4-H Comes to Bethany Elementary

October 2018

The hatching of Bethany Elementary School’s baby chicks last month kicked off their first school wide 4-H program which will help students learn skills in science, agriculture, civic engagement and more through hands on activities during the school day.

According to BES Assistant Principal Margaret Guerin, the school’s use of this program will be tailored to helping the many students who live locally in rural neighborhoods.

“We were looking for something that could really speak to our kids and our community at Bethany,” said Guerin. “So we found a contact, Lauren Burdine, and she is our 4-H representative for all of York County. She works through Clemson Extension and the 4-H program.”

This program through Clemson University seeks to improve the quality of life in South Carolina by supporting the state’s $42 billion agricultural and forestry industries and exposing young people to new opportunities in agriculture, science, technology, engineering and math. According to their website, the 4-H program utilizes Clemson’s knowledge and resources to shape today’s youth into healthy, contributing members of society.

BES Principal Kathy Weathers said she believes partnering with Clemson will provide valuable learning opportunities for students and faculty at Bethany.

“We would be doing this school a disservice if we did not reach out to Clemson Extension. Really and truly,” said Weathers. “It’s exciting to think what our kids are going to be exposed to... and how much our teachers are going to grow as well.”

And the teachers at BES appear to be excited to implement the 4-H program into the classroom as well according to

Technology Coach Laura Falls.

“Our teachers are on board, and I think it is huge because we have to have that buy-in and that support from the staff here to make it work,” said Falls.

Guerin explained that earlier in the year Clemson Extension representative, Burdine, went to BES and gave ideas of different projects to the entire faculty. She told them not only what was already available, but also gave teachers the option to have Clemson Extension create a project if they wanted to fit it to a specific standard.

After a couple weeks of deliberating with their grade-level teams, the teachers came back and planned out exactly how they wanted to implement 4-H into their classrooms.

“Each grade level has a specific project topic that they’re working on this year, and they are all things that we can continue to grow on for years to come,” said Guerin.

The process of incorporating the 4-H program started in BES with the hatching of baby chicks for kindergarten students as well as multiple classes working with plant life either out in the school’s gardens or inside the classroom.

As of this year, each grade level is working with some aspect of plant life that students can build on in later years from basic gardening to learning about pollinators and testing soil.

“Initially we want to start small, but eventually we would love to see more interest, more opportunities, more experiences that we could provide from our school to our kids,” said Weathers.

In the future BES administration would like to add more gardens and build a chicken coop to expand on what students are learning.

Weathers went on to say that 4-H is an opportunity that is available for every child at BES. “It’s not a club, it is instructional practice,” she said. “It’s in the classroom. It’s getting down with kids and getting them excited about learning. I bet you kids would be more apt to write if they could write their own individual experiences than if they are forced to write about something they have no connection to.”

According to the 4-H official website, the goal of the program is to get kids working hands-on in projects where they learn and grow in their confidence, independence, resilience, and compassion. Although the students receive guidance from adult mentors, they are also encouraged to participate in leadership roles and become innovators in society.

“The 4-H program gives students the opportunity for the 21st century skills, for the presentation, for the global learning,” said Falls. “It’s not just about written tests on paper and pencil. It’s about so much more than that, and I think it’s giving them the leg up in not just the content but also the life experiences.”

According to Weathers, she believes this program will have lasting effects on students that will go beyond the walls of BES into middle school, high school, and even further into their futures. “The more kids are independent in their own learning and their experiences the more they are able to see themselves contributing to society, so that’s the ultimate goal,” said Weathers.

The BES Principal said she is excited for where she sees this program going. “I love it,” Weathers said with a laugh.  “I do, I love it. I think it is great to enhance the learning in the classroom, I really do.”

4-H Pledge

I pledge my head to clearer thinking, 

my heart to greater loyalty,  

my hands to larger service,

and my health to better living,

for my club, my community,

my country, and my world.