Thornwell

Thornwell President Announces Retirement

admin — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 13:47:11 +0000

At a staff meeting this afternoon in the Hartness-Thornwell Memorial Presbyterian Church, Thornwell Home for Children President Robert W. (Skip) Stansell announced his plan to retire from Thornwell at the end of 2010. Stansell, who has served as president of Thornwell since February of 2001, said he and his wife, Peggy, made the difficult decision after a significant period of prayerful consideration. He expressed his profound gratitude to the Board of Trustees for the honor and privilege of serving as the seventh president of Thornwell.

In his announcement to the staff, Stansell expressed his heartfelt love and admiration for the excellence of the work of each staff member and thanked the staff for its loving and nurturing work on behalf of Thornwell’s children.

During his tenure as president, Stansell was instrumental in transitioning the residential program at Thornwell from its traditional houseparent model to the nationally certified Teaching-Family Model. He also worked to strengthen the program of Christian nurture.

Thornwell closed its private schools and the residential students were successfully assimilated into the District 56 system. The Thornwell Learning Center was developed to insure that Thornwell students received the highest possible level of academic support.

The Thornwell farm was transitioned from a working dairy farm into the Thornwell Agricultural Education Center where students from both School Districts 55 and 56 take agricultural courses. The Thornwell farm also supports a cross-district 4-H program for Thornwell residents and students in the two school districts.

The Stansells plan to retire to their home in Black Mountain, North Carolina and spend more time with their family.

Dr. John Lown, Chairman of the Board of Trustees said that the board accepted Stansell’s decision to retire with regret. He went on to commend Stansell for his leadership of Thornwell during years of tremendous economic challenges. “Skip has worked long and hard to insure that the quality of services provided Thornwell students have remained excellent, even as necessary budget cuts were implemented. We will miss his leadership.”

Lown reported that a transition committee will be appointed in the very near future. The committee will have the responsibility for naming an interim president and searching for a new president.

Contact: Lorain Crowl, Communications Director
Thornwell Home for Children
PO Box 60 – Clinton, SC 29325
864-938-2713
lcrowl@thornwell.org

Inner Artist: Unleashed!

admin — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 16:42:32 +0000

Thornwell Trustee Mary Wain Ellison inspired the young men of TPH Cottage to become artists for a day with encouragements of “Go big – get your arm into it! Take the white off the canvas!”

Mary Wain helped the guys take blank canvases and turn them into big, bold works of art. With a long hallway in the cottage that looked like a gallery awaiting the next show, the boys created large art pieces that will enliven and brighten the walls for today and for years to come.

Mary Wain brought her brushes and paints, along with her gift of art and her skills as a teacher to prove to the TPH guys that their “inner artists” could be unleashed. Behold, the power of art!

Family Teacher Karen Baines joined in the project – turns out she is an artist, too! And even young Josiah Baines demonstrated real artistic talent in his own right.

“What a joy!” said Mary Wain. “Being at the heart of what Thornwell is all about was just what I needed. I had no idea how this project would fly, but it’s an understatement to say it exceeded any dream I had. Those guys weren’t just polite participants; they really put their hearts, minds (and hands) into what we were doing. I give Karen & Don a lot of the credit for having the project go well. They have created an atmosphere of trust and high expectations in that cottage that will carry these boys far, I’m sure. How fortunate these boys are to have them!”

Welcome Home Thornwell Alumni/ae!

admin — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 16:01:13 +0000

More than 250 alumni/ae and family members gathered on the campus June 25-27 to reconnect with one another and share their common story of growing up at Thornwell. There were plenty of hugs to go around, for first time returnees as well as veteran reunion attendees. At the registration table, the meal tables, and around tables in the Mayes-Dowdle Alumni/ae House, alums swapped stories from days gone by, poured over hundreds of photos, and updated one another on siblings, children and grandchildren.

During the business meeting on Saturday, new Thornwell Alumni Association officers were elected. Gene Smith will continue as Association President, along with Frank “Barney” Ellis, Vice President, Hattie Odom, Secretary and Randy George, Treasurer. Regional Vice Presidents are Jim Gilman and Randy Wofford, Georgia; Bobby Benchoff, Grace Walker, South Carolina; Shannon Moss, Margie Stewart, North Carolina; Don Taylor, Laurie Bee and Frank Caldwell, Florida.

Also, during the business meeting, TAA President Gene Smith presented Thornwell President Skip Stansell with a check for $13,000 on behalf of the alumni/ae in support of the children and ministry today.

Dr. Zane Moore, former Thornwell President, preached during the reunion’s Sunday morning worship service at Hartness-Thornwell Memorial Presbyterian Church. Everyone gathered for lunch following worship, then said goodbyes until the next homecoming in 2012.