The Farm at Briggs
Briggs Farm
SC Farm to School is a program that connects schools with local agriculture. The goals of the program are to 1) Increase the number of SC grown fruits and vegetables in schools, 2) Promote healthy eating habits, 3) Provide nutrition and agricultural education, and 4) Support the local economy. The Program is a collaborative partnership between the South Carolina Department of Agriculture, South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, South Carolina Department of Education, South Carolina Department of Social Services and Clemson University.
The Farm at Briggs was started by F1S Farm Coordinator, Jeff Murrie in 2015. It has continued to grow and expand over the years. The Farm at Briggs continues to thrive under the leadership of the current Farm to School teacher, Jessica Crowson.
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Briggs Chicken Coop
We have a variety of chicken breeds here at Briggs. We add to our flock each year by incubating and hatching new chicks during our embryology project. Chickens often attract students that are otherwise not interested in gardening and generate excitement among the entire school community. Additionally, chickens provide students with an opportunity to better understand how to properly care for and establish a positive relationship with animals.
Meet Holly and Jolly
We are very proud of our goats. Holly and Jolly are two registered Nigerian goats. The brown male, Jolly, was born on September 17th to Maryanne and Buffet. The tri-color female, Holly, was born on September 14th to Ruby Lee and Buffet. Many have asked, "Why bring goats to the campus of Briggs?" Allowing our students to interact with chickens, bees, and now goats, will give them the opportunity to learn and appreciate the importance of agriculture, sustainability, as well as compassion. Recent studies have shown that keeping goats at school helps nurture a child's respect for life, provides opportunities for affection, compassion, and friendship. If these goats cause a single student to want to come to our school, then it's well worth the money spent! Please come visit the goats, but remember to be very quiet. Please remember to keep dogs away from the enclosure.
The Bee Cause Project
Briggs Elementary is the only school in the north-east corner of the state of South Carolina and east of interstate 95 in North Carolina to have an observation hive!
The Bee Cause Project was started by Ted Dennard, the President and Founder of The Savannah Bee Company, one of the most vibrant small companies in the honey industry. Currently the Bee Cause Project has provided hives for 300 schools in 50 states and 4 countries. Students at Briggs sold over 200 jars of Savannah Bee Company honey to help pay for the observation beehive. The remainder of the cost was provided by a generous donation from the Florence branch of the South Carolina Farm Bureau. The bees were donated by the current President of the Pee Dee Beekeepers Association, David Yanello. Our resident beekeeper is Mark Wentzel.
Students, faculty and the entire community have been amazed by the activity of our bees. The most exciting part of this project is how we can see them work together every day. Students have spent the year learning about the anatomy of the bee and their importance to our environment. Next year we will use the Bee Cause Project curriculum to learn even more about the amazing life of the honey bee!
A new bee pollination garden was funded by Five Star- Chevrolet/Mercedes/BMW. We are extremely thankful for the continued support of our parents and the entire Briggs community.