Innovation is key to education in today’s society, and it is great to see such advancements going on in local classrooms.

Take what’s been happening over at Clinton High School as the example. There during recent Advancement Placement classes, students, wearing protective gloves and eye goggles, were dissecting pigs, learning more about the animals’ internal organs.

Through that scientific journey, students were traveling a path toward college, getting a first taste of the hands-on experiments they will be participating in on university campuses. Others were experiencing that first taste of what it will be like if they continue the path to medical school and still others were finding out if, perhaps, a science or medical field, might be on their horizon.

In all cases, students were engaged in a learning environment that challenged their mind and offered opportunities to ignite an educational spark.

Such is the case at schools across Sampson County, where students are engaging in more interactive learning.

We applaud educators for the advancements they have been making, offering more rigor in the classroom and more opportunities for students to grow as they learn, giving them the tools they need to compete at the next academic level.