Local Students Learn About Electricity and Safety at Touchstone Energy Camp

This year 124 students were able to combine education and fun while attending the 2010 Touchstone Energy Camp.

The camp, held June 9-12 at YMCA Camp Tecumseh near Brookston, Ind., provided sixth graders from all around the state a chance to learn about basic electricity, electric safety, renewable energy and the role of an electric cooperative, while still enjoying traditional camp activities including horseback riding, archery, swimming, and leadership skill development.

Student campers and Tipmont chaperones attend the 2010 Touchstone Energy Camp.

Tipmont REMC, a Touchstone Energy cooperative, sent 13 students to the annual camp program. Local student participants included Mackenzi Rief from Avon, Alex Mountcastle from Crawfordsville, Morgan Conrad from Kingman, Kraig Tumey from Lafayette, Maddie Masood from Lafayette, Lauren Odle from Linden, Rachel Ellington from New Richmond, Bethany Scott from Romney, Ally French, Chase French and Clay French from Waynetown, Calvin Held from West Lafayette, and Emma Roberts from West Point.

This is the eighth year that Indiana’s rural electric cooperatives have sponsored the program. Several employees from the state’s electric cooperatives also participated as camp chaperones, including Tipmont employees Chad (Curly) Jasheway, Joe Kline, Jason Monroe, Traci Mountcastle, Travis Smith, Jim Clark, and Sasha Clements.

A highlight of the camp was a “live line” demonstration that showed the danger lurking in live power lines and provided instructions on what to do if they ever encounter a power line in a car accident or other situation. Campers also found out what it’s like to be a lineworker as they climbed a pole and donned heavy safety equipment used by lineworkers to keep safe while working around electricity.

“The students left camp with an appreciation for the work of co-op employees,” explained Tipmont Communications Coordinator Sasha Clements. “Not only did they get to ride in a bucket truck, they had to perform difficult tasks like removing a cotter pin from a coupling while wearing safety gloves, or using a lineworker’s tools to grasp an eyehook. Co-op employees perform tasks like these every day, in all kinds of weather and conditions.”