DATE:     11/6/98   
CONTACT:  Rockie English, Extension forest resources specialist,
           (864) 656-4861
WRITER:   Giles Singleton, (864) 656-3876

Extension Collaborates to Teach Sustainable 
Development in High Schools

     WINNSBORO -- As rural populations decrease in South
Carolina, teens know less and less about the relationships
between agriculture, the environment, and development. On Sept.
15, over 100 high school teachers, Clemson and South Carolina
State University Extension specialists, environmentalists,
business and agency leaders, university professors, and college
students came together at the White Oak Conference Center near
Winnsboro to focus on improving high school students'
understanding of these relationships.
     This "Education for Sustainable Development" conference
marked the beginning of a statewide collaboration to use hands-on
learning experiences to educate S.C. youth about sustainable
development, development that can co-exist productively with
agriculture and the environment.
     Rockie English, assistant professor and Extension specialist
in Clemson's Department of  Forest Resources, and Siv
Sureshwaran, associate professor in the department of
agribusiness and economics at S.C. State, wrote the grant for the
conference.
     "We started this project because we both feel that with 
decreasing farm and rural populations, we are developing a
generation of young people that has limited knowledge of the
importance of agriculture and conservation of the environment,"
English said.
     "Our goal is to help develop a program that would link
universities, high schools, and business entities to promote
applied and relevant learning in S.C. high schools," Sureshwaran
said. "We also hope to promote collaboration between institutions
of higher education and high schools for excellence in
education." 
     The conference was funded by a grant from Alliance 2020, a
partnership among Clemson, S.C. State, and the S.C. Technical
College system. Sponsors were Clemson University, S. C. State
University, the S.C. Department of Education, the U. S.
Department of Agriculture, the U. S. Forestry Service and
Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School.
     At the conference, work began on a statewide learning
network composed of high schools, universities, businesses, and
government agencies. Projects will range from summer internships
for high school students to local businesses becoming involved in
high schools through job-shadowing and sharing career
information.
     Speakers included Lt. Gov. Bob Peeler, Leroy Davis,
president of S.C. State University,  John Kelly, vice president
for public service and agriculture at Clemson University, and 
Rudy Mancke, host of SCETV's NatureScene touched on the
importance of educating our youth, through applied learning,
     Kelly and Mancke stressed taking the environmental long view
as our state's rapid growth continues for the next several
decades. The impact on the environment and agriculture will be
immense.
     According to Kelly, by 2016, just 18 years in the future,
South Carolina's population will grow by one million. This is an
increase of about a third of our current population.
     "One half million of these people will be retired and will
want to live by water. Already we have lakes that are at their
limit for runoff," Kelly said. 
     He added, "There may be problems between farms and adjacent
subdivisions populated by retired urbanites from other regions of
the country. The new residents might not like the dust from
planting, the odors from livestock, or tractors on the road.
     "Higher education must take a leadership role. We must use
collective knowledge to solve problems before they become too
big," Kelly said. "These are issues that will need to be
addressed by today's youth. We need to prepare our students for
2016, when they may be decision makers."
     Rudy Mancke encouraged the audience to teach our youth to
make sure decisions are in the best interest of the largest
number of people for the longest time. He said, "If we do this, 
it will protect the zebra swallowtail as well as the people."
     Applied learning, or hands-on, practical experience, is an
excellent method for teaching complex information, according to
LeRoy Davis. One reason is that students have different learning
styles, so practical experience may help some more than classroom
activities.
      "It takes serious effort to relate theory to practice, so
students must reflect and codify experience," Davis said. "They
need to know how to integrate, how to apply knowledge to
different disciplines."
     Business leaders echoed this sentiment in the "Agribusiness
and Environment Education" session. Businesses and agencies that
participated were: Milliken & Company, Pioneer Hi-Bred
International, Agricultural Specialists Serving in Science and
Technology (ASSIST), a group which facilitates agricultural
education; and AGFIRST Farm Credit Bank, a farmers' cooperative
bank. 
     Participants received course outlines for applied learning
in "Physics for the Technologies," "Applied Biology 1" and
"Chemistry for the Technologies." They attended sessions on
standards, accountability and assessment, and technology in the
classroom. At the end of the conference, they participated in a
brainstorming session for incorporating sustainable development
into high school curricula.
     Business and community leaders interested in helping to
promote excellence in S.C. high school education by providing
opportunities for applied learning at their workplaces, summer
internships for students and teachers, scholarships and/or any
other assistance may contact English at (864)656-4861 or
Sureshwaran at (803)536-8452.
                              END