Florence County School District Three

Florence County School District Three celebrated the life and legacy of Dr. Ronald E. McNair with a student-focused program at The Bean Market on Friday, January 26.

The annual program remembers the life of Dr. McNair who was killed while aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger when it exploded 73 seconds of liftoff on January 28, 1986. The theme for this year’s program was “Infinite Possibilities.”

The guest speaker for the program was Ortega Missouri, an assistant principal at Satchel Ford Elementary School in Richland School District One, as well as an accomplished artist/illustrator who creates digital and mixed media art. He has a B.A. in Art Education from Claflin University, M.F.A. in Illustration from Savannah College of Art & Design and an Ed.S. in Educational Administration from Cambridge College.

Mr. Ortega encouraged FSD3 students to know their ‘why.’ “Know why you are here,” he said. “You cannot control everything that goes on in your life, but you can control how you react to it.” Mr. Ortega concluded with a poem he wrote for the occasion and told everything in attendance to “believe in infinite possibilities.”

The program also included recorded comments from Dr. Madeline Diaz, a family medicine resident physician in concord, NC, and a graduate of Winthrop University and Wake Forest University. She was selected to participate in the Ronald E. McNair Post-baccalaureate Achievement Program. The program is designed to prepare undergraduate students for doctoral studies through involvement in research and other scholarly activities. McNair participants are either first-generation college students with financial need, or members of a group that is traditionally underrepresented in graduate education and have demonstrated strong academic potential.

Dr. McNair’s “story has inspired generations of learners across the country to dream big and persevere in the face of adversity,” she said. Dr. McNair had the spirit of an educator. He actively sought out avenues to give back to his community and empower people from a similar background to pursue their dreams.”

The program also included musical and dance performances along with student poetry and video presentations by students in all FSD3 schools.