Area schools have joined the effort to help those affected by the recent fire in the Windsor Green development of Carolina Forest. They have been collecting donations, assisting students and staff directly affected by the event and planning fundraisers, providing ample opportunities to help them help others.

Horry County Schools has provided two easy ways to donate to the cause. An account has been established at Conway National Bank, and anyone can stop by any CNB branch and make a donation to the Horry County Disaster Relief Fund-Carolina Forest. Donors may designate that their donations be distributed to HCS students and staff, while undesignated contributions will be used to support the needs of everyone affected by the fire. Donations are tax deductible.

Donations also may be made by going to Carolina Forest Elementary School’s web page on the district’s website. Go to www.horrycountyschools.net, select Our Schools from the navigation bar, then select the school’s name from under Elementary Schools.

Carolina Forest Elementary will have school night Thursday at Beef O’Brady’s, where 25 percent of sales will be donated; in April, the school staff will participate in a basketball game to raise money; and the school’s Parent Teacher Organization also is selling candy. The school already has donated book bags and gift cards to students and their families, and hosted breakfast for first responders to the fire with food donated by Bojangles and Boston Pizza.

Carolina Forest High School’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes and National Thespian Society sponsored a benefit performance of “Phantom of the Opera” Tuesday, with all proceeds going to the families who lost their homes. Wayne Canady, the school’s theater and curriculum specialist, said the benefit was very successful, and donations will continue to be taken through the Sunday performance before they have a final total.

Students at the Academy for the Arts, Science and Technology have shifted gears and will take proceeds from an upcoming talent show and chicken bog dinner that was already scheduled and will donate them to the American Red Cross. The event will be held Tuesday, hosted by the BETA club, with dinner served at 6 p.m. and the show at 7 p.m. Food tickets are $6; the show is $5 for adults, $3 for children.

Horry County Schools Technology Fair

The Horry County Schools Technology Fair and the Grand Strand Technology Expo will be held together for the first time Wednesday at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center from noon to 6 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

The school district fair will feature over 300 entries from more than 800 students and teachers in categories ranging from animated graphic design/3-D modeling to digital photography, and for the first time, there will be a pre-school entry. The fair also will have its largest LEGO Robotics Challenge for elementary and middle schools, with 30 teams, 16 of them new to the competition. For those who missed the Palmetto First Robotics competition a few weeks ago, all of the HCS robots will be on hand, except for the one from the Academy for Technology and Academics, which has been sent to St. Louis for the national competition.

North Myrtle Beach wins Mock Trial title

North Myrtle Beach High School’s Mock Trial team won its second championship in the S.C. Bar Association’s High School Mock Trial State Competition March 9 at the Marc H. Westbrook Lexington County Judicial Center. The team will now advance to the Mock Trial National Competition in Indianapolis May 9-11.

Students presented the plaintiff and defendant sides of a fictitious case before a panel of local volunteer judges and lawyers. Students also filled the roles of defendant, witnesses, bailiff and timekeepers. Each team was judged on its presentation skills rather than the legal merits of the case.

Team members are Stephanie Pacheco, Kennedy Hayes, Allie Minarik, Shannon Cherney, Bailey Phillips, Lukas Gschwandtner, Courtni Hyatt, Brandon Lynch and Kacey Markarian. Teacher coaches are B.J. DeCerbo and Amy Murphy. Attorney coaches are Josh Holford and Martin Spratlin. In addition to the team championship, Pacheco, Hayes and Cherney were named Most Effective Attorneys. Cherney, Phillips and Minarik were named Most Effective Witnesses.

For more information about the Mock Trial case or program, visit www.scbar.org/lre.

Vote now for Conway High singer

Chloe Jones, 18, a senior at Conway High School, has been chosen as one of 10 finalists in the third annual BB&T “This School’s Got Talent” competition, hosted by South Carolina Future Minds. The winner will be chosen through online voting, which can be found on the South Carolina Future Minds Facebook page.

Jones sang “Over the Rainbow” from “The Wizard of Oz” in a video, one of nearly 130 entries. The field was narrowed by judges from Hootie & The Blowfish - bass guitarist Dean Felber, lead guitarist Mark Bryan and their former tour manager and current annual golf tournament director Paul Graham.

All of the videos can be seen by going to the South Carolina Future Minds Facebook page, clicking on the “This School’s Got Talent” box under the profile picture, and scrolling down. Voting is open to all, and votes can be cast once a day until midnight March 31.

The winner will be announced April 1 and will earn the opportunity to perform live at the televised “South Carolina Teacher of the Year Celebration” May 1 in Columbia. The winner is also invited to perform at the opening concert for the BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by SYNNEX Corp. in May, which will feature members of Hootie & The Blowfish and other celebrity performers.

The contest was open to students between first and 12th grades in all S.C. public schools. To enter, adults 18 or older could submit videos of students showcasing their skills on the South Carolina Future Minds Facebook page. Videos had to be at least 30 seconds in length and could not exceed 5 minutes.

Do the Right Thing awards

Nas’zeir Bellamy, Malachia Brown, Stephen Hare and Elijah Whitehead have earned Do the Right Thing awards from the North Myrtle Beach Department of Public Safety. The awards were presented at the March 18 meeting of the North Myrtle Beach City Council.

The Do the Right Thing program recognizes children who exhibit consistently positive behaviors, sometimes under challenging circumstances, and they serve as positive role models for their peers. The students are nominated by their teachers.

Bellamy was nominated by Mandy Dennis-Hunnell for the initiative he shows in class, always reaching out to help others with a smile, even when life confronts him with serious challenges.

Brown was nominated by Norie McCroskey after she found out from others in the community that he was so determined to raise money for Jump Rope for Heart that he put together his own fundraiser.

Hare was nominated by Anne King because in the classroom or at recess with his friends, he can always be counted on to do the right thing, even when an adult or teacher is not present.

Whitehead was nominated by Debbie Parrish and Cynthia Randall because he has shown strength of character in overcoming adverse obstacles in his life and has put into action his personal decision to excel in life.

Academy for the Arts, Science and Technology news

•  Students from the Academy for the Arts, Science and Technology attended the 2013 S.C. Technology Student Association Conference held March 9 at Airport High School in West Columbia, S.C.

Winners were: Rachael Houston, Dylan Wadzinski and Miko White, first place, Digital Video Production; Aaliyah Clarkson, Aashka Pandya and Valarie Paterson, first place, Fashion Design; Noel Clarkson and Aashka Pandya, second place, Biotechnology Design; and Erin Bunts, Ashley DeLuca and Jessica Reyes, second place, Digital Video Production.

First-place winners will advance to the National TSA Conference in Orlando, Fla., June 28 to July 2. The association’s mission is to prepare student members for the challenges of a dynamic world by promoting technological literacy, leadership and problem solving, resulting in personal growth and opportunity.

Alexus Andrews, a 12th-grade student in the Connect program, was a semifinalist winner in the Chasing Mavericks writing contest, which was open to students nationwide in grades five through 12. The contest was based on an inspirational movie on the life of surfing legend Jay Moriarity.

Andrews is a student in Jean Buck’s English IV class. As her prize, she can select either an airplane ticket to anywhere in the continental United States or a $250 American Express card.

Robin Jones, AAST principal, was named the 2012-13 Administrator of the Year by the S.C. Association of Student Councils. She was nominated by her school’s student council in honor of her many hours of dedicated work and outstanding support for co-curricular activities. The award was presented at the association’s annual convention March 9 at Waccamaw High School in Pawleys Island.

Administrators tops for leadership in athletics

Horry County Schools’ administrators were award winners at the S.C. Athletic Administrators Association’s Spring Conference March 6-10 in Charleston.

Paula Lee of St. James High School was named the Region 7 AAA Athletic Director the Year; Vann Pennell of St. James High was named the AAA Principal of the Year and is also the president of the AAA Classification; Cindy Elsberry was named Superintendent of the Year; Joe Quiqley of North Myrtle Beach High School is the current SCAAA president; and Doug Hinson of Green Sea Floyds High School was named Region 8 A Athletic Director of the Year.

Conway Anglers action

Conway Anglers competed in the TBF Student Anglers S.C. High School State Championship along with 15 other schools on Lake Hartwell in Anderson, S.C. The Tigers’ three teams when scored with the other schools’ three best teams (some teams had eight boats) placed unofficially around fifth place.

Ford Courtney and Reid O’Quinn’s 8 pounds of fish officially placed their boat sixth among 44 boats that launched for seven hours of fishing. Brody Lavoie and Colin Drew harvested close to 6 pounds, while Jacob Barfield and Bradley Thompkins’ weigh-in almost hit 3 pounds. The winning duo from Abbeville bagged 16 pounds of fish.

The entire Tiger Angler organization - Conway High School, Conway Middle School and Whittemore Park Middle School - are competing this weekend at Lake Murray in the DNR S.C. Sportsman Classic tourney, which should field 100 boats.

Conway academy students win at conference

Nine Health Occupation Students of America from Conway’s Academy for Technology and Academics won awards at the S.C. State Leadership Conference in Charleston March 15.

First-place competition winners were Alison Soles for Healthcare Issues Exam and Tiffany Pickett for Outstanding HOSA Chapter. They are invited to compete at the HOSA National Leadership Conference this summer in Opryland, Tenn.

Third-place competition winners were Ryan Messenger for Veterinary Science and the team of Fantasia English, Emma Nicole Johnson, Victoria Knight and Tynisha Perry for Biomedical Debate.

Top six competition winners were Gabriel McDowell for Prepared Speaking and Brenda Yanez for Nursing Assisting.

HOSA members were recognized by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation for Outstanding Service.

The students are juniors and seniors, taught by Jeanna Carroll, Janet Hodge and Teresa Nirenstein. A total of 1,313 students from 57 chapters in the state competed at this year’s conference.

Contact VICKI GROOMS at 443-2401 or follow her at Twitter.com/TSN_VickiGrooms.