Columbia, SC—Dr. Luvenia Chantelle Baker-Parnell, principal of A.C. Moore Elementary School, has been named Richland County’s Conservation Principal of the Year by the Richland Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD).  This annual award recognizes a school administrator who promotes conservation education for teachers and students. 

With Dr. Baker-Parnell’s support and leadership, A.C. Moore Elementary has accomplished a number of environmental goals.  In 2014, the school became a certified Green Steps School with student-led projects including recycling, reusing, composting, gardening, water conservation, and green purchasing.  Students participate in the Green Apple Day of Service, SC Department of Health and Environmental Control’s Breathe Better (B²) air quality campaign, Adopt-A-Spot litter prevention and clean-ups, and several conservation contests throughout the school year.  Through a partnership with the University of South Carolina’s Sustainable Carolina program, A.C. Moore has added vegetable gardening to the curriculum, and the school is a pilot location for the City of Columbia’s “Trash the Poop” campaign to reduce the impact of pet waste on water quality. 

“Dr. Baker-Parnell has always been very supportive of all that the Green Steps team does at A.C. Moore…she has been instrumental in gathering resources and helping our faculty to work together to become more environmentally friendly,” says second grade teacher Nancy Frick.  “She gets involved in all that we do [which] shows our staff, parents, and community that she is not only a principal, but a caring person.”

Dr. Baker-Parnell will be recognized at the Richland SWCD’s annual banquet on May 12^th.  For more information about Conservation Educator Awards and other programs of the Richland SWCD, visit www.rcgov.us/rswcd or contact Chanda Cooper at (803) 576-2084.

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Conservation Districts are political subdivisions of state government under the local direction of five-member Boards of Commissioners. In South Carolina, Conservation District boundaries conform to County boundaries.  The Richland Soil and Water Conservation District promotes the wise use of natural resources for the benefit of the citizens of Richland County.

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