OC Sheriff’s Office holds Graduation for Leadership Camp

The Oconee County Sheriff’s Office and the School District of Oconee County (SDOC) recently concluded their fourth annual Leadership Camp with a graduation ceremony on June 8, at the Law Enforcement Center in Walhalla. Thirty-seven students from the sixth through the tenth grade participated in the camp which began on June 4. The age group for the students, all male, was from age 10-16. Deputies from the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office, including the School Resource Officers, and SDOC officials participated in the camp, as well as officers from the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources and volunteers from the community. On June 4, the students spent time at Walhalla High School where the school’s ROTC program used the morning working with the students on activities that emphasized team building skills and problems solving. The students were selected for the camp by the School Resource Officers, guidance counselors and administrators. Oconee County Sheriff Mike Crenshaw congratulated each graduate during the graduation ceremonies and shared with them the week was about fun, friendship, and their future. “I have seen a positive impact on the students that attend our camp as well as benefiting our deputies that help each year. Law enforcement generally encounters the public when something bad has happened. This camp reminds them of the main reason they entered this profession which is to help others,” said Oconee County Sheriff Mike Crenshaw. Among the activities the students participated in were hiking, fishing, zip lining, bowling and swimming as well as a visit to Death Valley where the students touched Howard’s Rock and ran down The Hill on the east side of the Memorial Stadium. The students were taken on a tour of the Oconee County Rock Quarry and got to see some of the equipment that is used there. Besides the leadership and team building skills that were taught during the camp, the School Resource Officers and volunteers also had opportunities to work with the students in small groups to build a rapport with the students to talk about life issues. The five-day camp was funded this year by donations from various churches, civic organizations, private citizens, and a grant from Clemson Head Football Coach Dabo Swinney’s All In Foundation. Lt. Mark Lyles, who supervises the School Resource Officers for the Sheriff’s Office, had high praise for those who volunteered and worked the camp and went on to say that the camp gets better and better each year. “It is a great feeling watching the young men grow in such a short time and see their eagerness to come to camp and have fun,” said Lt. Lyles. Oconee County Schools Superintendent Dr. Michael Thorsland said, “We are very thankful to the Sheriff’s Office for conducting this camp for our students. What a great way to kick off the summer for our students as they learn positive character traits and build positive relationships.”