Perry Hall Area Schools Win BGE Contest

PERRY HALL, MD – Baltimore Gas and Electric announced this week the winners of its contest promoting safety around natural gas. There were 40 submissions from schools around the region, and several winners in the Perry Hall area.

In the contest, students were asked to illustrate a safety message around the theme mercaptan, an additive to natural gas that BGE and other utility companies use to make gas easier to detect. They were tasked with creating a concept around the fictional "Captain Mercaptan" and his sidekick Piper.

A panel of judges evaluated the submissions, and nearly 25,000 online votes helped determine the winner, according to BGE.

The utility company announced the following winners:

• $10,000 Captain’s Choice Award and BGE Hero Award, Fountain Green Elementary School, Bel Air
• $5,000 BGE Hero Award, Perry Hall Christian School, Perry Hall
• $5,000 BGE Hero Award, St. Stephen School, Kingsville
• $5,000 BGE Hero Award, North Bend Elementary School, Jarrettsville
• $5,000 BGE Hero Award, Immaculate Conception School, Towson
• $5,000 BGE Hero Award, St. Joseph School, Fullerton

Fountain Green Elementary School plans to use the $10,000 prize toward purchasing laptops. Here is its winning entry:

The contest is designed to help educate children and communities about natural gas safety.

“BGE’s natural gas safety contest taps into children’s creativity to help them remember important gas safety messages that will benefit their schools, families and communities," Christopher Burton, vice president of Gas Distribution for BGE, said in a statement. "Educating our customers, especially children, on how to remain safe around natural gas is a priority for BGE."

BGE offered these tips for staying safe around natural gas:

• Smell: A rotten egg smell comes from the additive mercaptan, which BGE puts in natural gas.
• Listen: Escaping gas makes a hissing sound.
• Look: Dirt in the air, dead plants, water bubbling and being blown into the air and fire coming from the ground are signs of natural gas leaking.
• Leave immediately if you detect natural gas. Don't turn anything, including cell phones, on; do not use matches; and do not try to find the source. Call BGE at 1-800-685-0123 and wait in a safe place outside.

Photos courtesy of BGE. Main image by Tabitha from Perry Hall Christian, winner of $5,000 prize.