SCC’s Earth Day engages fourth graders with pollination, plants and plastics
Southeastern Community College hosted more than 330 fourth graders for its Earth Day celebration on April 17. SCC Student Engagement Coordinator Katie Floyd said the event is a long-time SCC tradition that brings students on campus to learn about plants and protecting the environment with engaging and interactive experiences. Fourth graders from West Columbus School, Tabor City School, Williams Township School, Chadbourn Elementary School, Acme Delco Elementary School and Old Dock Elementary School visited campus.
When the fourth graders first arrived, Dr. Sylvia Cox, SCC Executive Vice President, welcomed them with a lightning round trivia game about Earth Day. She said that Earth Day is one of her favorite days of the year at SCC because, for many students, it’s their first time being on campus.
“It doesn’t matter where you go after high school because this will always be your home college,” Cox said. “My first memory of Southeastern is Earth Day when I was in fourth grade, and I’m sure this will be your first memory of the college for a lot of you.”
In addition to a first exposure to the college, Floyd added that Earth Day gives the fourth graders a memorable experience full of fun, learning and discovering a possible career path when they get older.
The fourth graders dispersed around campus to engage in five activities featuring SCC’s greenhouse, the Columbus County Beekeepers Association, the Museum of Coastal Carolina at Ocean Isle Beach, the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences at Whiteville and Plastic Ocean Project of Wilmington.
SCC Agribusiness Technology Instructor Dawn Hinshaw explained the hydroponics system built inside the greenhouse. Students saw how water moved through the system while the small rocks held the tomato plants in place.
The Beekeepers Association of Columbus County had a live hive on display while explaining the anatomy of a bee and its importance as pollinators. The Museum of Coastal Carolina explained pollination even further while showing examples of other animals and insects that contribute to pollination. The N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences at Whiteville engaged students in a fun pollination relay race that tasked them with collecting “pollen” in ice cube trays and filling up a cup. The Plastic Ocean Project put on a puppet show featuring marine animals that are affected by plastic pollution that is dumped into the ocean every day.
Floyd plans to keep the Earth Day tradition going and already has plans for next year’s event. If you’re interested in tours of SCC, reach out at 910-642-7141 to set up a meeting.
