For many teachers and students, this is the first school year they will not start in a brick-and-mortar building. The classroom setting may be unusual and virtual education may be different and scary for some, but the teachers are still passionate, highly motivated and are rising to the occasion to make this academic year a success for their students. Santee Cooper wanted to help take some of the pressure off teachers (and parents!) and design new elearning resources.

So, what’s new? The Santee Cooper Education Programs Team has created digital lessons and activities for elementary, middle and high school grade levels. To complement the online presentations and experiments we started in the 2020 spring semester, we have created virtual web quests, interactive lessons, escape rooms, and simple science experiments.

All our resources, lessons and activities are aligned with South Carolina State Education Standards and are adaptable to any topic or grade level. These virtual lessons can be used by teachers to introduce a new topic or reinforce and apply learned materials.

Topics for virtual lessons include electrical safety, community helpers, the history of Santee Cooper, careers in the electric industry, electrical currents, and energy conservation. Educators can also contact Santee Cooper Education Programs to create a specialized presentation or activity to meet your classroom needs.

Teachers can explore these education resources at the Santee Cooper Teacher Resources Main Page and submit a Request for Santee Cooper's Education Program Virtual Presentation.

In addition to all the new school resources, the Old Santee Canal Park will be offering virtual classroom presentations. The park educators can turn any of their historical or environmental education programs into an online lesson or demonstration. Presentations include indigo history, Native Americans of the Lowcountry, swamp things, space, and so much more!

Check out the park’s science and history programs on their website under Programs. Also, from Sept. 28 to Oct. 2, the Old Santee Canal Park will be hosting a Facebook Live “Virtual BirdFest,” which is like shark week but for birds. Contributing organizations include South Carolina Wildlife Federation (SCWF), South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR), South Carolina Waterfowl Association (SCWA), Wild Birds Unlimited, and Center for Birds of Prey.

As always, teachers, students and parents can utilize our traditional resources such as the Santee Cooper Kids interactive, learning website and free, consumable publications. The themes of the publicans include careers, electricity, energy, energy conservation and efficiency, energy fuel sources, renewable energy, environment, electrical safety, water cycle and conservation from pre-kindergarten to high school level. We welcome feedback and suggestions on how to better meet the needs of teachers and students.

Santee Cooper is South Carolina’s state-owned electric and water utility that stands by its mission “to be the state’s leading resource for improving the quality of life for the people of South Carolina.” An important step to improving quality of life is education.

Learn more about the free school resources and opportunities Santee Cooper provides to educators and communities at www.santeecooper.com/schoolresources.