DACUSVILLE — Twenty South Carolina schools — including Dacusville Middle School — 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.

“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.