Cherokee teachers complete Energy Educators Institute

(Left to right) Kenneth Millwood; Barbara Allen, Santee Cooper director of educational programs; and Kenneth Blackwell.

MONCKS CORNER — While their students were enjoying the remainder of their summer vacation and gearing up to go back to school, Cherokee county educators Kenneth Blackwell and Kenneth Millwood were learning a few lessons of their own — courtesy of Santee Cooper and its Energy Educators Institute.

Educators participating in this graduate level course receive planning materials and gain knowledge about the production of electricity and the challenges of renewable energy. This was illustrated through field experiences and tours of Santee Cooper facilities. Santee Cooper held three institutes this summer, with more than 70 educators in attendance.

"I enrolled in the Institute to increase my knowledge about electricity, but I also enjoyed canoeing and watching the alligators in the Santee Canal," said Blackwell, a metal fabrication teacher at Cherokee Technology Center. "Now, I can explain how electricity is produced, sold and how it affects the environment."

Each of the four-day institutes included trips to Santee Cooper's Jefferies Generating Station, the Old Santee Canal Park and industrial customer Alcoa-Mt. Holly, as well as hands-on learning activities and unit planning sessions. Santee Cooper experts addressed topics such as energy efficiency and conservation, renewable energy, environmental resources, power generation, transmission, distribution, electrical safety, water quality and utility economics.

"The Energy Educators Institute is a unique, multifaceted program," said Barbara Allen, Santee Cooper's director of educational programs. "Not only does it provide classroom resources, but the teachers also have the opportunity to network with one another as well as Santee Cooper employees while developing engaging standards-based lesson plans."

Millwood, a masonry teacher at Cherokee Technology Center, said he enjoyed receiving information about the lakes and about power generation.

"Santee Cooper has promoted conservation for more than four decades, and that, along with our support of public education, helps us be the state's leading resource for improving the lives of South Carolinians," said Lonnie Carter, Santee Cooper president and chief executive officer. "In these Energy Educators Institutes, Santee Cooper equips teachers with the knowledge and tools they need to teach students how electricity is made and how it should be conserved. That's an important lesson to learn in your formative years."