PEEC Reaches Milestone: 50 Environmental Educators Certified
by Hailey Murphy.
Members of the 2026 PEEC cohort join Rick Huffman of the S.C. National Park Service on a wilderness walk in Nine Times Preserve and Forest on August 5. Photo Credit: Morgan Treon.
Waking up early to hit the trail with your kids, stopping in the grocery store parking lot to get a closer look at an unlikely mushroom, volunteering to take care of your friend’s pet turtle when they are out of town, building a life list of bird species you’ve sighted at the local park. Opportunities for environmental education are all around us, but for the K–12 formal or nonformal educators who join the Palmetto Environmental Education Certification program (PEEC), sharing the knowledge and skills that connect others more deeply to the natural world becomes a calling.
With the graduation of their latest cohort of eight formal or nonformal educators in August, PEEC just reached a milestone—50 educators certified to advance environmental literacy in South Carolina since PEEC launched in 2018.
The two-year program is coordinated through a partnership between the S.C. Sea Grant Consortium and the Environmental Education Association of South Carolina and is the first and only environmental education professional certification in the state designed specifically for educators. Endorsed by the S.C. Department of Education and nationally accredited by the North American Association for Environmental Education, PEEC graduates receive 120 renewal credits and a certification valid for five years nationwide, with recertification available.
The program is designed to be a personalized experience for educators that meets their unique needs. PEEC educators complete four multi-day in-person workshops and eight online modules, as well as an individualized elective that encourages exploration of the different regions of the state and a capstone project that demonstrates mastery of knowledge and skill that involves the implementation of a new or revised program or product for their schools or organizations.
PEEC administrator Morgan Treon says, “What is unique about this program is that we’re not only teaching about environmental education topics, but we’re engaging educators in experiencing environmental education throughout the state of South Carolina. Educators engage in elective experiences in the Upstate, Midlands, and Coast to help them not only build environmental education knowledge, but natural and cultural knowledge of each place as well.”
Since 2017, PEEC has developed a community of educators skilled in effective communication related to environmental topics; professionalized the career field of environmental education in South Carolina; trained educators who are representative of the communities and regions within the state; and elevated the understanding of environmental science, issues, and impacts related to the state, nation, and world.
Eight South Carolina educators graduated from the Palmetto Environmental Education Certification (PEEC) program on August 6, 2026. Standing, from left to right: Esther Wagner, Ellisa Poff, Bonnie Webster, E. Ashley Howell, Destiney Rains, Heather Kraus, Hayley Fournier, with PEEC administrators Morgan Treon and E.V. Bell (not pictured: Alison Koutroulias). Photo credit: Keith Willoughby, EEASC Director.
Congratulations to the newest graduating class of PEEC alumni:
- Hayley Fournier–North Inlet-Winyah Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve.
- Ashley Howell–Orangeburg Christian Academy.
- Alison Koutroulias–Dorman High School.
- Heather Kraus–Nemours Wildlife Foundation.
- Ellisa Poff–Museum of York County.
- Destiney Rains–Beaufort County, Land Preservation Department.
- Esther Wagner–PalmettoPride.
- Bonnie Webster–Spartanburg Day School.
Three species spotted by the 2024–2026 PEEC cohort during their August workshop. From left to right: Timber Rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus), a species of shelf mushroom, Eastern box turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina). Photo credit: Morgan Treon.)
Treon says, “Reaching the milestone of 50 certified educators has been a mark of the value of this program for educators and their institutions. These educators have not only built key skills in environmental education but have joined a community of educators who are passionate and knowledgeable about environmental education throughout the state.”
The incoming PEEC cohort of 18 formal and nonformal educators—the largest to date—representing coastal, midlands, and the upstate will train together from 2026 through 2028.
Learn about these rising stars and get a deeper dive into the PEEC program. For questions or more information, reach out to the S.C. Sea Grant Consortium Education and Outreach Manager, Morgan Treon.
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