Middle Gate Fourth Graders Hear Presentation

From Yankee Gas

By Eliza Hallabeck

Lisa Hundley, District Planner for the Yankee Gas Services Company, explained to a cafeteria full of Middle Gate Elementary School fourth grade students on Tuesday, December 15, what electricity, the sun, or solar power, food and gasoline have in common.

“All of those things are a form of energy,” said Ms Hundley after students responded with multiple answers, “and natural gas is in that group also.”

Ms Hundley’s presentation included having students dress in special protective gear, which Yankee Gas Services Company professionals wear to keep them protected while on a job, and had the students watch a cartoon featuring a cat and mouse explaining the safety, facts and more on natural gas.

The Yankee Gas Services Company gives a presentation at Middle Gate School once a year, but Ms Hundley said Tuesday’s was her first at Middle Gate.

During the presentation students learned natural gas is clean and efficient, it gives people energy to heat homes and cook meals, and in its pure form natural gas has no smell. Ms Hundley said companies add the smell, which as the video said could smell like rotten eggs, because, in the event of a leak or other problem, the added smell warns people to leave a house and call for help.

Ms Hundley passed out a scratch and smell piece of paper for the students to smell what natural gas smells like, so they would know what to smell for if they ever came across it again.

“It doesn’t smell like I would remember it to smell,” said Middle Gate students James Heran.

Next to James, Jack Ciaramello said he recognized the smell.

“It smelled like regular oil,” Jack said. “It didn’t smell too good though.”