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

The educators are Ruth Dunn and Linda Thompson of Sims Junior High School, and Charla McClure and Anna Roark of Union County High School and Kathie Harris, a science coach for Union County Schools.

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 participated because I wanted to find new ideas to incorporate in my classroom, with which students can relate," said Roark, a mathematics teacher. "What better way than to use something they probably take for granted everyday- electricity."

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, multi-faceted 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."

Harris, a sixth through eighth grade science coach, said that she was most impressed by the dedication and commitment of all the Santee Cooper employees to the Institute and to the support of education. "I have personally and professionally become more aware of energy generation, transmission, consumption, and ways to go green. All of these will be great things to share with the middle school students of Union County!”

"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."

Santee Cooper is South Carolina's state-owned electric and water utility and provides power to more than 162,000 customers in Berkeley, Georgetown and Horry counties and water to 136,000 consumers in Berkeley and Dorchester counties. The utility also generates the power distributed by the state's 20 electric cooperatives to more than 685,000 customers in all 46 counties. Santee Cooper is the largest provider of electricity in South Carolina. More than 2 million South Carolinians receive their power directly or indirectly from Santee Cooper