Immediately after school, members of the TGS volleyball team piled into cars and set off for St Michael’s.  In their first and only tri-match of the season, the Kingfishers were playing Lowcountry and Elizabeth Ann Seton in the same night.  At 3:30, they pulled into the parking lot and got ready to play. “We can win this tonight,” Coach Neubauer told her team before they went inside.  “We almost beat Seton last time we played, and they’ve beaten Lowcountry. If we play as well as we did last time, we have a pretty good chance.”

There were unfortunate setbacks to the night’s events.  First, there was an unscheduled JV game that pushed back the tri-match by almost an hour.  Then, the games were each played 3 out of 5 sets, instead of 2 out of 3 that is typical for tri-matches.  Lowcountry and Seton played each other first, and it was nearly 7:00 by the time TGS stepped out onto the court.

They started out strong, but as the night went on, their energy began to wane.  Lowcountry won all three sets, although TGS was not far behind. By the time they played Seton, the Kingfishers were completely exhausted.  “Come on, guys!” Margaret encouraged her team. “We’re close! We can still win this!” But after co-captain Ryleigh was taken out of the game by illness, the team began to fall behind.  In the end, the Kingfishers left the gym in low spirits having lost every set they had played. Even though they didn’t win, it was good practice for their upcoming games and will be used as a learning experience.

The day we had been waiting for was finally here: the annual SCISA High School Quiz Bowl competition.  After having competed with other students for their places on the team, the four students on the team were eager to go.  Margaret, Ryleigh, Camille, and Ethan piled into Dr Gates’s car and drove to North Myrtle Beach Christian.

In the morning, TGS went up against Lowcountry, Christian School, and Pee Dee Academy.  They were faced with rapid-fire questions about math, history, science, and more. Not having participated in the quiz bowl the previous year or practiced, TGS was at a disadvantage and struggled to keep up with the other teams.

Even though the team didn’t win, everybody learned a lot.  “We lost pretty terribly,” Margaret admitted after the event was over. “But there was a lot of stuff in there that we just didn’t know.” Despite their loss, every team member went home with a very mild sense of accomplishment. “We still tried our best and had a great time,” said Margaret.

By Ryleigh.

Wednesday, September 18, was the annual Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich Challenge for Mrs. Crosby’s LA 1 and 2.  Students had written up explicit instructions to prepare one of these tasty treats.  They presented their instructions in front of the class and Mrs. Crosby carried them out to the letter with the materials on her desk.

“Please read EXACTLY what you have written!” she instructed as AyShona got up to make her presentation.  Unfortunately, AyShona forgot to mention that the jars of peanut butter and jelly had to be opened and their contents scooped out, resulting in much laughter as Mrs. Crosby actually placed the full jars onto the bread.  AyShona went back to her seat with just squished bread on a paper plate.

Hayden fared slightly better.  “Put jelly all over the bread,” he told Mrs. Crosby.  In this way, he ended up with a slice of bread smeared all over with grape jelly.  Bristol’s and Baryck’s instructions left Mrs. Crosby futilely stabbing at the unopened jars with the bread knife.  And on it went!  Students learned some valuable lessons about getting their message across in writing: words matter and you have to pay attention and put yourself in the place of the reader!

Monday was the first day back from the hurricane, but that wasn’t the only reason why it was special.  The Kingfishers volleyball team competed in their second game of the season, this time against Coastal Leadership Academy.  Not only did the Kingfishers emerge victorious, but the sophomores chose this night to celebrate and honor their captains with Senior Night.

The game was a smashing success, with co-captains Margaret and Ryleigh leading their team to victory.  Every member of the team did an amazing job, winning all three games and keeping their energy up all night long.  “We’ve broken school tradition!” Margaret joked after the game.  “I think this is the first time we’ve ever won a senior night!”

As they celebrated their victory, sophomores Kate and Manny, along with the rest of the team, had a surprise for their captains.  They gave a heartfelt speech about their memories of their time on the volleyball team and how happy they were to have Margaret and Ryleigh leading and working with them.  After their speech, which almost brought Margaret to tears, Kate and Manny presented the captains with a gift: their framed jerseys from the previous year and a brand-new volleyball for each of them.  They also gave flowers to the seniors’ parents as a thank you for all of their help this volleyball season.  Thank you to the sophomores for making this such a special night, and thank you to the seniors for giving us a volleyball season to remember!

The Georgetown School’s volleyball team kicked off their season with a bang August 27!  At the newly air-conditioned First Baptist Gym, we squared off against North Myrtle Beach Christian Stallions in our first game of the season.  With a huge crowd of parents, students, and other members of the community, there were plenty of people there to cheer the Kingfishers on.

Once the games were underway, the action never stopped.  Co-Captains Margaret and Ryleigh led their team through it all.  North Myrtle Beach Christian quickly took the lead, but after a series of ace serves and killer spikes from TGS, they barely managed to stay ahead.  Although there was the occasional wild bump, confusion with the rotation, or twisted ankle (sorry, Kate!), the Kingfishers also had a strong offensive line and some amazing saves.

Even though TGS lost all three games, Kingfishers had a great time.  “You all had some great serves and hits,” Coach Neubauer told the team.  “The other team was really good, but you did a great job of keeping up with them.”  Kingfishers take on Coastal Leadership September 9.

By Ryleigh.

Kingfishers ended their first week of school on a really high note: River Day!  Thanks to Dr. and Mrs. Crosby, we were once again able to make our annual jaunt out to the Black River for tons of fun activities all afternoon and into the evening.

The first adventure was getting there in teachers’ cars with all our gear and all the donated food.  The second adventure was finding a life vest that fit and actually getting it buckled up.

Then came the good part: hours of activities both on an off the water.  River Day is when you can relax and enjoy what you want to do—kayaking, swimming, paddle-boarding, volleyball, water balloons, knee-boarding, tubing, chatting with friends, and riding in a motor boat.  The head of school lurked around in his kayak and splashed unsuspecting students.  Everyone got wet!

Water and land sports were going full tilt as the sky gradually began to darken and cloud over.  Around 4:00, we heard the first rumble of thunder.  “Everybody out the water,” shouted all the teachers.  Kayaks were beached and people made their way up onto the deck and frantically searched for their towels.  We took a moment to eat some snacks, then there was a giant clap of thunder right overhead.  “Everyone inside!” shouted Mrs. Crosby.  She sprang into action, furnishing a bucket of old towels for people to sit on as they crowded her living room.

Mrs. Patrick, Dr. Simmons, and Qulex courageously braved the ensuing downpour to grill hot dogs and hamburgers for dinner.  Mrs. Simmons ran back and forth, setting up the fixings and plates.  The rain didn’t stop but it was time to eat.  Dr. Gates called each class in turn and the rain still didn’t stop.

Kingfishers were tired and happy after their meal—also ready to get a hot shower and dry off.  They thanked Mrs. Crosby and went off to the first weekend of the school year, still wrapped in their towels.

Ready, set, glow! This year’s Glo-n-Go 5K Fun Run was a smashing success. About fifty participants gathered in front of the Winyah Auditorium on the evening of August 3, decked out in neon shirts, glow-in-the-dark bracelets and necklaces, and even body paint. People from Georgetown and beyond–along with their dogs–took to the streets in a flood of neon.

First man to finish was Blake Joseph and first woman was Nancy Altman. Other awards went to the Youngest Finisher (Lawson Angner), the Wisest Finisher (Barbie Jones), the Most Glowing Finisher (Nathan Gates), and the Fastest Dog (Felix) who pulled his owner Steve Attias over the finish line in second place overall.

While some competitors ran as fast as they could, others chose to walk and enjoy the evening. “It’s not about winning,” said TGS alumna Isabella. “It’s about getting to spend time with your friends and just hand out.” Whether they walked, ran, strolled, or hitched a ride on one of the many golf carts, everyone had a great time. We are already looking forward to next year’s event.

We want to thank our generous sponsors and donors, especially the City of Georgetown: Attias Law LLC, Edward Jones, First Citizens, Inlet Pulmonary, Design House, Daniel Engineering, TJU Services, Castaways, Dr. Ana Ferrer, Po Boys Discount, Old Fish House, Fast and Fresh, Groucho’s, Old Georgetown Creamery, Graham’s Landing, River Room, Dr. Michael McGinnis, HowCox Rock and Dirt, Black Dog Running, Sweeties, PetCo, Buzz’s Roost, YMCA, Pawleys Island Veterinary, Lowes Foods. Thanks for all the help, Kingfishers!

By Ryleigh

Congratulations to Morgan and J’Marion for placing 1^st and 2^nd place for The Georgetown School in the 2019 Georgetown Soil and Water Conservation District Essay Contest.  The essay contest is open to all sixth-graders in Georgetown County and features cash prizes of $50 for each first-place winner and $25 to each second-place winner in all eligible schools.

All TGS sixth-graders participated in the contest, writing a 400-500-word essay on the many ways we depend on soil for our existence and why it is so important not to “treat it like dirt.”  The sixth-graders studied the role soil plays in giving us healthy food and clean water in Science class with Dr. Neubauer, then worked on their essays in Language Arts with Mrs. Crosby.  We are very proud of Morgan and J’Marion for their achievement!

The Horry-Georgetown Counties Twentieth Annual Juried Art Exhibition is currently on display at the Myrtle Beach Art Museum until May 26. Works in a dazzling array of media by local high school students have been chosen to hang on the second floor. The show is sponsored by Sandy Hubbard and Thomas Logan.

Manny’s painting “Sunflowers” was selected for inclusion in the show. At the opening ceremony on April 28, she was congratulated by the show’s sponsors Hubbard and Logan plus Mrs. Patrick and Dr. Gates. Manny’s whole family was there to support her as well and it was a lovely occasion.