MONCKS CORNER, S.C. – As the new school year begins, educators from 14 school districts and 29 different schools across the state are ready to share energy lessons gained as part of Santee Cooper’s Energy Educators Institute program. The Institute is a graduate-level course that includes hands-on experience in critical fields of the electric industry.
The institute consists of two, three-week sessions in July. The curriculum focuses on deepening educators’ understanding of the utility industry so they can inspire their students’ interest in STEM subjects.
Participants engage in online interactions and assignments during the first and third weeks. The second week is spent onsite at Santee Cooper’s Wampee Conference Center, where educators participate in experiments, electric and water facility tours, lessons in lesson planning, and in-depth conversations with several Santee Cooper team members.
“The Energy Educators Institute offers educators from across the state the opportunity to learn about electricity and water purification,” said Brandy Incorvia, Santee Cooper’s Manager of Community Relations. “The educators spend the week onsite deepening their knowledge so they can bring this valuable information back to their schools and community.”
“Learning about the history, mission, and environmental impacts and decisions Santee Cooper stands for makes me very proud to be a South Carolinian,” said Ashley Barefield, a sixth-grade math teacher at Pleasant Knoll Middle School in Fort Mill. “The experts who presented were so passionate about what they do and why they do it. This has been an incredible experience.”
In addition to Barefeld, the participants who attended this year include Keith Bennett, David Blakenship, Teresa Blakenship, James Blue, Alicia Caldwell, Stephen Campbell, Thomas Collins, Thomas Cousins, Robert Coward, Denise Clancy, Annie Dickerson, Jonathan Griffith, Melody Harrelson, Charlie Harris, Anna Harvley, Nora Hlavac, Beverly Holiday, Lillie Hutchinson, Jamie Jeter, Bramha Sahu, Richard Singleton, Pamela Sloss, Toccara Thompson-Monroe, Kimberly Wiggins and Heidi Wilke.
Applications for the 2025 Energy Educators Institute will be open early next year, but interested educators can join the direct mail list now. For more information, visit our website.