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Bee A Friend to Pollinators: Pollinator Education & Agricultural Literacy for SC Educators

Search for Excellence in Consumer or Commercial Horticulture

Amy Dabbs
Statewide School & Community Gardening Coordinator
CLEMSON UNIVERSITY
CHARLESTON

Team Members: Dabbs, A*1, Elingburg, E2, Enright, T3, Griffin, B4, Maher, M*5, Snipes , Z*6, Roach, K7, Savereno, T*8, Whitener, P*9, Scott, L10, Sanders, C11, Kinley, L12
  1. Statewide School & Community Gardening Coordinator, , CHARLESTON, South Carolina, 29414
  2. Director of Educational Programs, The Bee Cause Project, Charleston, South Carolina, 29414
  3. Director, The Bee Cause Project, Isle of Palms, South Carolina, 29451
  4. Community and School Garden Coordinator, The University of Georgia, Blairsville, Georgia, 30512
  5. Oconee County 4-H Youth Development Agent, 4-H Youth Development Program Team, Clemson Extension, Walhalla, South Carolina, 29691
  6. Clemson University, Assistant Program Team Leader - Horticulture and Area Horticulture Agent, Clemson Extension, Charleston, South Carolina, 29401
  7. Area Commercial Horticulture Agent (former), Clemson Extension, Walhalla, South Carolina, 29691
  8. Forestry & Wildlife Agent, Clemson Extension, Bishopville, South Carolina, 29010
  9. 4-H Natural Resources Program Leader, Clemson Extension, Clemson, South Carolina, 29634
  10. Instructional Design Manager, Clemson Online , Clemson, South Carolina, 29634
  11. Digital Learning Designer, Clemson Online, Clemson, South Carolina, 29634
  12. Associate Director of Online Development, Clemson Online, Clemson, South Carolina, 29634

Abstract

Clemson Extension and the non-profit organization, The Bee Cause Project have partnered to address the need for K-12 educators and students to learn about pollinators' critical role in food production and environmental stewardship. The initial step towards this goal was developing a comprehensive lesson plan called “Bee a Friend to Pollinators: Create & Advocate for Pollinator-Friendly Schools and Community Spaces”.  The COVID-19 pandemic delayed plans to utilize the lesson and activities to create pollinator-friendly habitats at schools.

In the wake of national school shutdowns, teachers and students were eager to return to hands-on garden-based learning opportunities. A grant from the South Carolina Department of Agriculture was used to develop an online course and digital badge program for teachers that helped students leap from the screen to the schoolyard. 

The online professional development course “Bee A Friend to Pollinators: Pollinator Education & Agricultural Literacy for SC Educators” built on the foundation of the original lesson plan and expanded to lead educators into the world of the small but mighty pollinators that live alongside us. Participants learn about pollinators and plants that provide us with our favorite foods. As a requirement for course completion, participants must develop a detailed plan to make their campus more pollinator-friendly, utilizing the knowledge gained in the online course.  

Clemson Extension 4-H Youth Development, Horticulture, Natural Resources extension agents, The Bee Cause Project, and the University of Georgia Extension provided the educational content and curriculum. The course, developed by instructional designers at Clemson Online, is the first externally certified course in Quality Matters™ for Clemson Online Extension programming.

The pilot cohort of the class was held in the Summer of 2022, with more than 40 teachers from Georgia and South Carolina earning interactive digital badges and renewal credits from the South Carolina and Georgia Departments of Education. After the first cohort, the Bee Cause Project established a Habitat Grant Pilot Program. It awarded 15 participating schools a total of $15,000 in grants to put their pollinator-friendly habitat plans into place.

 

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