Pre-K through fifth-grade teachers are invited to join the Business and Employee Skills Training (BEST) Center at GCC this summer for a three-part, professional-development course that focuses on genetics. The program is scheduled for 6 to 8 p.m. on Tuesdays, July 11 – 25.

The course is aligned with the recent New York State science learning standards and provides continuing education units or credits (CTLE).

This course will provide Pre-K-5 teachers with a general background in genetics and similar concepts to expand educators' content knowledge, and provide tips, ideas and activities to use in one's own classroom. The activities and ideas for the standards will be infused with agricultural examples to help facilitate further learning and provide students with a new lens in which to learn.

Attending these three sessions will give educators new and creative ways to help their students learn about complex concepts. Integrating math and English components into science lessons will be a focus of the sessions.

Instructor Hannah Milligan grew up on a 600-cow dairy farm in Pavilion, where her love for agriculture came to fruition. Following her passions, she attended SUNY Cobleskill and Cornell University to receive a degree in Animal Science. She then went on to Ithaca College pursuing her goal of becoming an agricultural science educator. In addition to teaching part-time at GCC, she will also be teaching at Warsaw High School this fall.

The cost for the course is $109 and it will take place at the GCC Batavia campus. Those interested in attending are asked to register by July 3.

To register for this and all BEST Center classes, visit their website at www.genesee.edu/best or call (585) 345-6868. For further information on the BEST Center offerings, including other courses or non-credit programs, contact program coordinator Jennifer Wakefield at jgwakefield@genesee.edu or call (585) 343-0055, ext. 6602.