Howard Adams knew that if it hadn’t been for his teachers who cared about his education, he never would have become successful.

Adams &045;&045; a former teacher and president of HG Adams & Associates in Atlanta, and one of the speakers at the third annual Southeastern Consortium for Engineering (SECME) State Leadership Conference that began Thursday, told a crowd gathered at the conference that &uot;SECME has done more in the South to change the quality of teaching math and science than any other organization.&uot;

Teachers and administrators from 10 school systems across the state gathered at Wallace State Community College in Selma yesterday to listen to speakers and to participate in workshops and discussions with professors and company managers.

Adams, who grew up in rural Virginia, has passed along the knowledge he gained from his own teachers.

Especially if that future revolves around science and mathematics, which

can give students more employment opportunities later on in life, Adams said.

During the presentation portion of the conference, Elijah Swift, former Selma City Schools teacher and current SECME program manager, received the SECME merit award for his dedication to the organization.

One of the ways to help students do well in science and math will be through the SECME Early College High School Initiative. Still in its early planning stages, SECME will team K-12 schools with higher education institutes. Students

who graduate from Early College high schools will come out with an associate of arts degree, or enough credit to enter a four-year baccalaureate program as a college junior.

The SECME conference will continue through Sunday.