Today Wood County Electric Cooperative (WCEC) presented 30 hard hats to Quitman High School’s Geometry in Construction class taught by QHS Math Teacher John Herring. These hats were generously donated by Texas Electric Cooperatives (TEC), of which WCEC is a member.
Herring’s class enables students to use their math lessons in real-life applications. Each year the students construct a small building, applying the math formulas from class. This process helps solidify math lessons, mixes in other skilled learning, and allows the students to have fun along the way.
The hard hat donation came about when QHS Principal Cody Mize decided to add an element of safety to the classes’ construction zone. He contacted WCEC, noted for a strong safety culture, for help. WCEC then called upon one of their strong partners in safety, TEC.
WCEC is a member of TEC, a state-wide organization that represents the interests of 75 Texas electric cooperatives. This association advocates for cooperatives at the state and federal level, and they procure utility supplies for electric cooperatives. And, importantly, they provide educational and training classes, with a heavy focus on safety.
Of TEC’s donation, Debbie Robinson, GM and CEO at WCEC said, “TEC operates a warehouse and distribution net-work in Quitman, and because of that they were looking for a way to giveback to the community. This opportunity, with its focus on safety, fit like a glove. When I approached Justin Lyon, our Account Manager at TEC, he jumped at the chance to help out. I’d like to thank TEC for their generosity and also for the focused work they accomplish each day to increase safety in our industry.”
QHS Principal Mize said, “We can’t thank TEC enough for this donation to our classroom. These hard hats will keep these and future students safe while underscoring an important safety message. It’s a lesson that will inform students for a lifetime. The fact that TEC thought to order them in our beautiful Bulldog blue, was an extra nice touch.”
About Texas Electric Cooperatives
TEC was established in 1941 as a coalition of electric cooperatives formed to have greater bargaining leverage with power suppliers. Since its founding, TEC has advanced to provide its members the services and products necessary to sustain a cooperative business in the 21st century. Today TEC’s members include 64 distribution and 11 generation and transmission cooperatives. The association is headquartered in Austin.
About Wood Country Electric Cooperative
Wood County Electric Cooperative, Inc. is a not-for-profit electric cooperative with the mission of providing member-customers reliable electric service at a reasonable rate. WCEC serves over 34,000 meters in parts of nine counties throughout northeast Texas, including Camp, Franklin, Hopkins, Rains, Smith, Titus, Upshur, Van Zandt, and Wood. Visit our website for further information about WCEC.