Susannah Lanier, agricultural educator at Southeast Bulloch High School, was one of 39 individuals nationwide who received the Teachers Turn the Key Award, given at the National Association of Agricultural Educators annual convention in Atlanta earlier this month.
      The Teachers Turn the Key Award program is a scholarship to allow early career agricultural educators to attend the annual NAAE convention, giving them an opportunity to become involved with their professional association on a national level.
      Award participants take part in special programming geared toward agricultural educators in the early stages of their careers.
      Lanier has been an agriculture teacher at SEB since 2009. Since coming to Southeast Bulloch, Lanier has helped prepare students in the agriculture program for opportunities in work based learning. The opportunities earn students credit not only toward high school graduation, but credits from Ogeechee Technical College, as well. Lanier also coordinated a safety awareness event for the community in memory of a student who passed away in a house fire. The agriculture teachers at Southeast Bulloch hope to make this an annual event that covers fire, electrical, water and bicycle safety.
      "Students also need to understand the reason they are learning a particular lesson or unit," Lanier said. "I want to expose them to information that will be applicable and useful in their lives after high school."
      NAAE is the professional organization in the United States for agricultural educators. It has nearly 8,000 members.