Early in the morning, mist drifted around Tennessee Valley Authority’s Raccoon Mountain Visitor Center.
Outside there was only the sound of tapping rain. But inside, the room bustled.
Dozens of middle schoolers from Red Bank Middle School in Chattanooga had come to learn about history, pumped storage energy production and TVA’s mission of environmental stewardship.
TVA retirees, part of Bicentennial Volunteers, Inc., and TVA Environment staff stood at the ready as volunteers.
“Field trips are unique experiences – and those unusual days really stick with kids. These trips expose kids to what TVA does and how it benefits their communities,” TVA Communications Consultant Liberty Phillips said. “These trips provide opportunities for students to engage with TVA employees in a variety of fields.”
The trips also help students see education and experience pathways leading to TVA careers.
Students in this multigrade, interdisciplinary Connections class took notes in thick journals – a mix of impressions and drawings – as they rotated between stations.
Mark Odom, TVA Senior Watershed Representative, asked students what they thought lived on Raccoon Mountain’s 6,000 acres of public land.
“Raccoons,” a student joked. Mark nodded in encouragement.
“Definitely,” he said. “What else lives on land, in the sky and in the water?”
Students’ words tumbled over one another: deer, coyote, fish, turtles, otters, hawks, eagles and owls.
And songbirds, Jacob Hart, TVA Watershed Representative, said.
He pointed to a MOTUS wildlife tracking tower mounted on the roof, explaining how TVA is part of a global bat and bird monitoring effort. It has even logged a bird flying from Ontario, Canada.
“And there’s aquatic insect life that TVA works to monitor,” Mark said.
Hannah Bowman, another TVA Watershed Representative, passed a poster of aquatic insects to students. She linked TVA’s stewardship of habitat to 26a permitting work TVA undertakes with residents and businesses across the Valley region.
And before each group rotated, RaSharon King, Environmental Compliance Program Manager, explained how kids could be stewards in their own communities. TVA’s outreach activities invite families outside to clean up rivers and reservoirs, explore biodiversity in BioBlitzes or find TVA-sponsored community events.
These field trips offer great opportunities for employees to volunteer to engage with students in meaningful ways, just as the Environment and Stewardship employees did.
As one group left to learn about the electrification of the Valley region, another group boarded the tour bus and a third rotated outside to brave the rain. Despite the damp, students raised their hands, called out answers and sketched in their notebooks.
“They’re engaged,” Bicentennial Volunteers, Inc. Volunteer Don Johnson said. “They ask good questions.”
He shared one especially good response.
“I asked, ‘When we pump water up and store it (on top of Raccoon Mountain), what kind of energy would that be?’” Don said. “And a kid piped right up, ‘Kinetic energy!’” RaSharon nodded. “I enjoy this,” she said. “(The students) are open to new things.”
The visits are educational for kids, but they’re also rewarding for TVA retirees – and any TVA retiree can take part. Retirees from all different fields and all different levels can play an important role in enriching student education.
“You never know what will spark an interest,” Liberty said.
Sixth grade science teacher Heather Pinion agreed.
“This real-world experience is invaluable,” she said.
Sign up to be a field trip volunteer by going to mybvi.org and click on register in the upper right-hand corner.
