This week’s Spotlight is on Sheila Martina Keaise. Sheila was born and raised in Colleton County, grew up in the school district, and is proud of the teachers that taught her in school. Her mentor Ms. Oliver, helped her with her studies. Sheila says, “She made sure that I knew that mediocre was not an option. She told me you go to school every day you can and at least make a 70. We tried to do a little better than that and we did. I was a B student throughout school.” Keaise went to college and graduated from Claflin University for her undergraduate and graduated Cum Laude and then went to South Carolina State University and graduated Magna Cum Laude. She proceeded to go to the University of South Carolina and graduated Magna Cum Laude.
Her first job as a teenager was at the Colleton County Library. She shelved books and worked in the children’s department. Just out of college she became a substitute teacher and did not like it. She went back to the library and shelved books, and within six months was the assistant children’s librarian.
I asked how she got the name Mrs. Literacy. Sheila explains, “Miss Literacy came when I was just minding my own business walking down the streets of the Rice Festival. A gentleman who was the director of Headstart, yelled out, “‘Hi Miss Literacy!’ I turned around and asked, ‘What did you say?’ He replied, ‘Hi, Miss Literacy!’ I said, ‘I’m going to use that from now on.’ I felt that that represented what I was doing all these years.”
She spent 28 years as children’s librarian and says she enjoyed every moment. Even before retirement she started Community Innovations. She explains, “I wanted to bring a program that would help the community with parenting. The parenting class is designed to give our parents skills and it’s called Raising Highly Capable Kids. It gives parents forty developmental skills that will create children who are resilient and can handle anything that may arise. We have the family carnival coming up, and we’re partnering with the Rice Festival. We also have Colleton Voices. All these things are part of the community and we are bringing things that would make our community better.”
Mrs. Sheila loves singing, writing, working with people, and hosting her YouTube page where she sings, reads books, interviews people, and gives motivational talks. Sheila goes on to say, “I’ve written over 30 songs, I’ve written over 20 books, and that includes children non and adult books.”
Mrs. Sheila is single with no children but does have a cat named “Bashful” and just like her owner she is not bashful at all.
