Southport Magazine

The founder of the South Brunswick High School Surf Dreams Club is graduating high school and, perhaps a little ironically, leaving the surf behind to follow her dreams. Oak Island’s Sophia Ordonez began the club as a local chapter supporting the Surf Dreams Foundation, based in Myrtle Beach, and is now on her way to pursue an Elementary education degree at Appalachian State, far from the roar fo the surf she’s grown up loving. But her experience with the Surf Dreams club and its outreach to educate youth in both surfing and ocean safety helped to set her on this path.

“I just love sharing my passion and seeing the young kids learn something new and succeed. It makes me so happy,” Ordonez said. “I’m going to school to be a teacher. That’s what my passion is. I like seeing kids succeed.”

One of the signature activities of the Surf Dreams organization is Take A Kid Surfing Day. What had been an annual event for the club ran into some trouble last year. “Last year when we posted it, the spots filled up in less than an hour. We rescheduled due COVID, then the hurricane hit and there were no roads so we had to cancel it,” Ordonez said. This year’s event was a huge success, with over 50 surf students learning the ropes from volunteers on Oak Island. 

“Mostly we get kids who’ve never tried before but a few come with some experience. All ages are welcome but it’s mostly elementary age. We get Kindergarteners through fifth graders, with some younger and some middle school age,” Ordonez said.

Ordonez learned of the Surf Dreams Foundation from its founder, Phil Jackson, a Garden City, SC resident who serves as an announcer in many regional surfing competitions. As a middle schooler, Ordonez traveled to Garden City to help at a Take A Kid Surfing event and was hooked. As a South Brunswick High School freshman, she founded a local chapter.

“I wanted it to be an extension of the Surf Dreams Foundation. I enjoy volunteering at their events and I wanted touring events like that to Brunswick County,” she said.

SBHS Surf Dreams also teaches ocean safety to fourth and fifth graders in some Brunswick County Schools. Ordonez said she taught the session at Bolivia Elementary when she was a sophomore and was shocked at how much they had to learn about the ocean at their back door. “I think that it’s really important. A lot of them were clueless about the beach and water safety,” she said. “At Bolivia there were a lot of kids that had never been to the beach before. There is a lot they don’t really know. It’s just so important since we don’t have lifeguards. You either learn from parents or you don’t learn and when you go to the beach you can get in a dangerous situation.”

The presentation teaches animal life, such as the difference between dolphins and sharks and how to identify each as well as what critters are safe and not. They cover ocean currents and teach kids to pick a spot on shore to watch while the are in the surf to make sure they don’t get carried too far down the beach. “We teach them that the tide comes up and comes down, so don’t leave your toys too close to the water,” Ordonez said. The club members have not been able to travel to the classrooms this year due to COVID, so they have been making a video that teachers can show to teach ocean safety. 

Ordonez grew up on Oak Island, moving from Connecticut when she was four, and spent a lot of time at the beach. “We’re just a huge beach family, we spent all our time on the beach,” she said. “My brother started surfing and he just kinda taught me I guess. We surf less together now because we have jobs and he’s in college, but especially when there’s good waves or something, we go out together.” 

Aside from surfing, Ordonez is a dancer as well, and also shares that passion with children. She volunteered as an instructor with the Brunswick Arts Council’s Dancing on Air program in which she helped teach ballet to children in the Cedar Grove community.  The experience cemented her love of teaching children, she said, “I feel like I had all these amazing opportunities that showed me that’s what I want to do.”

Ordonez is headed off to college with several scholarship awards, including the State Employees Credit Union People Helping People Scholarship, an award based on community service. “I put a lot of work into this club and other community service, so that means a lot to me,” she said.