BGE Hosts Higher Achievement Scholars Erin Hodge-Williams (Executive Director, Higher Achievement – Baltimore): “Our organization is called higher achievement and we're a year-round program for middle school students, helping them get to top high schools of choice and today is our third annual field trip to BGE. Young people get to do hands-on learning, they get kits right when they come in and they build their own generators, and then they go around and see how electricity works. They not only get to understand it but they also get to learn about safety and then they get to meet people that are doing jobs in the community so they can, again, think about their future and what they might want to do and be.” Ian Sullivan (Gas Trainee): “So we're here today showing kids examples of natural gas and electricity, making them aware some of the dangers to exposure.” Cornelia Calliste (Sr. Center Director, Higher Achievement – Baltimore): “It's important for our scholars to know about what's going on with BG&E in their community because they see like a lot of power lines.” Tyren Crockett (5th Grade Scholar): “It's very fun and interesting. You get to see things that you don't see before.” Dashawn Simpson (5th Grade Scholar): “Electricity and gas can be dangerous if you're not, like, a professional the handling and it can be, like, really deadly.” Talia Brooks (5th Grade Scholar): “We learned that if the gas reaches air and heat it can blow up your house.” Ian Sullivan: “So the boom box is always a fun attraction and the biggest hit. The kids take away the dangers and explosive levels of gas. They definitely learn.” Kaziyah Della (5th Grade Scholar): “This trip division is one of my favorite educational trips because we get to see stuff blow up and I like watching stuff blow up and you get to get hula hoops and stuff.” Ian Sullivan: “The purpose of the hula hoop is to show how the gas pipe is fused together. So they're fusing gas pipe in the form of a hula hoop so they can play with it. But it’s an understanding of how the gas is supplied to their house, the strength of the material that's gas that’s being supplied so they get to see the danger and also how safe it is – and they get a toy.” Dashawn Simpson (5th Grade Scholar): “It’s really fun here I wish we, I wish we … When I grow up I might work at BGE. I’m gonna be like, climbing a pole.” Erin Hodge-Williams (Executive Director, Higher Achievement – Baltimore): “Last year we had a young person and he, you know, was in awe going around to the stations and listening to the people talking and at the end he said, “Before I came here I wanted to be a football player, but now I see what the people at BGE do and now I want to work for BG&E.” One day. One visit. Imagine just exposing young people to new worlds outside of their own giving them opportunities, it can turn a kid around instantaneously, sometimes it takes a little bit of time, but we got to keep plugging at it as a community and we really see BG&E as a strong community partner that allows us to do that.” Ian Sullivan: “I personally do enjoy working with the kids I think it's fun to stand back and get their take on things because it's innocent they don't have the same point of view that I have working with it. To them this is fun and it's a learning experience.” Cornelia Calliste: “I may have had different expectations about as far as the learning facility because sometimes we think of BG&E as just providing power to our homes, but now that I got here this whole facility is about learning. The staff is really great here, they're pretty hands-on, they're very easy and approachable. Our scholars are learning a lot and they were there providing it so I think the facility and BGE has done a great job ensuring that our scholars are learning and this is just a nurturing environment for them.”