Harrison County high school students are soaring with pride as they continue work on a project to support native birds along the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
     In April, students enrolled in the construction and carpentry program from Harrison Central, West Harrison, and D’Iberville high schools joined together to embark on a critical mission to build 30 nesting boxes suitable for Eastern bluebirds and other local bird populations.

     The boxes are being constructed with high-quality donated materials at the Harrison County Career & Technical Center (CTE), where instructors Tim Wheeler and Preston Necaise, center director, are overseeing the project to ensure students follow the specifications required for building each box.    

The project is meaningful for the students, faculty, and staff because it is a way to give back to the community. – Preston Necaise, director of Harrison County Career & Technical Center

“Our goal at the CTE is to expose our students to opportunities in our community so that when they graduate high school, they will want to continue to live and work in the community they grew up in,” Necaise said.
     The project, which has been in the making for more than year, is a partnership with the Harrison County Soil & Water Conservation District, and South Mississippi Regional Center, an intermediate care facility with headquarters in Long Beach, Miss., that serves individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

     Seaside Social News, an online news source dedicated to the Mississippi Gulf Coast since its inception in 2019, together with local resident James Douglas Hines of Picayune, Miss., has donated the materials to bring the project to life. 
     “We are absolutely thrilled to help make this amazing project happen for our communities here on the Gulf Coast,” said Hines. “I am excited to see students and organizations take part in such an amazing initiative to support our wildlife.”

     Ongoing efforts by communities to replace these nesting boxes is essential for creating suitable habitats for Eastern bluebirds and has aided in the survival of the species that was nearly wiped out in the 1960s.
     Harrison Central High student Jamyra Patton is happy to be participating in the assembly of the birdhouses.
     “It’s pretty cool,” she said. “I like knowing it’s for a good cause.”

     Once completed, the nesting boxes will be delivered to the South Mississippi Regional Center, where residents in each of the agency’s four community homes located in Biloxi, Gautier, Poplarville, and Wiggins will paint and decorate them. The finished boxes will then be placed in parks throughout Harrison County.
     Spearheading the project is Mary Terwilliger, Information and Education Specialist with the Harrison County Soil & Water Conservation District.
     “Completing this project means so much for me,” Terwilliger said. “It shows that I would have successfully brought together members of the community that don’t typically work together to collaborate on a project that will benefit our environment.
     “This project is not just providing homes for native birds, but it’s a reflection of our community working together to help our earth.”

     Allison Beyer, public relations specialist at South Mississippi Regional Center, echoed the same sentiments for the project.
     “I think it is a great idea and a very good opportunity to participate in a quality community involvement program that will have a lasting impact on our communities, nature, and for our individuals who can continuously visit the community locations where their birdhouse projects are placed,” she said.
     The Harrison County project will boast birdhouses made from cedar and designed specifically for Eastern bluebird species with each including a predator guard to deter outside disturbances of the nest as well as trim and angles for proper drainage and ventilation. Pivot nails will also be used to create a door on the side of every house that swings out for easy cleaning.

     Each house is made at an angle with the backboard being the tallest, measuring 15 inches or just over one foot, and the front board measuring 9 inches, with both sides at 8 ¾ inches. The surface of the floors measure 4 ¾ inches by 5 ½ inches wide, and each roof is cut 7 ½ inches by 5 ½ inches wide. The opening of each birdhouse is a circle that measures approximately 1 ½ inches.

     According to Necaise, the project brings value to students in numerous ways; it not only teaches them how to build a birdhouse, but it equips them with work/life skills including teamwork, responsibility, and job readiness. It even introduces them to different career paths.
     Necaise graduated from Harrison Central in 2007 and is in his 16th year teaching in the Harrison County School District.  In January 2025, he became an instructor at the Career Tech Center that offers eight different career and technical education programs to students attending Harrison Central, West Harrison, and D’Iberville high schools.

     “I wanted to be at the Career Tech Center because I am passionate about students being productive citizens,” he said. “I believe too many students have been pushed to go to college when there are careers available that do not require an education and offer a great salary.
     “My personal connection to Career Tech would be through my dad. I did not take a Career Tech program when I was in high school, but my dad did.  I was able to see him support our family using the skills he learned here at the Career Tech Center when he attended Harrison Central.”   
     The birdhouses will be installed through coordination efforts with city parks departments at designated locations across Harrison County. Affixed to each birdhouse will be a placard or nameplate showcasing the names of project participants and supporters.

     The public is invited to witness the installation of the birdhouses. Dates, times and locations will be announced soon along with additional event details online at www.seasidesocialnews.com. You can also get more information by contacting the Harrison County Soil & Water Conservation District by phone at (228) 351-9440, or email harcoswcd@gmail.com.

On the cover: Harrison County students Makayla Clark, Dakarae Alfatah, and Jamyra Patton are proud of their work in helping construct nesting boxes to support Eastern Bluebirds and other native bird populations across the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Joining them inside the Harrison County Career & Technical Center, where the birdhouses are being built, are instructors Tim Wheeler, and Preston Necaise, center director.

Amanda Compton-Ortiz

Amanda Compton-Ortiz holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Journalism from the University of Mississippi. She relocated from North Mississippi to Long Beach in October 2016. Amanda has worked for more than 20 years in journalism, leading and reporting for various community news publications throughout the state. She has received numerous awards for her editorial contributions from the Mississippi Press Association and placed among 224 universities competing across the United States and Canada for Reach, a personally created magazine for women.