Tracy Schultz, Santee Cooper's Director of Educational Programs Barbara Allen and Dana Schultz (l-r) are shown with a lineman's personal protective equipment - hard hats, rubber insulated safety gloves and a live line hot stick-- concluding a week of learning about power generation, electrical safety, renewable energy and conservation. MONCKS CORNER - This summer, Santee Cooper provided handson experience in the fields of power generation and renewable energy to two Cherokee County educators as part of the 24th annual Energy Educators Institute series at the Wampee Conference Center in Pinopolis.

More than 70 educators from across the state participated in this graduate level course, receiving planning materials and gaining knowledge about the production of electricity and the opportunities and challenges of renewable energy. This was illustrated through field experiences and tours of Santee Cooper facilities. Santee Cooper held three institutes this summer.

The Cherokee County educators participating were Dana Schultz, a music teacher at B.D. Lee Elementary and Limestone Central Elementary, and Tracy Schultz, a machine tool instructor at Cherokee Technology Center.

"I learned new ways to use resources and materials provided by Santee Cooper to integrate English language arts and fine arts with math and science," said Dana Schultz. "The entire experience, from the presentations to the hands-on experiences, to the networking with other educators from across the state, was amazing.

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, 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, trans- mission, distribution, electrical safety, water quality and utility economics.

"The Energy Educators Institute provides engaging standards-based lesson plans in an environment that promotes networking and problemsolving with fellow educators," said Barbara Allen, Santee Cooper's director of educational programs. "Not only do teachers learn from the curriculum that Santee Cooper offers, but they also learn from each other."

Tracy Schultz said that he now has a better understanding of the history of the state and about how power is produced in South Carolina. "I thank Santee Cooper for this opportunity to better prepare myself to teach my students. Santee Cooper is turning on the lights of South Carolina, one student at a time."

"Through providing resources to educators, Santee Cooper is demonstrating a long-standing commitment to public education," said Lonnie Carter, Santee Cooper president and chief executive officer. "Teachers leave the Energy Educators Institute equipped with the knowledge and tools they need to understand the energy issues prominent in our world today."