Fourth graders enjoy Little Read and Electricity Expo

Apr. 21—HUDSON — Fourth grade students across Caldwell County learned how to be safe around electricity during the Blue Ridge Energy Electricity Expo this past week.

This year, the Electricity Expo was combined with the Little Read event, which is an annual event for fourth graders in the school district. A featured book is selected and then students have activities surrounding the read. The event usually culminates in a visit from the author. Instead, this year, the Little Read book tied directly into the Electricity Expo presentation from Blue Ridge Energy.

The book, "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind," by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer, tells Kamkwamba's story of building a windmill in his village in Malawi, a country in southeastern Africa. Kamkwamba had read about windmills, and he dreamed of building one that would bring electricity and running water to his small village. With a small pile of science textbooks and some scrap metal, tractor parts, and bicycle halves, he embarked on a daring plan to forge an unlikely contraption that would change the lives of his community.

Blue Ridge Energy provided a wind power STEM science project where students built a windmill that could power a small car.

Additionally, Blue Ridge Energy representatives came to each elementary school to present safety information to the fourth graders.

"When we get done with all the elementary schools, about 800 kids will have heard our safety message," said Tasha Rountree, director of Community Relations, Blue Ridge Energy. "We're really excited because, with COVID, it's been hard for us to give this safety presentation. The kids have been full of energy, and they actually retain quite a bit of information.

"We're very thankful for the partnership with the school system and the Education Foundation to be able to bring this message to students," she added.

In her presentation to the students at Hudson Elementary School on Wednesday, April 19, Rountree compared Kamkwamba's building a windmill to the founding of Blue Ridge Energy.

"In the book, William and his family had very little access to electricity and running water. In the 1930s, in rural America, it was much the same way," Rountree said. "A lot of the cities and the towns had access to electricity, but not the rural areas like Caldwell County. In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt started a Rural Electrification Authority, and that helped bring electricity into rural areas. Right here in Caldwell County, Blue Ridge started serving the first homes with electricity. We started out with 155 homes, six stores, four churches, and only a few of the schools in Caldwell County. And now, we serve part of Caldwell, Watauga, Ashe and Alleghany for electricity. That's over 78,000 meters. Just like in the book, it took everyone working together, all the community, to bring electricity into this area, and it helped the farmers just like it did in the book."

Jerry Gregg and Corey Bolick, linemen with Blue Ridge Energy, gave a presentation to the students about how to stay safe around electricity.

"For me, safety is what we're all about, having a safe community," said Bolick. "Just like any other trade, like firefighters and EMS, the more knowledge that's out there for these kids, the safer they'll be. I think just making an impact on these kids can spread more than just to the kids, but to the adults, as well. Giving back to the community is what's important."

Gregg and Bolick brought a model with them which included power lines and a mini substation that could be turned on and off. They demonstrated multiple techniques to stay safe in various scenarios, such as a car accident where a power pole is struck.

"If you get into a car accident where you hit a power pole, do not get out of your car," Gregg advised. "Or if you must, like say the car is on fire, jump as far away from the car as you can and land with both feet on the ground ... Call 911 and let them call us."

Also, before digging in the ground, they recommended that folks call 811 to check that they won't be digging right into a power cable underground.

Next, Gregg showed off the many pieces of safety equipment that linemen use on the job every day to protect themselves from harm. A young girl from the audience volunteered to put on some of the equipment, which included a heavy utility belt for holding tools; a "buck squeeze," which goes around the pole and cinches tight to prevent linemen from falling; hooks that strap to the legs to allow for easy climbing on the poles; a helmet and sunglasses to protect the head and eyes; and thick, rubber gloves and sleeves to prevent electrocution.

All told, this equipment weighs more than 50 pounds.

To drive the point home about the dangers of electrocution, Bolick pressed a hot dog to a live circuit on the model, causing it to sizzle and burn. He let the kids smell the hot dog, which they seemed to find equally disgusting and fascinating.

After the presentation, Bolick and Gregg answered questions from the students.

"What if a power line falls on the ground, will the grass catch on fire?" one student asked.

"In a normal situation, if a power line falls on the ground, it should go out," Gregg answered. "But there are certain circumstances where we had a power line fall on the ground and it's gotten so hot it burns the asphalt."

Another student asked, "What happens if a power line falls on a water puddle?"

"Hopefully, it will take the line out," Gregg replied. "That's what we want."

"Is your job hard?" one young man asked.

"Yes, most days, it is physically demanding," said Gregg. "We're outside in whatever kind of weather, and sometimes the pole is not right next to the road and we have to walk a mile or so into the woods."

Gregg encouraged the students to repeat to their parents and guardians what they had learned in the presentation.

"Be your parents and grandparents educators," he said.