Almost 230 Marlboro County sixth graders had a chance for some hands-on learning during the Grow Your Own Future event at Smith Park on Wednesday.
Cheryl Lewis, South Carolina Department of Commerce regional workforce advisor for the Pee Dee, said the main goal of the program was to show students real-life examples of the science teaching standards they have learned about throughout the year.
"This will reinforce the standards learned in the classroom," she said.

BLENHEIM — The late Wade H. Prince taught his daughter, Dr. Carolyn Prince to dream big.
Prince shared anecdotes about her father during a ribbon cutting/dedication for the Wade H. Prince Recreation Centeron April 4.
She thanked the Marlboro County Board of Education for donating the building to the county and for the Marlboro County Council for naming the facility after her father. 
He was principal from 1953-1978 for Wright Elementary and High School, Blenheim High School and Blenheim Elementary.
"He believed getting an education was a key component," she said. "His mantra was to get as much education as possible."
Since the building opened, Prince said it has been used quite a bit with more activities being planned.
But, she added, funds are needed to continue to improve the facility. She encouraged individuals, organizations, churches, and others to make a donation to the Wade Hampton Prince renovation fund to the county.

With the contract for solid waste collection expiring in December, county officials are exploring various options for citizens.
County Administrator Ron Munnerlyn made a presentation at the Marlboro County Council meeting on Tuesday.
He noted council would have to make a decision in what direction they need to go.
State law requires people to take trash to a manned  site or have a roll cart system to collect it from each house.  The issues faced with the roll cart system is the cost and collecting money from people.

For the first time, the visual and performing arts came together for Marlboro County School District.
The two-day showcase held on March 22-23 featured artwork and musical performances from various schools in the district.
Sandra Widejko, the gifted and talented arts coordinator for Marlboro County School District, thought the event was a tremendous success. Students had a chance to show family, friends and community members artwork during a reception at the Bennettsville Community Center.

Staffing, outsourcing of some services and retirees were discussed during Monday's work session for the Board of Education.
At the beginning of the session, Wes Park, chief officer of finance and operations, reviewed the elementary, middle and high schools' staffing guidelines. He talked about the state regulations and the district's guidelines.  
The state standard for most classroom sizes is 35. Marlboro County School District has between 24-28 students in a classroom.
Superintendent Dr. Gregory McCord noted it does cost more to have lower class sizes.
Various positions were highlighted including school resource officers.
Currently, the district pays 100 percent of the cost for SROs, which includes salary, benefits, car, uniform, gun, and training.
"Currently, we pay 100 percent for resource officers, which is unheard of," he said. "We pay 100 percent for nine months of work."
During holidays, summertime, weekends - SROs work with their respective agencies.