(posted on April 28, 2010)
Horry County Schools’ Academy for the Arts, Science and Technology has been awarded a $2,000 Champions of the Environment grant by the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control.
“Students will be building and deploying an artificial reef to create habitat and assist with wave attenuation,” said Amy Bennett, coordinator for the Champions program. “Working on the project will allow students to gain a thorough understanding of aquatic environments, as well as the properties of wave dynamics.”
According to Bennett, students will first build reef models for an inside aquarium, then a larger model that will be deployed in ponds on the school property. Final ocean deployment of the full-sized artificial reef is planned for September and will involve many volunteers.
As a Champion of the Environment, the Academy will receive a $2,000 cash grant. The school also gets Champions give-away items and will be featured on the Champions’ Web site. A commercial will be made about the reef project and aired on WIS-TV in Columbia and WCSC-TV in Charleston.
Champions of the Environment supports environmental action by South Carolina’s kindergarten through 12th grade students. The program is sponsored by DHEC, Eastman Chemical Company, International Paper, WCSC-TV and WIS-TV with assistance from the Environmental Education Association of South Carolina.