,” Ranew says.

Brown says there are no words to describe the pain of losing a mother.

“My 6-year-old is constantly asking me, ‘Why is Mamie on the news?’ and then my 1-year-old is not going to remember her. I’m going to have to remind him of who she was, she’s going to miss my wedding day,” Brown says.

Shipman says the lack of care from the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office through the entire investigation has “traumatized” their family.

“If the Sheriff’s Department is not capable of doing a job correctly, leaving my sister behind, they should own up and call in outside resources,” Shipman says.

The Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office did not respond to the family’s claim that they mishandled the investigation.

“The investigation into Ms. Melissa Aguilar going missing is an active and ongoing investigation,” Sheriff Leroy Ravenell said in an email. “We are still asking the public for any information regarding Ms. Aguilar. If you have any information in this case, you are urged to contact us.”

Copyright 2024 WCSC. All rights reserved.

HOLLY HILL, S.C. – (WIS) As the family of an Orangeburg County woman, who went missing four months ago, seeks answers, the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office is releasing new information about the case.

The Sheriff’s Office said Friday in a statement that it put out a public call for leads this week after an “unconfirmed report of a possible sighting.”

Melissa Aguilar of Holly Hill was reported missing by an ex-boyfriend on August 18, a Sheriff’s Office report states.

Investigators believe she left a home Fourwind Road, which is an unincorporated area of Orangeburg County, after an argument with her ex.

Aguilar’s youngest daughter Shanna Brown told WIS in a Friday interview that the last four months have been excruciatingly painful.

Brown said she used to speak with her mother every day, and the fear of the unknown has caused her so much “anger, heartache, and worry.”

“It’s been really hard trying to juggle a job and put on a smile and act like nothing’s wrong when there’s so much wrong,” she said.

Brown described her last conversation with her mother on August 17, the night before she was reported missing.

During that phone call, Aguilar sounded upbeat and happy, Brown said.

Aguilar was excited about her oldest daughter’s upcoming wedding in September, and the pair discussed Brown’s future wedding plans as well, Brown added.

Immediately following her disappearance, the Sheriff’s Office shared the information with the local newspaper, but did not put out a public release through its official channels, nor send the information to other news outlets like WIS.

On Friday, the Sheriff’s Office provided written answers to some questions, but an investigator familiar with the case was not made available for an on-camera interview.

The department did not provide any specifics about who reported the “unconfirmed report of a possible sighting,” when this happened and where.

Family members, however, say they fear Aguilar is gone.

“She would’ve come back by now, or at least called somebody,” Brown said.

Sarah Shipman, Aguilar’s sister, agrees, and said she does not believe that her sibling would vanish without her belongings, and miss important family events.

There was a law enforcement presence at Aguilar’s last known location, the place she was staying with her ex-boyfriend on Fourwind Road, throughout the morning on Friday.

The Sheriff’s Office said they could not explain why so they do not “jeopardize the case.”

“I wish that they would’ve done a lot more than what they did in the beginning,” Brown said.

Brown implored the community to come forward with information, regardless of how inconsequential it may seem.

“If they see anything, they think they see anything, if they hear anything, that we just want to know, we just want to get an idea, a lead, anything so we could bring her home, alive or not,” she said.

Neighbors tell WIS that their statements were taken for the first time on Friday.

The Sheriff’s Office declined to answer questions about whether there is a suspect or person of interest in the case, saying they “cannot comment on particulars of an investigation.”

The public is asked to contact the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office with tips, leads or information.

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Copyright 2023 WIS. All rights reserved.

HOLLY HILL, S.C. (WIS) - As the family of an Orangeburg County woman who went missing four months ago seeks answers, the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office is releasing new information about the case.

Melissa Aguilar of Holly Hill was reported missing by an ex-boyfriend on Aug. 18, an Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office report states.

Deputies said Friday in a statement that it put out a public call for leads after an “unconfirmed report of a possible sighting.”

Investigators believe she left a home on Fourwind Road, which is in an unincorporated area of Orangeburg County, after an argument with her ex.

ANOTHER MISSING WOMAN – JAMILLA SMITH:

Aguilar’s youngest daughter, Shanna Brown, said the last four months have been excruciatingly painful. Brown said she used to speak with her mother every day and the fear of the unknown has caused her “anger, heartache, and worry.”

“It’s been really hard trying to juggle a job and put on a smile and act like nothing’s wrong when there’s so much wrong,” she said.

Brown described her last conversation with her mother on Aug. 17, the night before she was reported missing. She said Aguilar sounded upbeat and happy during that call. She was excited about her oldest daughter’s upcoming wedding in September, and the pair discussed Brown’s future wedding plans as well, Brown said.

Immediately following her disappearance, the sheriff’s office shared the information with the local newspaper, but did not put out a public release through its official channels, nor send the information to other news outlets, WIS-TV reported.

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The Sheriff’s Office provided written answers to some questions Friday, but an investigator familiar with the case was not made available for an on-camera interview.

The agency did not provide any specifics about who reported the “unconfirmed report of a possible sighting” or when or where the sighting happened.

Family members, however, say they fear Aguilar is gone.

“She would’ve come back by now, or at least called somebody,” Brown said.

MORE | Homicide ruled out in S.C. death; persons of interests ‘cleared’

Sarah Shipman, Aguilar’s sister, agrees and said she does not believe that her sibling would vanish without her belongings, and miss important family events.

There was a law enforcement presence at Aguilar’s last-known location, the place she was staying with her ex-boyfriend on Fourwind Road, throughout the morning on Friday.

The sheriff’s office said they could not provide details out of concern that doing so could “jeopardize the case.”

“I wish that they would’ve done a lot more than what they did in the beginning,” Brown said.

Brown implored the community to come forward with information, regardless of how inconsequential it may seem.

“If they see anything, they think they see anything, if they hear anything, that we just want to know, we just want to get an idea, a lead, anything so we could bring her home, alive or not,” she said.

The sheriff’s office declined to answer questions about whether there is a suspect or person of interest in the case, saying they “cannot comment on particulars of an investigation.”

The public is asked to contact the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office with tips, leads or information, at 803-534-3550.

Copyright 2023 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.

A tree stump still sits in front of a church in Holly Hill, the scene of a huge downed tree during storm winds. On Sunday church members gather to give thanks.

HOLLY HILL, S.C. — When a large tree fell in front of the Holly Hill Methodist Church during strong winds, the Rev. John Elmore wasn't sure if Sunday's church service would go on; however, with the community's help, the church is fully functional and giving back to others.

A song of praise and thanksgiving was sung inside Holly Hill United Methodist Church on Sunday. The view is a stark difference from the one on Thursday after Tropical Storm Idalia ripped through the area. Elmore said he was cleaning up some flooding inside the church when his week changed instantly.

"My wife actually heard something. She said, 'What was that?' I said, 'I don't know, come on, let's move some chairs.' When we walked outside, the mayor and city workers were here and the tree was laying across the street," Elmore said. "We got it to where they could use a tractor, and of course, they pushed it and blocked about two-thirds of the front of the church."

A News19 crew was in Holly Hill Thursday to see the tree completely turned over in the street, with church members using chainsaws to break it down.

On Sunday, no tree remained in front of the church, and the road was open to normal traffic. The Rev. Elmore said the trials of the storm were a key part of the message of his sermon.

"Some of the illustrations that we used in the sermon were tied to the tree and tied to the storm because we all had lived it," he said. "And so, we can speak into that reality of the scriptures and how they relate to us."

A small crowd gathered inside for the church on Sunday. According to Elmore, many helped get the church operating that day. He said that, in the coming week, his church will have the opportunity to help others in worse situations through the Methodist church's emergency response team.

"We have 10 to 12 trailers that are fully stocked to do tarping, muck-outs from flooding homes, [and] tree removal equipment," he said. "We've received an invitation to go to Ray City, Georgia."

Elmore said he's seen God work through people locally and nationally during the storm, giving more opportunities to spread the gospel.

"It's always people trying to help us in the time of storms, and we should always be willing to be that," he said. "Because when we do, people get to see our love for other people, and I think the scripture is always about loving other people."