The Ashley Ridge swim teams had a strong performance during the 2025 South Carolina 5A Division I Swimming Championships in Columbia.

The Ashley Ridge boys came closer than they ever have to capturing a state championship, placing second. JL Mann won the boys’ meet with 423 points. Ashley Ridge claimed runner-up honors with 336 points. Rounding out the Top 3 were Wando (334.5), West Ashley (292) and Mauldin (236). Fort Dorchester (70) placed 15th and Summerville (69) placed 16th.

JL Mann also won the girls’ meet with a 286-point total. Clover (269), Mauldin (268), Wade Hampton (250) and River Bluff (232) rounded out the Top 5 girls’ teams. Cane Bay (183) placed seventh, while Ashley Ridge (183) placed 10th, Fort Dorchester (35) placed 18th and Summerville (34) placed 19th.

“We have a great group of kids, and watching them compete and cheer each other on was really cool,” said Ashley Ridge coach Victoria Merritt. “There’s something special about teaching kids their first swim lessons or watching them grow up from an 8-year-old on a summer swim team and then having them on the varsity team and seeing every bit of their hard work pay off.”

Ashley Ridge senior Grace Marsaa broke a state record that had stood since 2016, winning the Girls 100-yard Breaststroke with a 1:02.82 time. She also won the Girls' 50 Freestyle with a time of 24.32 and helped two AR relay teams to a top-10 finish.

Several members of the AR boys’ team contributed to multiple Top 10 finishes.

The Cane Bay Girls 200 Free Relay team of Mia Stephen, Josie Mullen, Fiona Haefner, Madeline Degeorge won its event with a 1:40.87 time.

Ashley Ridge dominated the Region 8 Swim Championships Oct. 3 at the North Charleston Aquatic Center, claiming both the boys’ and girls’ region championships.

The teams also had a lot of success before the region meet. The boys won the Ripley's Invitational and the Rock the Block Invitational. The girls placed second during both events.

Nathan Lindsey broke the school record in the boys 200-yard freestyle. Karter Gladis broke the school records in the boys 100 butterfly and boys 100 breaststroke. Marsaa broke the school records in the girls 200 free, girls 100 butterfly and girls 100 breaststroke.

“It was a really great season of fast swimming and a true testament to the dedication of the AR swimmers,” Merritt said. “They represented their families, the school and the sport so well. This marks the eighth straight time our boys and girls have won the region.”

5A Division 1 Swimming Championships Top 10 Finishes

AR Boys 200 Medley Relay (Nathan Lindsey, Karter Gladis, Landon Berghoff, Jimmy Young), 4th

Samuel Menken- Boys 50 Freestyle, 10th

Karter Gladis- Boys 100 Butterfly, 4th/ Boys 100 Breaststroke, 2nd

Ricardo DeCastro, Boys 100 Fly, 7th

Nathan Lindsey- Boys 500 Free, 2nd/ Boys 200 Free, 4th/ Boys 500 Free, 2nd

Finn Routhier- Boys 100 Backstroke, 5th

Angus Harley- Boys 100 Back, 7th

Landen Piscitelli- Boys 100 Breaststroke, 9th

Jimmy Young- Boys 50 Free, 8th/ Boys 100 Free, 8th

Landon Berghoff- Boys 500 Free, 6th

AR Boys 200 Free Relay (Livy Williams, Landen Piscitelli, Finn Routhier, Sean Grillet), 8th

FD Boys 200 Free Relay (Artem Sokolov, Samuel, Lucas Thibault, Leif Bergmann), 9th

AR Boys 400 Free Relay (Nathan Lindsey, Landon Berghoff, Jimmy Young, Karter Gladis), 2nd

CB Girls 200 Medley Relay (Fiona Haefner, Mia Stephen, Madeline Degeorge, Josie Mullen), 2nd

AR Girls 200 Medley Relay (Addie Green, Grace Marsaa, Callie Casa, Emily Bonacci), 4th

Madeline Degeorge- Girls 100 Fly, 3rd

Emily Bonacci- Girls 500 Free, 4th/ Girls 200 Free, 7th

CB Girls 200 Free Relay (Mia Stephen, Josie Mullen, Fiona Haefner, Madeline Degeorge), 1st

Fiona Haefner- Girls 100 Back, 4th

Grace Marsaa- Girls 50 Free, 1st/ Girls 100 Breast, 1st/

Bayleigh Simmons- Girls 50 Free, 7th

AR Girls 200 Free Relay (Kail Walker, Harper Kabealo, Grace Marsaa, Emily Bonacci), 8th

CB Girls 400 Free Relay (Mia Stephen, Josie Mullen, Fiona Haefner, Madeline Degeorge), 5th

2025 5A Region 8 Swim Champions

AR Girls 200 Medley Relay (Addie Green, Grace Marsaa, Callie Casa, Emily Bonacci)

Emily Bonacci- Girls 200 Free/ Girls 100 Free

Landon Berghoff- Boys 200 Free/ Boys 500 Free

Nathan Lindsey- Boys 200 IM

Grace Marsaa- Girls 100 Fly/ Girls 100 Breast

Addie Green- Girls 100 Back

Karter Gladis- Boys 100 Breast

AR Girls 400 Free Relay (Grace Sapko, Callie Casa, Kail Walker, Addie Green)

AR Boys 400 Free Relay (Nathan Lindsey, Landon Berghoff, Finn Routhier, Karter Gladis)

West Ashley Boys 200 Medley Relay (Daniyal Eldridge, Sean Groeber, Gabe Smith, Reid Scott)

Ashlyn Cook- Girls 200 IM

Russell Perlmutter- Girls 50 Free

Gabe Smith- Boys 50 Free/ Boys 100 Free

Daniyal Eldridge- Boys 100 Fly/ Boys 100 Back

Sophia Evans- Girls 500 Free

West Ashley Boys 200 Free Relay (Daniyal Eldridge, Sean Groeber, Gabe Smith, Brennan Kofke)

SUMMERVILLE, S.C. (WCSC) - People in Dorchester County will soon have more access to medical care, including a new emergency room.

Novant Health hosted a groundbreaking on Tuesday morning for their new medical office building and freestanding emergency department in the Summer‘s Corner community.

The new campus will include a 32,000 square-foot medical office building offering primary care and special services. There will also be an 11,000 square-foot emergency department with 10 exam rooms, a trauma room, a triage bay and advanced imaging services.

Patients will also benefit from the new laboratory, which is expected to help speed up the process of important care decisions.

Aside from medical care, the additions will also provide new job opportunities for the rapidly expanding community.

“More people are relocating here. It’s good to have that state-of-the-art emergency room so there’s less transport time, so they can get some care from emergency physicians,” Port City Ambulance Services Operations Director Ryan Brooks said.

The development will bring care closer to home for patients in Dorchester County in the surrounding area.

“We know that can not only save lives when there’s an emergency, but also you’re healthier when your primary care and your specialty doctors are close by to where you live and work and so we’re really excited to bring this convenience to Summer’s Corner,” Novant Health Charleston Market President Kirsten Royster said.

“Novant Health Summer’s Corner is expected to open in late 2026.

Click here to explore Novant Health career opportunities.

Novant broke ground on two other Lowcountry facilities in 2025, including the Center for Women’s Health at East Cooper Medical Center in Mount Pleasant and the freestanding emergency department on Daniel Island.

SUMMERVILLE, S.C. – Novant Health announced a new healthcare hub in Dorchester County, breaking ground today on a medical office building and freestanding emergency department in the Summers Corner community. The development will bring comprehensive, convenient care closer to home for patients in Dorchester County and the surrounding area.

The new campus will include a 32,000-square-foot medical office building offering primary care and specialty services, along with convenient parking to enhance patient accessibility.

Adjacent to the medical office, the 11,000-square-foot emergency department will feature 10 exam rooms, one trauma room and one triage bay, along with advanced imaging services including CT, ultrasound and X-ray. An on-site laboratory will allow for timely diagnostics and faster care decisions.

“Our Lowcountry communities are growing quickly, and Novant Health is here to grow right alongside the people who need us,” said Kirsten Royster, president of Novant Health’s Charleston area. “Novant Health Summers Corner represents our ongoing commitment to make remarkable care more accessible — ensuring families can find the primary, specialty and emergency services they need, right where they live.”

The project continues Novant Health’s significant investment across the Lowcountry. In 2025, team members broke ground on the new Center for Women’s Health at East Cooper Medical Center in Mount Pleasant, and construction is underway on a freestanding emergency department on Daniel Island.

Additionally, Novant Health continues to grow its primary care network statewide, adding new clinics and providers to better serve patients throughout the region.

“Our facilities are designed around patient convenience and clinical excellence,” said Robert Harrington, MD, physician executive for Novant Health’s South Carolina Region. “Whether someone needs same-day primary or specialty care, or immediate attention for an emergency, our teams will be equipped to deliver the highest quality care close to home.”

Novant Health Summers Corner is expected to open in late 2026. Those interested in joining our growing team can explore career opportunities online.

About Novant Health

Novant Health is an integrated network of nearly 900 locations, including 19 hospitals, more than 750 physician clinics and urgent care centers, outpatient facilities, and imaging and pharmacy services. This network supports a seamless and personalized healthcare experience for communities in North Carolina and South Carolina. Novant Health is nationally recognized for our unwavering commitment to safety and the highest quality care, and we serve as a catalyst for healthcare transformation through clinical trials, leading-edge research, innovative care delivery models and robust virtual care networks. The expertise and empathy of our more than 41,000 team members along with more than 8,600 independent and employed clinicians are at the heart of Our Cause as industry leaders caring for communities across the Carolinas. In 2024, Novant Health provided more than $1.6 billion in community benefit, including financial assistance and services.

For more information, visit NovantHealth.org. Follow Novant Health on Facebook, Instagram, X and LinkedIn.

SUMMERVILLE, S.C. (WCSC) - The annual Summerville Italian Feast returns to Hutchinson Square this Sunday, offering authentic Italian food, wine and music while supporting a vital cause for local education.

The festival, held every second Sunday in October, transforms downtown Flowertown as thousands gather for what has become a community staple.

This year’s event runs from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., with around 15,000 people expected to enjoy vendors, food trucks, adult beverages and Italian entertainment.

But beyond the festivities, every purchase directly benefits students and teachers in Dorchester School District Two through the Dorchester Two Educational Foundation.

The festival’s impact can be seen in classrooms like Justin Yonce’s, where proceeds helped purchase an unlikely educational tool: a bearded dragon named Junior. Yonce, a supplemental support teacher at East Edisto Middle School who works with students facing special needs and behavioral challenges, said the reptile has made a measurable difference.

“I had done a lot of observations on a lot of behavior students that I have,” Yonce said. “We track that behavior and I’ve noticed that after we got him, the behavior tendencies went down quite a bit in most of the students.”

Yonce understands his students’ needs from personal experience. “When I was in school with my ADHD, the lights in the classroom were so bright,” he said. “I felt like I was walking through Walmart and I couldn’t focus.”

His classroom now features calming, soft lighting and flexible seating options alongside traditional chairs, creating a more conducive learning environment for students who learn differently.

It’s a funny story about naming the bearded dragon Junior. The students had come up with all sorts of creative names, but in the end, they wanted to name him after their teacher. But having two Justin Yonce’s would have been confusing, so they settled on Junior instead.

The foundation’s work addresses a critical need in South Carolina education. Ralph Hayes, the foundation’s executive director, said Dorchester District 2 ranks as the third lowest funded among the state’s 80 public school districts.

“The Education Foundation tries to infuse innovation to our teachers and students in Dorchester 2,” he said. “What we try to do is get resources into the hands of our teachers and students so that they can continue to excel and compete as they move into the workforce.”

The funding challenge has intensified as schools across the state now receive most of their funding from business and industry rather than property taxes as they previously did.

Last year’s Italian Feast alone raised $40,000, funding 80 teacher projects and helping more than 5,000 students. The event’s lifetime giving totals $131,000, with last year’s contribution representing nearly one-third of that total.

“The event has grown so much and become such a staple of the community,” Hayes said. “That is a lot of resources and materials that make a huge impact on our teachers and students each year.”

The Summerville Italian Feast takes place Sunday at Hutchinson Square in downtown Summerville, where attendees can enjoy authentic Italian cuisine while supporting innovative education in their community.

For details on the Sumerville Italian Feast, click here.

For more information on the Dorchester Two Educational Foundation, click here.

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CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - A Summerville nurse practitioner is turning a preventable tragedy into a mission to save newborn lives across the Lowcountry and, eventually, throughout the country.

Lindsay Spurgeon said she was working in a hospital emergency room when a premature baby delivered at home arrived by ambulance without a heartbeat. She said the EMS crew did not have the proper equipment or neonatal training to help.

“One of the first things the EMS said to me was ‘We do not have equipment this size and we do not have the training to take care of these babies,’” Spurgeon said. “That was very devastating for this situation when they are so ill-equipped and they want to help, but they do not have anyone supporting that.”

Spurgeon said hospitals train medical staff extensively for births, but emergency responders rarely receive the same preparation.

“Hospital personnel like NICU, or labor and delivery staff, physicians, those are the people who attend deliveries in the hospital and they all have this training. But historically, outside of the hospital, it has just not been offered to EMS,” she said.

That moment led Spurgeon to create the NeoHero Foundation, a nonprofit focused on helping emergency responders care for newborns before they reach the hospital.

NeoHero officially launched in March 2025. Since then, the organization has built a neonatal resuscitation training course and assembled supply kits with ventilation equipment, properly sized masks and thermoregulation materials to keep babies warm. Spurgeon puts the kits together herself. Each kit costs about $80 to make.

NeoHero recently received a $20,000 grant from The Medical Society of South Carolina’s Roper Saint Francis Physicians Endowment. Spurgeon said her goal is to do 1,800 training sessions for first responders in 2026 and that this money will help them get there. She said the funding will allow the nonprofit to complete at least 150 training sessions and send certified responders out with the lifesaving kits.

“This money for the foundation is just a game changer. Honestly, I think that it couldn’t have come at a better time for us,” Spurgeon said.

She also noted that the rollout of training takes coordination across agencies.

“We did need time to raise some funds, apply for grants, order equipment and do things like that,” she said. “But also, this is huge for these departments. They have to have time to plan to get their staff on board and they have to be able to study and learn the material before we come out and teach them. They put a lot of work into this behind the scenes as well.”

Despite the challenges, she said the need is dire in South Carolina, where the preterm birth rate is 11.6%, earning the state an F on the 2024 March of Dimes report card. More than one in 10 newborns require lifesaving resuscitation at birth and 13% of counties in the state don’t have any form of birth center.

“In South Carolina, we have a lot of maternity health care deserts and it is basically where there is no hospital that is able to provide that care to a mother if she goes into labor,” Spurgeon said. “If something is happening in between that time, you have a real problem.”

The foundation will begin training Nov. 3 with 18 Charleston Fire Department paramedics, followed by sessions with Berkeley County EMS Nov. 10.

48 more paramedics are scheduled to train in December.

Spurgeon said she hopes the effort helps new parents feel reassured in emergencies.

“I think it means that they can sleep a little better at night knowing that we are out here,” she said. “We are getting the training to the first responders and if they have an emergency and they need to call 911, the people they are counting on in our community to keep them healthy are going to be better prepared.”

She said the ultimate goal is to expand the effort beyond the Lowcountry and establish offices and training centers in different cities across the country so that first responders nationwide are ready when seconds matter most.