Electrifying learning: Deer Park students hear from Big Rivers as part of science unit

Mar. 16—Fourth-grade students at Deer Park Elementary School were visited by employees from Big Rivers Electric Corporation on Wednesday as part of their science unit.

Jennifer Hagan, media specialist at Deer Park, said the students are learning about energy in their science class with conversations about light, heat, sound and electricity.

"I have worked at Deer Park for 21 years, and I was a science teacher," she said. "I am encouraging community partners to come in to discuss science the students are learning in the classroom and connect it to real world experiences."

Stephanie McCombs, communications specialist for Big Rivers, said employees have visited schools before to do demonstrations and teach students more about the work they do.

"We have somebody that has a high-voltage simulator that travels around to community groups and schools to teach about the dangers of electricity and how it works, so others are safe," she said.

Hagan said this is not the first time Big Rivers has presented to Deer Park students.

"When I was in the classroom, they came with the high-voltage simulator, and it was amazing," she said. "Anytime we can do a hands-on experiment or something that can make it more real or relevant, I want them to understand these are careers they could be doing later in life."

Big Rivers employees Jason Burden and Troy Stovall used a tabletop simulator during Wednesday's presentation, showing students what would happen during different scenarios involving electricity, like a tree falling on a power line or a car hitting a pad-mounted transformer.

Hagan said watching a demonstration like the one Wednesday sparks an interest in students.

"We're going to be doing more in the classroom with electricity," she said, "so this kind of gets their interest up, and we can go further with it in the classroom."

McCombs said as a cooperative, Big Rivers has a commitment to the community.

"It's one way for us to give back to make sure people understand where their electricity comes from," she said, "and to provide an educational route for local students."