Local News
Former third-grade students surprise teacher Ken Loyd
Students in Ken Loyd’s 1985 third-grade class at Sandhills Farm Life Elementary School surprised him with a 40-year reunion on April 5 in Whispering Pines. Loyd retired in 2008.
Including spouses and parents of Loyd’s former students, about 20 people attended the heartwarming event. They served a hot dog lunch and cake.
In 1985, the Sandhills Farm Life School Nature Trail was created by Loyd’s third-grade class with the help of one of the first grants by the Moore County Public Education Foundation.
“He was uplifting because he taught with music on his guitar. And we helped build his dream, the nature trail. We dug holes, built a bridge, and did it all hands-on,” Elizabeth Bruce Ragsdale said about being one of Loyd’s students who built the Sandhills Nature Trail, which is still in use.
Jaime McGill said Loyd used music to teach the times tables, and she still uses the hand movements he taught.
“Mr. Loyd taught me that being unique was cool,” Jonathan Aldridge added.
“He has made an impact on our lives with his creative teaching style through music, imagination, storytelling, nature trail, sports, through everything! He truly made learning fun and memorable,” Danielle Nelson said.
A display with colorized images of the student’s yearbook pictures graced the food table.
Loyd and his wife, Judy, attend Beulah Hill Baptist Church in West End, and he plays the organ at church. He posts music videos on his Facebook page, and students said his love of music extended into the classroom.
Feature photo: Ken Loyd arrives for a surprise reunion with former third-grade students April 5, 2025, in Whispering Pines.
~Article and photos by Sandhills Sentinel journalist Stephanie M. Sellers. Stephanie is also an English instructor at Central Carolina Community College. She is the author of When the Yellow Slugs Sing, Sky’s River Stone, GUTTERSNIPE: Shakespearean English Stage Play with Translation, Amagi, Amagi Study Guide, and EZ Essay Study Guide for Holocaust: A History.
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A highway ramp in Cameron was closed for several hours on Monday morning after a semi-truck overturned, spilling sand.
The truck was traveling on the Highway 24-27 exit to Highway 1 northbound when it overturned and spilled sand in the grass off the ramp.
Motorists were delayed as they were rerouted around the single-vehicle wreck.
No injuries were reported, according to the Highway Patrol.
This is the second time Sandhills Sentinel has covered an overturned semi-truck this month. A semi overturned on Highway 1 in Southern Pines on April 4.
Feature photo: A semi-truck overturns in Cameron on April 28.
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Photos by Cheryl Gilmore.
A Toyota driver traveling on May Street, just past Valley View Road in Southern Pines, swerved Monday afternoon to avoid crashing into a vehicle that was stopped and waiting to turn, according to officials at the scene of the single-vehicle wreck.
The Mazda flipped into a small ditch off the roadway. The car sustained significant damage, leaving its roof nearly flat.
No injuries were reported to the vehicle’s passengers, and no other cars were involved in the wreck, according to officials on the scene.
Responding agencies were Moore County EMS, Southern Pines Fire Department and the N.C. State Highway Patrol.
~Article and photo by Sandhills Sentinel breaking news reporter Brandi Grice.
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The N.C. Department of Transportation will begin clearing and grubbing operations on a stretch of Midland Road in Pinehurst this week.
Beginning April 29, crews will conduct selective tree removal ahead of turn lane construction and median crossover removals.
Tree removal work will take place between Airport Road and Grant Street and is expected to last through the week.
Crossover expansions will begin in early to mid-May in preparation for road resurfacing in the coming months.
This is the first of several projects to improve safety and driver efficiency in the area along with improving bike and pedestrian connectivity.
Motorists are reminded to use caution while driving through the project site and watch for signs and flaggers as work progresses.
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Contributed article.
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