Supporting Our Local Schools for Over 80 Years
Without electricity, our modern lives would not be possible. While it powers everything we do, it is critical to always keep safe around electricity. The children of today were born into an interconnected world, powered by electricity. To them, electricity is ubiquitous and familiar, which perhaps makes young children the most vulnerable to electricity’s dangers. This is why electric safety education is a focal point of Sussex Rural Electric Cooperative’s educational outreach efforts.
Sussex Rural Electric Cooperative has been a proud partner to our local schools throughout its nearly 84-year history. As a community-based organization, being a part of building the next generation of leaders is a great privilege. Being a local electric utility means we are in the best position to inform the youth of our community on the importance of electric safety. When teaching this lesson, it is important that we present this information in a way that both reinforces this message and makes kids want to learn. To meet the unique needs to students, teachers, and scout troops that the coronavirus pandemic has presented, Sussex Rural Electric Cooperative now offers educational programs for students and scout troops, in grade levels of pre-K - 5th grade, entirely over Zoom and absolutely free of cost! For more details on our virtual "Pluggy's Power Patrol" program, continue reading below.
In addition to these programs, our support for local education extends beyond presentations and field trips - our programs have something for everyone. We also offer scholarships for students moving on to college or trade school and a Bright Ideas Classroom Grant offered to help local teachers fund educational projects. Whether for pre-k, elementary school, or high school students, those seeking college degrees or certifications, local teachers, or scouts and troop leaders, the Co-op aims to provide the resources to bring about unique educational resources in our community.
If you are a teacher, scout leader, or parent interested in taking part in our virtual educational presentation, please contact our office at 973-875-5101.
Online Educational Presentations (Pre-K - 5th Grade)
In 2019 SREC introduced Pluggy the Pug as our youth outreach mascot. He is a pug, who is also a plug, that was adopted by Lineman Larry and has learned all about electricity, the science behind it, and the best practices to stay safe. Pluggy invites local students to join him as official members of Pluggy’s Power Patrol, dedicated to keeping their homes safe from electrical hazards and spreading knowledge about electric safety. During the 2019-2020 school year, this program reached between 1,500 and 2,000 local students, ranging from preschool to fifth grade. We reinforced everything taught during our presentation by giving students and scouts Pluggy-branded activity books, stickers and temporary tattoos, and a Power Patrol badge sticker to take home with them.
A national and regional award-winning program, the Pluggy’s Power Patrol program had a great first year that unfortunately was cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic. While planning for the next school year, it was clear that the pandemic would present us with new challenges in providing the best possible educational experience. Through deliberation and innovation, we have adapted Pluggy’s Power Patrol to best suit the current needs to children, teachers, and scout leaders.
The new version of the Pluggy’s Power Patrol educational program is able to deliver a comprehensive, fully customizable experience over Zoom and can reach students whether their classes are in-person, all virtual, or some hybrid of the two. Pluggy comes to each presentation equipped with new visuals, exclusive activities, and topics that are fully customizable to meet a group’s grade level, areas of interest, and goals.
This new phase of Pluggy’s Power Patrol has already begun. Presentations are hosted live over Zoom and allow for full participation from students or scouts. This is all offered by Sussex Rural Electric Cooperative, absolutely free. If you are an educator at a school in our service territory or a scout leader who is a member or who leads a troop of scouts from mostly SREC-powered homes, and are interested in scheduling a virtual presentation with us and Pluggy, let us know by reaching out to Director of Marketing & Member Services Claudia Raffay at craffay@sussexrec.com. After the last school year ended with shutdowns and stay-at-home orders, we are excited to be able to bring back Pluggy and teach kids in a whole new way!
As a member-owned utility, school presentations are provided by Sussex Rural Electric Cooperative free of charge. If you're an elementary school educator interested in having SREC employees come to your school for this presentation, you can contact us by phone at 973-875-5101 or by email at craffay@sussexrec.com.
