By By ERIN VER BERKMOES / Dowagiac Daily News
It is all about learning the dangers of electricity.
Students at Niles Seventh-day Adventist School were able to enjoy a program entitled "Lights on For Louie" presented by the National Theatre for Children and Indiana Michigan Power, a division of American Electric Power.
Indiana Michigan Power brings this electrical safety educational program to schools through an innovative and interactive educational touring theater show which actively engages school children in learning.
The show students view is a fast-paced one that was action packed and got the students involved in the lessons they are being taught.
In the show, Sparky the Wonder Bug spoils all of the "fun" of the villain, the Dragonfly who isn't using electricity in the correct way, by plugging all of the cords in the city into one outlet as he is trying to become the superhero sidekick of Louie the Lightning Bug.
Sparky decided the best way to get the Dragonfly off his course of destruction was to learn as much as he could about electrical safety and teaching children that you have to play it safe around electricity.
They learn where electricity is produced, that you should stay away from high-voltage signs and don't play near downed power lines because the electricity can still be running through them.
They also learned that electricity likes to run through water, so you should never use an electrical device near the bathtub with water in it.
Students participate in the show, helping them to better learn what Sparky is teaching them about electricity.
In a press release, Susanne Moorman Rowe, general manager for Indiana and Michigan Corporate Communications, said, "Working together, Indiana Michigan Power and The National Theatre for Children will make it possible for every local student to see this program and learn about electrical safety in a fun and exciting way that will help the students to remember how to play it safe around electricity."
Rowe added, "Bringing Lights On for Louie to local schools underscores Indiana Michigan Power's commitment to electrical safety and education of young people."
The National Theater for Children who is the producer of the program is a Minnesota bases national touring company, that develops and tours educational theater programs for schools on behalf of different corporations, non-profits and municipalities that want to teach important messages in a unique way.
The Lights On for Louie program will be offered in elementary schools over the next two years. It will be featured at Moccasin Elementary, and Ottawa Elementary on March 10, and at Harold C. Stark Elementary on March 11, all of these schools are located in Buchanan. The next stops will be Sister Lakes Elementary in Dowagiac and Brandywine Elementary in Niles on March 15, Kincheloe Elementary in Dowagiac on March 16 and finally Edwardsburg Intermediary School in Edwardsburg on March 17.
Indiana Michigan Power is headquartered in Fort Wayne, Ind. and its 2,600 employees serve more than 500,000 customers in Northern Indiana and Southwest Michigan.