Students in child development through fifth grade were involved in projects that helped sea turtles, dogs and cats, soldiers, the Ronald McDonald House in Charleston, and the environment. In addition, students worked to create historical displays for the Burgess Elementary Museum, a satellite of the Horry County Museum.

The following is a grade-level description of the school’s service learning projects:

• Child Development/Kindergarten: Pennies for Sea Turtles; child development and kindergarten students collected over $1,300 in pennies to help sea turtles. In the process, they learned about the power of helping others, protecting the environment, and giving to our community.
  
• First Grade: Ronald McDonald House; first grade students collected soda can tabs for the Ronald McDonald House in Charleston. The sent handmade cards for sick children and their families to cheer them up and show them how much first graders care.
  
• Second Grade: Protecting Sea Turtle Habitats; second grade students learned about the habitat of the sea turtle and the need to protect and preserve the habitats.  They made posters suggesting ways the community can also help preserve the sea turtle habitat and displayed the posters in local businesses.
  
• Third Grade: Supplies for Soldiers; third grade students led a school-wide collection of items for care packages for local soldiers serving overseas. They also wrote letters to include in over 30 boxes that were sent to soldiers.
  
• Fourth Grade: Burgess Elementary Talks Trash; fourth grade students led the school’s effort to organize, educate, and motivate students and parents about the necessity and benefits of recycling. They collected newspaper, aluminum, and plastic in partnership with the Talkin’ Trash program.
  
• Fifth Grade: Feed Our Furry Friends; fifth grade students collected bags and cans of cat and dog food and donated 350 pounds of pet food to the Grand Strand Humane Society in Myrtle Beach.
  
• School Improvement Council/Student Council: Rain Garden; the School Improvement Council and Student Council worked with a parent to obtain $8,000 in funding from local Wal-Mart stores to construct a school rain garden.  School Improvement Council members, Burgess Elementary Student Council members, Wal-Mart employees, and community members joined together to install the garden which filters pollutants from polluted runoff around the school.
  
• Gifted and Talented Students: Burgess Elementary Museum; third, fourth, and fifth grade gifted and talented students researched and created environmental and historical projects for display in the Burgess Elementary Museum. The museum is a satellite of the Horry County Museum and contains primary source information on the history of the community, plus information on the plant and animal life in the area.