Every year TGS hosts our all-you-can-eat Oyster Roast. This fundraiser helps to support student scholarships (which over 65% of our student body relies on). This year, the event took place on November 5, 2023, at Francis Marion Park on Front Street. Before that day, our students and their families sold more than 150 tickets to friends and family around the Georgetown community. The tickets cost $30 each and went fast! This event was a huge success, but there was a lot of prep work before it began.

To prepare for the big day, students, teachers, and parents all brought in items including, napkins, silverware, chips, drinks, and items for the silent auction baskets. Dr. Gates ordered the oysters and picked them up in McClellanville. All of our families turned out to set up, manage stations, and clean. Our school is very grateful everyone who helped out, especially to Ms. Sandy (Kingfisher Crew president and master planner), to Ms. Amy for managing ticket sales, and to Mrs. Karen Hefferman who decorated the whole site with flowers and pumpkins so that it looked very festive and inviting. We cannot forget to express our appreciation to Dr. Tom Crosby and his crew of oyster cookers who kept the delicious food coming from start to finish. Sonny and Lori Burgoon and their family were instrumental in getting everything transported to the site and setting up the plywood tables. Guitarist Duane DeMello set the mood with great live music all afternoon. Kudos to everyone for a job well done!

The day of the Oyster Roast was amazing. There were multiple stations to either get drinks and hot dogs. If you were eating oysters, you claimed your spot at one of our eleven tables. All of the students were at their own station doing their very best for their community. The hot dog stand was run by Ansley, Branton, Caleb, and Gaines. Emily, Nolan, Jackson, and Saylor were helping with sodas and drinks. “Serving drinks has been exhausting,” Emily said, “People have been putting their blood, sweat, and tears toward this event but working has been fantastic!” Perhaps the most important student job was ferrying fresh steamed oysters to the tables. This was done by Kipper, Gracin, Evan, and Baryck.

As in years past, the community loved the Oyster Roast and had a lot to say about how it went. Shay Scott is a new TGS mom and she said, “This is an amazing day, and the oysters are perfectly steamed and salted.” Others, like Cameron Forehand, were very impressed with the organization. “The students did an awesome job putting on this fundraiser,” he said. Another attendee, Nicole Thomas, said, “The event is very awesome, and the oysters are delicious.”

The 2023 Oyster Roast pulled us all together. “This was the most successful oyster roast I have ever seen in the eight years I’ve been at TGS,” said Kingfisher Crew president Ms. Sandy. Congratulations, Kingfishers, and thanks to our many friends.

By Saylor