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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

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October 22, 2025: Marsh Deane

On the 22nd of October, we welcomed Marsh Deane to Open Forum. Marsh is accomplished photographer who owns his own business, MLNL Media. MLNL Media does all kinds of photography from real estate to nature to weddings. Marsh is also a teacher at TGS. He started out by teaching photography, then branched out to also teach Earth Science and Robotics. Marsh brings lots of knowledge and experience to the school through his job and personal knowledge of the local land and environment. 

Marsh believes in the power of immersing yourself in nature and the necessity of preserving nature for future generations. He spoke to us about a wonderful experience he had in the Congaree National Park photographing the synchronous fireflies that appear there every spring. He went on the Congaree, traveling miles upriver on his kayak to reach the most secluded parts of the swamp. When he arrived, he went deep into the forest to find the fireflies, a twinkling array of beautiful lights in the night.

For Marsh, this experience put a deep focus on how we tend to skip over the little things we see every day, whether it be the trees, the wildlife, the river, or anything else. He reminded us that some other places, like big cities, can’t even see the stars in the night sky due to light pollution. Marsh’s journey into the Congaree Swamp gives us an example of exactly what he hopes people will have the courage to do—he went deep into the wild to capture nature in its purest form. Through this journey, he told us that he conquered his fears and truly “witnessed the Holy Spirit deep in the Carolina night.” 

We thank Mr. Marsh for sharing his inspiring account of his journey in the Congaree National Park and his experience with the beautiful wildlife deep in the pristine forest.

By Nolan

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April 23, 2025: Marsh Deane

Our Open Forum speaker today was Mr. Marsh Deane. Mr. Marsh is a local videographer and photographer who has his own company MLNL Media. He also teaches Photography at TGS. He studied Landscape Architecture at Clemson University, then at Coastal Carolina, where he finished his undergraduate degree. Mr. Marsh recently visited Japan with two high school friends. He shared an amazing video he made of the trip with us.

Mr. Marsh saw cities, temples, mountains, and cool statues with his friends but seemed to be the most impressed with Japanese food. “You can go into any convenience store,” he said, ” and get fabulous fresh food for not much money.” Japan looks like a wonderful place to visit! Thank you for sharing yet another of your tremendous adventures with us, Mr. Marsh!

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