“Louie the Lightning Bug” Rides Again!
Three Operating Companies of American Electric Power Use Mascot
to Help Students Learn about Electrical Safety
Minneapolis, MN (April 13, 2013) – Beginning April 15, thousands of elementary school students in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana will enjoy entertaining and educational live theatre performances of The Further Adventures of Louie the Lightning Bug, a program that teaches students important lessons in electrical safety. The curriculum is being co-sponsored by AEP Texas, Public Service of Oklahoma (PSO) and Southwestern Electric Power Company (SWEPCO), all operating companies of American Electric Power (AEP). They each are offering this comprehensive educational program at no charge to 50 elementary schools throughout their respective service territories.
Produced by The National Theatre for Children (NTC), The Further Adventures of Louie the Lightning Bug is a multiplatform electrical safety program featuring live, professional actors, classroom curriculum and homework assignments. It teaches elementary students about how electricity is made and used, how to identify dangerous situations and ways to stay safe around electricity. But it doesn’t stop there. “It turns out that the students also take this electrical safety message home to their siblings and parents,” says Andrea Chancellor, Director of Communications at PSO. “The students actually help build good electrical safety habits for their entire families.”
The program is modeled after other successful “Louie the Lightning Bug” programs and curriculum that NTC has been producing on behalf of AEP operating companies for over 20 years. “As an electric utility, we take public safety seriously," says Mike Young, Director of Corporate Communications. “We’ve used the character of ‘Louie’ in three or four different NTC programs over the years. It’s been really popular with students, the schools and parents. We couldn’t be happier with the program.”
The performance is action packed with high energy comedy and audience interaction. Students then return to the classroom to complete print activities and digital classroom games that further reinforce the electrical safety information illustrated by “Louie” and other characters from the show. Graham Dodson, Director of Corporate Communications at AEP Texas, is a real “Louie” fan. “Live theater is a really exciting and unique teaching platform,” he confirms. “Especially when you combine it with classroom activities and homework assignments. And the younger students are when they begin learning about electrical safety, the more likely they’ll retain these concepts throughout their life.”
About AEP Texas
AEP Texas, a unit of American Electric Power, delivers electricity to nearly one million homes, businesses and industries in south and west Texas. AEP Texas provides regulated energy delivery service to consumers, regardless of which Retail Electric Provider they choose. The region headquarters is in Corpus Christi. For more information: www.aeptexas.com
About Public Service of Oklahoma (PSO)
PSO, a unit of American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP), is an electric utility company serving 535,000 customers in eastern and southwestern Oklahoma. With headquarters in Tulsa, PSO has 4,269 megawatts of generating capacity and provides electricity to 230 cities and towns across a service area encompassing 30,000 square miles. News releases and other information about PSO can be found at: www.PSOklahoma.com
About Southwestern Electric Power Company (SWEPCO)
SWEPCO serves more than 524,000 customers in three states, including 114,000 in western Arkansas, 228,000 in northwest and central Louisiana, and 182,000 in East and North Texas. SWEPCO’s headquarters are in Shreveport, La. News releases and other information about SWEPCO can be found at: www.swepco.com
About The National Theatre for Children
In 1978, NTC dedicated itself to delivering entertaining and highly educational programs to positively motivate families, students and educators. We educate young people – and their families – on important and timely curricular subject including: wise energy use, STEM, financial literacy, health and nutrition and environmental literacy, among others. Originally focused on delivering its programs via live theatre, NTC has added printed curriculum and multiplatform media and developed the art of teaching through educational theatre into a science of its own. NTC has grown to become the largest in-school touring educational theatre company in the world. www.nationaltheatre.com