Loris FFA Chapter President Mason Jacques (center) with the chapter’s Premier Chapter Award.
From the South Carolina coastal community of Horry County reside the members of the Loris High School FFA Chapter responsible for improving the well-being of the aquatic plant and animal species of Grand Strand Beach. This remarkable project allowed the chapter to receive an honor in the National Chapter Award Building Communities: Environmental Division as a Premier Chapter. They were recognized at the 97th National FFA Convention & Expo in Indianapolis in October. Among this recognition, they also were honored for their superior three-star chapter and competed in the FFA Parliamentary Procedure Career Development Event and the FFA Conduct of Chapter Meetings Leadership Development Event.
Loris FFA parliamentary procedure team with their bronze placement pins.
When looking for a way to serve one’s community, many look toward the people and organizations they know, which is exactly how the Loris FFA found out about this project: through a connection with an individual at Horry County Stormwater. They began by creating 66 manufactured wire reefs that help filter through an astounding 3 million gallons of water daily! Silt, excess nitrogen, sediment and bacteria are removed with the help of the wire reefs and aid in improving the quality of the water. The reefs also serve as a new habitat for larval oysters, which were of major importance in this project as they are a keystone species to this region’s environment. The chapter also worked with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.
Workdays for these members consisted of long hours of manual labor; however, the enjoyment they experienced on the coastline of Horry County motivated them to have a successful project.
Loris FFA advisor and agriculture teacher Mrs. Hall said, “The experience was eye-opening for students to see the importance of being responsible citizens in our coastal community,” which perfectly connects to the last line of this organization’s motto, “Living to Serve.”
Loris FFA members working on the manufactured wire reefs.
Loris FFA members working on the manufactured wire reefs.
Mrs. Hall expressed, “Our students loved being a part of this project and we already have two more dates on the calendar in early 2025 to build more and continue partnering with these two organizations.”
The success of this project truly came from the connections they had, finding a niche way to serve their community, and connecting it to something they had already learned or experienced.
