Teachers and students from Horry County Schools who took part in the Service Learning initiative sponsored by Coastal Carolina University's Center for Education and Community and the Community Coalition of Horry County will share their progress and achievements at a special ceremony, "A Celebration of Service Learning," Tuesday, May 2 from 5 to 7 p.m. in Coastal's Admissions Building, 003. The event is free and open to the public.

Service Learning is a teaching method which links classroom instruction with community service and real-life problem-solving, according to Sandie Merriam, teacher-in-residence with the Center for Education and Community at Coastal. During the 1999-2000 academic year, approximately 50 teachers and 3,000 students from 27 public schools of Horry County have been involved in a wide variety of service learning projects, including performance arts and arts exhibits, fund-raising projects for the Leukemia Society, tutoring programs, volunteer efforts for the Grand Strand Humane Society and community beautification projects.

The Celebration of Service Learning event will feature visual displays and booths describing the various projects. Claudia McCollough, chair of Coastal's Department of Philosophy and Religion, will be the keynote speaker for the event.

"This first year of the service learning program has initiated many meaningful projects which link the classroom and the community, and we hope that, in the coming years, every student in Horry County will be involved in service with a classroom connection," said Merriam.

For more information, call Coastal's Center of Education and Community at 349-2672.