February 22, 2016 at 4:07 p.m.
WPS workers teach JWMS students about natural gas
WPS workers teach JWMS students about natural gas
By Kayla Thomason-
The eighth-grade students learned where natural gas comes from, what it is made of, how it gets into homes and what they should do if they smell it.
"Our key points (that we want the students to take away) are that natural gas is a safe fuel - when it's used in a safe manner - and we want them to know the danger of carbon monoxide," said Jeff Schaal, gas utility mechanic for WPS.
The students showed a keen interest in the experiments, which included different fueled light sources and a surprise pop of a balloon.
"Any time kids see fires or things that go 'boom' it excites them, particularly boys," Schaal said.
Jeff Skubal, eighth-grade physical science teacher at JWMS, said he hoped his students would retain some of the information they learned.
"The students like it," he said. "They (the WPS staff) have some demonstrations with a little fire that excites them (the students) and then they teach them the value of the flags."
The presentation also included information about the Digger's Hotline. The students were told not pull the flags often seen along roadways "because that's marking a lot of wires, pipes that can be dangerous if they don't know it and dig," Skubal said.
The students also learned what to do if they smell gas, including leaving the house and not turning on the lights or using their phone, and that some physical reactions to natural gas include nausea and headaches.
The presentation tied in nicely with the science curriculum, Skubal noted.
"Part of it's nice because they talk about carbon monoxide which ties in with us when we start talking about equations, balancing them, compound formations," he said. "So they're using the elements to explain the process and we are too, we're learning with the elements."
WPS has been teaching students about natural gas for over 15 years.
If you experience a gas emergency at home, evacuate the house and call the emergency line at 800-450-7280.
Before digging, call the Digger's Hotline at 811.
For more information, visit www.wisconsinpublicservice.com.
Kayla Breese may be reached at [email protected].
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