Thousands of pounds of unneeded stainless steel left over from the canceled Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility has been donated to more than a dozen schools and career centers, better enabling hands-on training for those pursuing welding careers.

The material went to institutions across South Carolina and Georgia. The first donation was made to Allendale Fairfax High School in Allendale. Others were made to the Aiken County Career Center, South Aiken High School, Wagener-Salley High School and Grovetown High School.

The stainless steel was determined to be surplus by the U.S. Department of Energy and its weapons-and-nonproliferation arm, the National Nuclear Security Administration. The NNSA in October 2018 terminated the MOX project contract at the Savannah River Site after more than a decade of work and billions of dollars had been invested.

Read the full Aiken Standard article.

Email Colin Demarest

A courtyard canopy was installed in November 2019. This project was funded in part by a generous donation from the South Aiken Class of 1988 Alumni. Their generosity will ensure the South Aiken students enjoy a shaded structure for years to come.

Back in the Fall of 2017, Dr. Tiffany of Tiffany Pediatrics and athletic trainer, Jennifer Bierly spearheaded a trial run for the ImPact Baseline Test with the South Aiken High School football team. ImPact concussion testing is a tool to help diagnose concussions and the management of concussions. Each student-athlete took the ImPact test, which tests verbal memory, visual memory, and reaction time. The test also asks questions about whether the student-athletes are currently experiencing any symptoms. The test takes about 45 minutes to complete. Once a concussion is suspected, Bierly takes the student-athlete through the SCAT 5 test and then the student-athlete is referred to a local physician, like Dr. Tiffany, to take the ImPact test again. In order for a student-athlete to return to play, he/she needs to get his/her scores back to baseline level or above.

After that initial season, Dr. Tiffany shared this information with the Kisner Foundation in hopes of getting a grant for Aiken County Public School District to help fund the ImPact concussion program district-wide for all sports. The Kisner Foundation, a non-profit run by PGA golfer and Thoroughbred alumini Kevin Kisner and his wife Brittany, donated money to help with this cause to help keep our student-athletes safe. Without the help of The Kisner Foundation, we would have not been able to incorporate the ImPact Test countywide. So, many thanks to The Kisner Foundation for providing this opportunity for our student-athletes at South Aiken and the Aiken County School District!

Jenn Bierly