Mississippi Power MLK Day Service Project
The students over at West Elementary School in Gulfport will return to school tomorrow to an all new outside learning facility thanks to Mississippi Power. As News 25’s Kristen Durand reports, about 50 volunteers came together to make it all happen.
While much of the Coast has today off, about 50 Mississippi Power employees decided to roll up their sleeves and take the day on, making some improvements to West Elementary School in Gulfport. Electrical Engineer Kenneth Means said, “When you think about honoring Dr. Martin Luther King’s legacy, I think to have a day on where we’re going out, having a major impact in the community where we live and work, I think it will be in line with Dr. King’s vision.”
By the time the day is over, the students at West Elementary will have an all new outdoor learning facility complete with newly planted trees, painted planters and even a goldfish pond. Coast Division Manager for Mississippi Power Tommy Murphy said, “One of our big focuses at Mississippi Power is education. We want to make sure we’re focusing on kids from pre-k all the way up through college. It’s selfish because we want to have a strong workforce but it’s also selfish because we live here and we want to make sure kids have an opportunity to succeed.”
As educators push for more student learning outside the classrom, this new hands on learning environment is likely to score bonus points with the students. With spring right around the corner, West Elementary is excited to get the kids outside in their new hands on learning environment. Principal Kenny Hudson said, “They can plant things, the young kids, and watch things grow and that’s pretty awesome as far as that’s concerned. There’s no doubt that the older kids can come out and enjoy their science class and different things that we can do with this, so it’s exciting.”
Mississippi Power prides themselves on community involvement. Last year, they had over 300 community projects in the 23 counties they serve.
While much of the Coast has today off, about 50 Mississippi Power employees decided to roll up their sleeves and take the day on, making some improvements to West Elementary School in Gulfport. Electrical Engineer Kenneth Means said, “When you think about honoring Dr. Martin Luther King’s legacy, I think to have a day on where we’re going out, having a major impact in the community where we live and work, I think it will be in line with Dr. King’s vision.”
By the time the day is over, the students at West Elementary will have an all new outdoor learning facility complete with newly planted trees, painted planters and even a goldfish pond. Coast Division Manager for Mississippi Power Tommy Murphy said, “One of our big focuses at Mississippi Power is education. We want to make sure we’re focusing on kids from pre-k all the way up through college. It’s selfish because we want to have a strong workforce but it’s also selfish because we live here and we want to make sure kids have an opportunity to succeed.”
As educators push for more student learning outside the classrom, this new hands on learning environment is likely to score bonus points with the students. With spring right around the corner, West Elementary is excited to get the kids outside in their new hands on learning environment. Principal Kenny Hudson said, “They can plant things, the young kids, and watch things grow and that’s pretty awesome as far as that’s concerned. There’s no doubt that the older kids can come out and enjoy their science class and different things that we can do with this, so it’s exciting.”
Mississippi Power prides themselves on community involvement. Last year, they had over 300 community projects in the 23 counties they serve.
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