MONCKS CORNER, S.C. – This summer Santee Cooper provided hands-on experience in critical fields of the energy industry to three Dillon County educators, as part of the 30th annual Energy Educators Institute series at the Wampee Conference Center in Pinopolis, S.C.

This year, 75 educators from across the state participated in this graduate level course, receiving classroom preparation materials while gaining new knowledge and understanding about various complex topics, including the production of electricity and the opportunities and challenges of renewable energy. This was illustrated through field experiences and tours of Santee Cooper facilities.
“I would encourage all educators to participate in the Energy Educators Institute,” said Glenn Edge, a sixth through eighth grades physical education teacher at Lake View High School. “The most amazing part of the institute was learning the whole process of Santee Cooper’s operations of transmitting, generating, and distributing electricity from the power plant to our homes and businesses.”
Santee Cooper held three institutes this summer. Each of the four-day institutes included trips to Santee Cooper’s Jefferies Generating Station, the Old Santee Canal Park and industrial customer Century Aluminum. Teachers also participated in learning activities and unit planning sessions, and they connected directly with Santee Cooper experts on topics such as energy efficiency and conservation, renewable energy, environmental resources, power generation, transmission, distribution, electrical safety, water quality and utility economics.
Also in attendance were Elizabeth Herlong, a sixth through 12th grades media specialist and broadcast journalism teacher at Lake View High School; and Robert Herlong, a ninth through 12th grades physical education teacher at Lake View High School.
“The Energy Educators Institute provides a hands-on, exciting learning environment for fellow educators with diverse teaching backgrounds to engage and network with one another,” said Brandy Incorvia, Santee Cooper’s administrator of educational programs. “The educators expand their knowledge and teaching skills and bring informative curriculum topics and educational information back to their schools and students.”