Rain, heavy at times, and scattered thunderstorms for the afternoon. High 76F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%..
Showers with a possible thunderstorm early, then variable clouds overnight with still a chance of showers. Low 61F. Winds ENE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
Updated: May 26, 2025 @ 5:58 am
The Aiken High School Chorus, led by music teacher Tycia Wright, sing “I Am Not Okay” by Jelly Roll at the auditorium dedication ceremony in honor of Diana Floyd on May 23.
Tom Williams offers a prayer at the Aiken High School auditorium dedication ceremony in honor of Diana Floyd on May 23.
Pictured from the left are committee co-chairs Betty Ryberg and Becky Reynolds at the Aiken High School auditorium dedication ceremony in honor of Diana Floyd on May 23.
Pictured from the left are Steve Floyd and Aiken County Board of Education Chairman Cam Nuessle at the Aiken High School auditorium dedication ceremony in honor of Diana Floyd on May 23.
Pictured from the left are S.C. Sen. Tom Young and S.C. Rep. Charlie Hartz at the Aiken High School auditorium dedication ceremony in honor of Diana Floyd on May 23.
Pictured from the left are committee co-chairs Betty Ryber and Becky Reynolds at the Aiken High School auditorium dedication ceremony in honor of Diana Floyd on May 23.
Pictured from the left are Diana Floyd Scholarship recipients Madeline Hopkins of Aiken High, Arianna Garbrielle Gardner of the Aiken County Career & Technology Center, Jada Printup of North Augusta High, Ashtyn Poston of Horse Creek Academy, Anabelle Grace Cowart of Midland Valley High, Gabrielle Brannon of Ridge Spring-Monetta High, Alexzia Gillette of Silver Bluff High, Alexis Meyer of South Aiken High, Emily Alyssa Tindal of Wagener-Salley High and Carrie McKie of Aiken Scholars Academy at the Aiken High School auditorium dedication and Diana Floyd Scholarship award ceremony on May 23.
Pictured from the left are Madeline Hopkins of Aiken High, Arianna Garbrielle Gardner of the Aiken County Career & Technology Center, Jada Printup of North Augusta High, Ashtyn Poston of Horse Creek Academy, Anabelle Grace Cowart of Midland Valley High, Steve Floyd, Gabrielle Brannon of Ridge Spring-Monetta High, Alexzia Gillette of Silver Bluff High, Alexis Meyer of South Aiken High, Emily Alyssa Tindal of Wagener-Salley High and Carrie McKie of Aiken Scholars Academy at the Aiken High School auditorium dedication and Diana Floyd Scholarship award ceremony on May 23.
Pictured from the left are Tyler Floyd, Palmer Floyd, Karly Floyd, Hayne Floyd and Lexi Floyd at the Aiken High School auditorium dedication and Diana Floyd Scholarship award ceremony on May 23.
Reporter
Carl Dawson covers education for the Aiken Standard. An Aiken County resident since 1990, his work has appeared in the Charleston News & Courier, the Tampa Tribune, the Atlanta Constitution and the Augusta Chronicle. He holds a B.A. in English from the University of South Carolina.
The Aiken High School Chorus, led by music teacher Tycia Wright, sing “I Am Not Okay” by Jelly Roll at the auditorium dedication ceremony in honor of Diana Floyd on May 23.
Tom Williams offers a prayer at the Aiken High School auditorium dedication ceremony in honor of Diana Floyd on May 23.
Pictured from the left are committee co-chairs Betty Ryberg and Becky Reynolds at the Aiken High School auditorium dedication ceremony in honor of Diana Floyd on May 23.
Pictured from the left are Steve Floyd and Aiken County Board of Education Chairman Cam Nuessle at the Aiken High School auditorium dedication ceremony in honor of Diana Floyd on May 23.
Pictured from the left are S.C. Sen. Tom Young and S.C. Rep. Charlie Hartz at the Aiken High School auditorium dedication ceremony in honor of Diana Floyd on May 23.
Pictured from the left are committee co-chairs Betty Ryber and Becky Reynolds at the Aiken High School auditorium dedication ceremony in honor of Diana Floyd on May 23.
Pictured from the left are Diana Floyd Scholarship recipients Madeline Hopkins of Aiken High, Arianna Garbrielle Gardner of the Aiken County Career & Technology Center, Jada Printup of North Augusta High, Ashtyn Poston of Horse Creek Academy, Anabelle Grace Cowart of Midland Valley High, Gabrielle Brannon of Ridge Spring-Monetta High, Alexzia Gillette of Silver Bluff High, Alexis Meyer of South Aiken High, Emily Alyssa Tindal of Wagener-Salley High and Carrie McKie of Aiken Scholars Academy at the Aiken High School auditorium dedication and Diana Floyd Scholarship award ceremony on May 23.
Pictured from the left are Madeline Hopkins of Aiken High, Arianna Garbrielle Gardner of the Aiken County Career & Technology Center, Jada Printup of North Augusta High, Ashtyn Poston of Horse Creek Academy, Anabelle Grace Cowart of Midland Valley High, Steve Floyd, Gabrielle Brannon of Ridge Spring-Monetta High, Alexzia Gillette of Silver Bluff High, Alexis Meyer of South Aiken High, Emily Alyssa Tindal of Wagener-Salley High and Carrie McKie of Aiken Scholars Academy at the Aiken High School auditorium dedication and Diana Floyd Scholarship award ceremony on May 23.
Pictured from the left are Tyler Floyd, Palmer Floyd, Karly Floyd, Hayne Floyd and Lexi Floyd at the Aiken High School auditorium dedication and Diana Floyd Scholarship award ceremony on May 23.
AIKEN — Ten Aiken County high school students aspiring to medical-related careers received $3,500 scholarships in honor of public-school advocate Diana Floyd at a May 23 ceremony dedicating the auditorium of Aiken High School in Floyd’s memory.
Floyd’s efforts led to voter approval of a one-cent sales tax in 2014 that raised $215 million to build and refurbish schools and a bond referendum in 2018 that raised $90 million.
Floyd, a nurse, died Nov. 2 from complications of COVID-19. Three days later the one-cent sales tax was continued by voters, and will raise an estimated $398 million for building projects and property tax relief by 2035.
In her welcoming remarks, Aiken High principal Angela Moore said the dedication ceremony would “celebrate the lasting impact that she has made on our schools, on our students, and our entire community.”
Aiken High School Chorus, led by music teacher Tycia Wright, sang “I Am Not Okay” by Jelly Roll. The lyrics of the refrain are “When it’s all said and done / I’m not okay / But it’s all gonna be alright.”
“Did you see me break down? They could have warned me a little bit on that,” Steve Floyd said after the ceremony. He and Diana Floyd began dating when she was 15 and he was 16, and were married for 38 years.
“We had to go to Charleston every two weeks for her to get wound care in the last months before she went into the hospital, so we played that song a thousand times. It just kind of struck us” he said. “When she felt her worst she would either play it out loud or put the air pods in her ears. She had a playlist that she would listen to, with some gospel music that she loved,” Floyd said.
Tom Williams, Steve Floyd’s partner in Floyd & Green Jewelers for nearly 30 years, offered a prayer asking for “blessing upon this space and all who pass through its doors, not just today but for generations to come.”
Williams asked the auditorium be filled “with the energy she freely gave to this community. Let it echo with her presence so deeply that all who enter are inspired to discover who Diana Floyd was.”
“Her intentions were always not to be noticed, but to serve. To serve without fanfare or recognition,” said Betty Ryberg, co-chair with Becky Reynolds of the committee that organized the dedication and scholarships, in her opening remarks.
Ryberg said Floyd lobbied for dual enrollment of high school students in college courses, inclusion of children with special needs, and a public parade of graduates when COVID closed schools and canceled graduation ceremonies.
“Students, Diana was your champion,” she said, adding that a dedication plaque would “forever commemorate Diana’s resolve to improve every aspect of our children’s lives.”
School district superintendent Corey Murphy said Floyd was “the driving force behind the campus transformations already underway in Aiken County” when he came to the district in 2020. As he got to know her, he “realized she was everything people said she was, and more. She was humble. She listened deeply, and she could speak about our school facilities with a level of detail and passion that only come from firsthand experience.”
Cam Nuessle, chair of the Aiken County Board of Education read a resolution passed by the board to “honor and commemorate the life and legacy of Diana Floyd for her exceptional service and contributions to the students, faculty and staff of Aiken County Public Schools”
S.C. Sen. Tom Young and S.C. Rep. Charlie Hartz presented Floyd’s family with a framed copy of a joint resolution and proclamation honoring Floyd passed by the S.C. General Assembly on April 30.
Floyd told the scholarship recipients after the ceremony ended that “as Diana Floyd’s husband for 38 years and best friend for 46 that I know she would be very, very proud of them and know that the state of health care would be in good hands with them moving forward.”
“It’s an impressive group of young ladies,” Floyd said.
The scholarship recipients are Madeline Hopkins of Aiken High, Arianna Garbrielle Gardner of the Aiken County Career & Technology Center, Carrie McKie of Aiken Scholars Academy, Ashtyn Poston of Horse Creek Academy, Anabelle Grace Cowart of Midland Valley High, Jada Printup of North Augusta High, Gabrielle Brannon of Ridge Spring-Monetta High, Alexzia Gillette of Silver Bluff High, Alexis Meyer of South Aiken High and Emily Alyssa Tindal of Wagener-Salley High.
Scholarship recipient Emily Tindal will study radiology at Midlands Technical College, intending to become an ultrasound technologist. “I was really excited. I’m really grateful. This is a big deal to me. It really is.”
“I have so much gratitude for them helping me in my own education. I’ve always had a passion for healthcare,” said scholarship recipient Madeline Hopkins of Aiken High. She’ll attend Clemson University to study pre-professional health and possibly become a surgical physician’s assistant working in orthopedics.
Steve and Diana Floyd’s sons Hayne and Tyler and daughter Lexi attended the ceremony.
“I knew her my whole life. Every time we hear other people talk about her we learn something new and we get even more appreciation for her, how awesome she was not just as a mom but as a person,” Tyler Floyd said. “She was truly just an awesome person.”
Reporter
Carl Dawson covers education for the Aiken Standard. An Aiken County resident since 1990, his work has appeared in the Charleston News & Courier, the Tampa Tribune, the Atlanta Constitution and the Augusta Chronicle. He holds a B.A. in English from the University of South Carolina.
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