DHEC Awards Twenty South Carolina Schools as ‘Champions of the Environment’ including 2 in Charleston County

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Twenty South Carolina schools were chosen to receive grants that will support the education of the next generation of environmental stewards, the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) announced today.

“Champions of the Environment” awards are issued each school year to foster environmental education and action in South Carolina’s classrooms, from kindergarten through 12th grade. Teachers apply for grant funding by outlining their educational project that focuses on pollution or waste reduction, water or energy efficiency, or preservation of natural areas. The grant program is sponsored by DHEC, Dominion Energy, and Sylvamo, with assistance from the Environmental Education Association of South Carolina.

“We’re excited to award grants to such a large number of schools this year,” said Amanda Ley, DHEC’s coordinator for the Champions of the Environment program. “This is the largest number of projects we’ve awarded in the program’s history.” Ten schools won $2,500, four schools won $2,000, and six schools were awarded $1,000.

This year’s projects include gardens, habitat restoration projects, litter prevention, citizen science, waste management, and alternate energy sources. The 2022-23 Champions of the Environment winners are:

$2,500 winners

• Ashley Hall School, Charleston County
• Beechwood Middle School, Lexington County
• Coastal Montessori Charter School, Georgetown County
• Dacusville Middle School, Pickens County
• Glenforest School, Lexington County
• Liberty STEAM Charter School, Sumter County
• Mid Carolina High School, Newberry County
• Richland Two Institute of Innovation, Richland County
• Trident Academy, Charleston County
• Waccamaw High School, Georgetown County

$2,000 winners

• Brookdale Elementary School    , Orangeburg County
• Lugoff Elgin High School, Kershaw County
• Palmetto High School, Anderson County
• Plain Elementary School, Greenville County

$1,000 winners

• Darlington Middle School, Darlington County
• Greer Middle College Charter High School, Greenville County
• Leaphart Elementary STEAM Magnet, Lexington County
• Mitchell Road Elementary, Greenville County
• Swansea High Freshman Academy, Lexington County
• Wellford Academy of Science and Technology, Spartanburg County

For more information, including descriptions of each winning project, visit www.scdhec.gov/champions.