Wires Down Video Challenge
Baltimore Gas and Electric Company (BGE) is running its third annual “Wires Down Video Challenge” among elementary schools in their service area to raise kids’ awareness about the importance of electrical safety, and guess who is participating this year? The New Century School‘s 3rd- and 4th-graders, that’s who!
The contest hearkens back to a widely broadcast BGE commercial from 2000 in which a very catchy, “do not, do not, do not touch” jingle got the message out to thousands of kids about what not to do if they encounter a downed electrical wire. The current video challenge encourages elementary students to create their own 30- to 45-second version of this kid-friendly public service announcement.
This contest is no small potatoes, either—the first-place prize is $10,000! To win, Mr. McGonigal’s STEM class will need to harness all their creative and technical skills as well as demonstrate impeccable teamwork and school spirit. To get the ball rolling, a team of three BGE employees visited TNCS on October 15th to give a presentation on downed wires. After educating the class, Mr. Dave Himlin, Mr. Simon Benjamin, and Miss Faviola Donato-Galindo then quizzed them on electrical power. Correct answers earned the proud students their very own BGE hardhats. Not surprisingly, each of Mr. McGonigal’s science-savvy students was crowned. “Doing these school visits is a lot of fun,” said Mr. Dave. “We all enjoy the kids’ enthusiasm.”
“You could win a lot of money for your school,” said Miss Faviola after the presentation. “After the submission period ends, ask your friends and family members to go online and vote for your video.” (We’ll be sure to keep you updated about that process, readers!) “We’ll announce the winners in January,” she said.
With their creative energy sparked, the lucky kids then got to help carry the specialized BGE equipment back out to the work truck and got a chance to sit in the driver’s seat. This truck is called a “boom lift” and is outfitted with a cherry picker on the back to lift engineers as high as 6o feet up to the height of power lines.
They have until November 14th to get their video submission in, so send them all your positive “energy”! Shooting begins this week!
Quick Facts:
• At least one winning school will be chosen from each participating county.
• Since the contest’s inception, BGE has awarded $50,000 to fund school enrichment programs.
• Possible awards include:
- BGE Star Power Award – $10,000
- BGE Spotlight Award – $5,000
- BGE Cast and Crew Award (awarded for most student effort) – $3,000
- BGE Director’s Cut Award (awarded to the most creative entry) – $3000
- BGE Golden Pipes Award – (awarded to best musical performance) – $3,000
- BGE Screen Gem Award (awarded to best entry in each county) – $1,000
- Rock The Vote! Award (awarded to the entry with the most votes) – Backpacks and safety gear
• Visit BGE’s Electrical Safety page for more information on how to stay safe near energy equipment.
• Report downed power lines to BGE immediately by calling 1.800.685.0123.
• BGE turns 200 years old June 17, 2016 and is both the oldest gas utility in the country and one of Maryland’s longest-running businesses.