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March 18, 2026: Ashley Nelson

On March 18th, our guest speaker was Ms. Ashley Nelson, a dedicated leader who has worked for the Bunnelle Foundation for 11 years. Throughout her time with the organization, she has played a vital role in mentoring and guiding students, particularly through her leadership of the Bunnelle Youth Board. This group is made up of driven and compassionate high school juniors and seniors who share a common goal, which is to give back to their community and create meaningful change within Georgetown County. Through service projects and collaboration, these students learn the value of philanthropy and the impact they can have, even at a young age. As of December, Ms. Ashley’s commitment and leadership were recognized when she was promoted to Executive Director, a role that allows her to continue expanding opportunities for both students and the community.

During the Open Forum, we had the opportunity to engage with Ms. Ashley and gain insight on what it truly means to be a philanthropist. She emphasized that philanthropy is not limited to large donations or grand gestures, but instead it begins with everyday acts of kindness. “If you are doing things for others, you are a philanthropist,” she said. “The little things you do for others really add up.” This perspective makes philanthropy feel more accessible and personal, showing us that anyone can make a difference regardless of their resources.

Ms. Ashley asked us to imagine what we would do with a thousand dollars. Each of us came up with different ideas, reflecting our individual passions and priorities. She then asked us what we would do if two of us combined our money. This simple exercise demonstrates how collaboration can expand our possibilities and create an even greater impact. By bringing ideas and resources together, we can achieve more than we can do alone. The members of the Bunnelle Youth Board show this when they work as a team to support their community.

Overall, Ms. Ashley’s visit was both inspiring and encouraging. She showed us that philanthropy is not about how much you give, but about the intention behind it and the willingness to help others. Her message to us was to think beyond ourselves and recognize the power of small actions, teamwork, and shared vision. It was a meaningful reminder that positive change often begins with just a simple idea and can grow stronger when people come together.

By Eleanor

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March 11, 2026: Marsh Deane

Mr. Marsh shared the videos and photos he made during our recent schoolwide trip to Tennessee. We got to relive the highs and lows and everything in between! Mr. Marsh asked us to reflect on our time together in nature without phones. Our trip to Tennessee definitely brought us closer to nature and to each other.

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February 18, 2026: The Honorable Jay Doyle

Our guest today was Georgetown’s new mayor Jay Doyle. He is the first third-party candidate to be elected to this position since 1894. Mayor Doyle has been a Georgetown resident for sixteen years. He grew up in Massachusetts and attended Northeastern, but left in order to become an entrepreneur. Over the years, he owned a successful construction and energy-saving company, worked in telecommunications, and also served Brookgreen Gardens as Director of Facilities.

Mayor Doyle spoke to us about the importance of learning. “I’m sixty-eight years old and I’m still learning,” he said. “Learning is something that will stick with you throughout life.” He also pointed out the possibilities and dangers of information people obtain from the internet. “I can go online to figure out how to fix something,” he told us, “ and I can go online to learn how to hate someone.”

Mayor Doyle explained how his goals are to preserve Georgetown’s historical aspects, protect the surrounding woodlands while rezoning, and to provide employment for citizens (especially those impacted by our two mills’ closing). “Urban planning is a huge part of what I’m accomplishing,” he said while discussing his focus on development and where to construct new establishments. He invited students to contribute to his plan by coming up with their own ideas and plans for open areas in Georgetown.

Thank you, Mayor Doyle, for taking time to introduce yourself to us!

By: Eleanor

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February 11, 2026: Chip Smith

Our guest today at Open Forum was author, journalist, and activist Chip Smith. Mr. Smith has lived in Murrells Inlet for many years and although he is retired, he continues to work tirelessly on new articles and books and on conservation projects to keep Murrells Inlet as clean and pristine as possible. Mr. Smith came bearing gifts: several copies of two books he published–one for adults (A Pocket Wild: Essays from a Carolina Marsh) and one for children of all ages (The Tide in the Cordgrass, 2025).

Mr. Smith graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill with a double major in Geology and Physical Anthropology. He explained to us that physical anthropology studies “the physical traces in our bodies of the evolution of the human species” using evidence such as bones and teeth. “But geology to me is the most fascinating,” he said, “because geologists can read the history of the earth.”

Mr. Smith’s active career was as a newspaperman and photojournalist. Today he is a science and nature writer for the local community. He continues to use his scientific training to inform his writing about nature and make science more understandable to the average person. “Scientists are not good at communicating their findings,” he said.

Mr. Smith shared some of his two books with us. One of his essays in A Pocket Wild is about Roosevelt Pickett, a Black man who worked for Oliver’s Lodge in Murrells Inlet ever since he was nine years old and who knew many things about the marsh. He was Mr. Smith’s neighbor and best friend. “Any person who ever met Roosevelt would never forget him,” he told us. He also read some excerpts from The Tide in the Cordgrass, an animal story set on the marsh in Murrells Inlet. There is a character called Clarence the Kingfisher, King of the Creek, and Mr. Smith was delighted to learn that the Kingfisher is our mascot.

We were delighted to meet Mr. Smith! He has since invited us to participate in the Spring Tide Clean-up of Murrells Inlet on Sunday, May 3. We look forward to that and to reading his books. Thank you, Chip Smith, for the talk and the books!

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February 4, 2026: Laura Sonius

Our school has a new friend: Ms. Laura Sonius. Ms. Sonius paid us a visit at Open Forum on January 21, 2026. She wanted to get to know the student body better and to tell us about her passion for education. Ms. Sonius has offered to help TGS with funds for improved classrooms, lab, and equipment.

Education is extremely important to Ms. Sonius’ whole family. Her Jewish grandpa escaped the pogroms in Russia and took refuge in America. At first, he traveled around working different jobs until he got tuberculosis and was disabled for two years. During this time, he read lots of books and educated himself so that he could better his family’s life. He created a very successful packaging material company. Her other grandfather was a hard worker who, after graduating from high school and working as an accountant, returned to college and became a lawyer. Thanks to her family history, she places a great emphasis on the value of schoolwork and college attendance as pathways to opportunity. She also takes her stewardship of the family legacy very seriously: “I was raised to help those who can’t help themselves,” she told us.

Ms. Sonius attended college, got a degree in English writing, and became an editor in Boston, before finally returning to school to get her teaching degree. Her experience in teaching has given her an even deeper appreciation for the needs of our education system. Ms. Sonius said that she saw great potential in each and every one of us at TGS.  She is graciously providing our school with extra funding for things like a state-of-the-art laboratory. “Buying fancy clothes and driving nice cars does nothing for others,” she said. “Education is my passion.” Thank you, Laura Sonius, for speaking with us and for your generosity!

By Nolan

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Food Drive for Bunnelle

Kingfishers filled a box with canned goods for the Bunnelle Youth Board food drive involving all area high schools. Eleanor is our Bunnelle Youth Board representative. The food was bagged up and distributed to hungry families in our community. Good job, Kingfishers and Youth Board!

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December 10, 2025: Gabby Geathers

Gabby Geathers, Class of 2025, was our guest speaker at Open Forum today. Gabby attends Horry-Georgetown Technical College where she is studying to become a radiology technician. She was nearing the end of her first semester and told us that she was enjoying the program.

Gabby said that the classes were pretty easy because she was well-prepared. One thing surprised her a lot: she is now the one helping all the other HGT students in math! Our students asked her if she had any advice. “Don’t get behind in your work,” she said. “You have to be your own parent!” Good luck with the spring semester, Gabby!

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December 3, 2025: Yorky Burnas-Arnold

Today we welcomed Señora Yorky, who left our school after 13 years of service to go back to Chile and care for her aging father. Señora Yorky was in the States to visit her daughter Paolina and other family members.

Yorky enjoys a trip to Argentina.

“I’m so happy to be here!” Señora said. She told us about her life these days, caring for her father with her sisters and adjusting to life back in Chile. She shared lots of fact about Chile and the students began to ask a lot of questions, particularly about food. “In Chile, we eat a lot of meat,” she told us. “My favorite is empanadas or meat pies that you can buy from sellers on the street.” It was a bit of a culture shock for Señora Yorky to re-adjust to life in Chile after 30 years in the U.S. She told us that Americans are less affectionate and demonstrative than Chileans–the people of Chile are more open.

Señora Yorky spends most of her time with her family (especially her dad) but she has been able to do a little traveling, notably to Argentina. She decided to start classes to become a clown, just because it would allow her to try something totally different. “I love it!” she told us. We want to thank Señora Yorky for her visit and all the wonderful memories she left with us. We miss you!

By Kipper

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We gather together

We have many things to be thankful for and our annual Thanksgiving Feast gives us the chance to express our gratitude for each other and our school. We came together this year to enjoy an abundance of delicious food and good fellowship, starting with Dr. Gates’ two large turkeys and ending with desserts prepared by the high schoolers. The teachers served up everyone’s plates, starting with the senior class and ending with the sixth-graders. But the sixth-graders got their revenge! They were first in line for dessert!

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Kayaking in Black River Cypress Preserve

On November 9, Coastal Expeditions invited our entire school to go paddling on the Black River in the Peninsula Tract of the Black River Cypress Preserve. This tract of protected property is located on the other side of Andrews. We packed our water bottles and lunches and headed out to our destination in teachers’ cars. It looked like it might rain but it never really did.

Our guides greeted us and told everyone to put on a life vest. Then they handed everyone a paddle. We got a quick lesson then headed down to the boat ramp, where about twenty colorful kayaks were waiting. We had to sit two by two in the kayaks as the guides adjusted the rudder to the length of the front person’s legs. Then they started pushing the kayaks into the water and we paddled across the river and hung on to low branches until everyone was out. Then the group headed up the river.

The paddle was very interesting. We saw a kingfisher and a bald eagle down close to the water, then stopped to admire an ancient cypress that the guides estimated was 800 years old. The current was not too strong and it was easy paddling up the river. The guides eventually told us to turn around and head back. Since we were a well-behaved group of strong paddlers, they let us do a race at the end!

Thanks to our strong and knowledgeable guides and to Coastal Expeditions for a memorable day!

Photo credit: Marsh Deane, MLNL Media