Bionomic Education Training Center (BETC)
Purpose
BETC is a youth workforce development training program that is a collaboration between Durham Soil and Water and Durham Public Schools. The purpose is to addresses water quality issues by exposing students to stormwater design practices and installation. Students are educated about urban stormwater pollution and Best Management Practices (BMPs) for improving water quality. The program aims to:
- Improve students’ performance in STEM classes.
- Develop an understanding of social entrepreneurship.
- Engage students in environmental stewardship.
- Provide important vocational skills and teamwork principles.
The BETC program supports the existing secondary school North Carolina curricula while expanding opportunities for hands-on learning. Students improve STEM literacy and develop important job skills. The BETC program has been successful in meeting the needs of students across a broad socioeconomic spectrum. By integrating STEM and eco-based concepts, students learn how to solve current societal problems regarding stormwater and treatment.
Curriculum
Specialized BETC program curricula have been developed and incorporated into middle and high schools in Durham. Classroom and hands-on lessons are available as:
- A 5-day unit on rain gardens.
- An 11-day unit on soil and water analysis that reinforces concepts in Environmental and Agriscience courses.
- A 30-day unit on engineering rain gardens and rainwater harvesting.
Students in the BETC program may be engaged in hands-on learning through:
- Growing and selling native plants for use in rain gardens and stream restoration projects.
- Conducting and analyzing soil and water tests.
- Engineering, designing, installing, and maintaining rain gardens.
- Planting riparian buffers along stream restoration and stormwater projects.
- Analyzing streams to determine stream- health and biology
- Supporting school-based agribusiness by selling plants for green infrastructure projects.
Teacher Training
As part of the BETC Program, teachers attend group and individual training sessions on personalizing and implementing the curriculum for their specific classes. Teachers are provided with planning documents and are offered the opportunity to attend a two-day residential Rain Garden certification course offered by NC State Cooperative Extension Service.
Awards and Honors
“Durham’s BETC program has had a proven track record in its ability to leverage public and private funds for conservation, earned income for schools, and sustainability improvements for local homeowners. BETC is a scalable model that has a strong foundation and well-conceived incremental building blocks to continue to expand the program. Its solid foundation includes teacher training that enables program materials and curriculum to reach more students; solid partnerships with public organizations, government, and additional schools; and successful implementation in both high-achieving and lower-resourced schools. BETC benefits institutions, homeowners, and students: schools earn revenue and students gain workforce and public speaking skills. Meanwhile, homeowners increase their knowledge of stormwater runoff and increase their sustainability. BETC inspires youth to participate in local environmental challenges in real-world service and solutions for homeowners.”
UL Innovative Education Award Judging Pane
BETC has been featured at the following conferences:
- 2017 American Association for Agricultural Education – Iowa State University, Iowa
- 2017 Annual Conference of the American Association for Teaching & Curriculum – Denver, Colorado
- 2016 Transforming Local Government (TLG) and League of Minnesota Cities Conference - St. Paul, Minnesota
- 2016 Best of Both Worlds International Conference - Estes Park, Colorado
