One of Alcolu’s own has received an award that resonates on national as well as local levels.
Carrie Sinkler-Parker was presented as. Jefferson Award recipient earlier this month for her work with fourth-grade students, arranging for them to visit area libraries and garnering private funds to help the youngsters visit Congaree National Park.
Sinkler-Parker began working with park staff in 2016 in order to “give these students from rural areas an opportunity that many of them never have,” she said.
“Some of the children have never been out of their counties,” she said. “They come into a national park, and it’s the only national park in the state of South Carolina. I would say it’s phenomenal for them to have that exposure.”
Sinkler-Parker started her work as a volunteer at the Harvin Clarendon County Library, heading up the agency’s Junior Ranger Program. The summer reading program rewards students for going through a certain number of books. Sinkler-Parker meets each week with the students, and has arranged annually for a park ranger to come and speak to them.
She said it was only fitting last year to pay the park rangers a visit in their own territory. She was able to secure a $9,000 grant to provide the funds to get the students to the park.
“It prepares them to be exposed to changing things in the community,” she said. “We hope that this opportunity will help them to see that they don’t really have to live in that community and just know what’s going on in their community but there are other things in South Carolina in particular, but more importantly there are other things that they can do.”
More than 1,000 fourth-grade students - and not just those in her native Clarendon County - have been able to tour the park because of Sinkler-Parker’s work.
“All of the students used the 2016 Centennial Junior Ranger Activity book as a part of their preparation for the field trip,” she said. “In addition, they studied environmental stewardship, citizens science and exploring federal lands and waters. These are also the National Park Service curricula, which includes learning objectives and Common Core skills.”
St. Paul Elementary student Dresean Blanding visited the park with Sinkler-Parker in May, along with his classmates.
“I learned that trees are connected with other trees at their roots,” he said. “I also learned that birds have different calls. I heard many birds.”
Trinity Harris said she was happy to make the field trip.
“I now know more about trees, and why moss grows,” she said. “Moss grows because flood waters cover trees. Thank you for the chance to learn.”
Katrese Pringle also appreciated learning about the trees and wildlife.
“I loved how the trees were sized and how all the wildlife was in the forest,” she said. “I want to go back, because it was pretty and I get to learn about animals, wildlife, trees and water.”
Walker-Gamble Elementary School student George Wingard said he was glad the national park system exists to protect all the trees and animals. Classmate Jerrion Durant agreed.
“I learned some real cool stuff at Congaree National Park,” he said. “Long ago, the people said, ‘We are not going to cut no more trees down,’ and that’s why we can see this park today.”
Delania Guy was excited to see the wildlife.
“We went on a trail and saw a snake!” she said. “I hope we go back to Congaree.”
Manning Elementary School student Jaddan Dingle was impressed with the rigorous training required to be a park ranger.
“There’s a lot of interesting stuff at the park, especially (the information) on how tough it is for a ranger to train,” he said.
Ultimately, all of the students get sworn in as junior rangers.
“That’s a bonus for this whole project,” she said. “It gets them really excited. We are helping augment outside the classroom what they’re learning in the classroom.”
The American Institute for Public Service created the Jefferson Awards Foundation in 1972 to recognize “ordinary people who do extraordinary things without expectation of recognition.” Local winners come from national networks of media partners, including WACH-FOX TV in Columbia, which nominated Sinkler-Parker for her work.
She was recognized last year with a spot in the 2016 AT&T South Carolina African American History Calendar, being given the month of September.
Past honorees include the late Ronald McNair, an astronaut killed in the 1986 U.S.S. Challenger explosion; former Sumter Police Chief Patty Patterson; and Silver native Altheat Gibson.
“I am just happy to be of service; I don’t do it for the recognition,” said Sinkler-Parker, who is active with the National Council of Negro Women and was a 1995 delegate to the White House Conference on Aging.
“Anyone can be involved in the community,” she said. “You don’t have to be some big shot or someone with a lot of money or power. You just have to get out there and do it.”
WACH-FOX TV contributed to this report.
