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Miss South Carolina's Teen urges statewide community-service graduation requirement
Summary
Logan Wells, Miss South Carolina's Teen and founder of Fresh Friends, told the Richland School District 2 board she is working with legislators to draft a bill that would make community service a statewide graduation requirement and described Fresh Friends’ volunteer work in local schools.
Logan Wells, introduced by board member Miss Nash, told the Richland School District 2 board that she founded Fresh Friends in 2024 to connect teens with volunteer opportunities and to build student leadership.
Wells noted Fresh Friends has worked with local schools and statewide partners and said she is pursuing legislation to make service a graduation requirement. "Currently, I'm working with legislators to draft a bill that would designate community service as a graduation requirement statewide," she said. Wells also credited programs in Richland School District 2 for nurturing her early volunteer work.
Wells outlined Fresh Friends’ three-part approach — "plant, connect and amplify" — and described partnerships with Youth Service America and the Salvation Army. She asked the board to support efforts to expand volunteer access for students who attend schools without established service pipelines. The board gave Wells a round of applause and took a photo with her following the presentation.
Why it matters: Wells framed community service as a tool to build civic skills and social-emotional development. Her proposal — still in a drafting phase with legislators — would shift graduation policy statewide if passed, a change that would have district and state implications for curriculum and compliance.
