Students Power PMLP for the Day

PEABODY – As part of the 47th Annual Student Government Day in Peabody, high school students, William D. “Will” Aylward, 17, and Charles Kirby, 18, took on the roles of Chairman of the Peabody Municipal Lighting Commission and Manager of the Peabody Municipal Light Plant on Thursday, April 12. They took the positions of Chairman of the PMLC, William C. “Bill” Aylward, and Manager of the Peabody Municipal Light Plant, Glenn Trueira. The Aylward name is no coincidence. Will is the son of Commissioner Bill Aylward. “I ran for the position my dad has,” said Aylward. “I was happy that no one else ran because I got a chance to spend the day with him and see what he does as a commissioner.” Kirby initially ran for the city treasurer position, but said he was happy to have been named light plant manager. “I wanted to experience Student Government Day with everyone from our grade,” Kirby said. “I’m really enjoying the day.”

General Manager Glenn Trueira said that PMLP has been involved in Student Government Day for 47 years, and it gives Peabody students an opportunity to see behind the scenes of the community-owned utility. “We encourage students to be involved with the program, and we are always on the lookout for young people looking for a career on our team.” Both students will have the opportunity to work over the summer at PMLP in one of the Seasonal Employee jobs open to Peabody students.

Commissioner Aylward couldn’t have been more pleased with his son’s initiative. “Will took some of my old campaign signs, and with a minor change, had campaign signs of his own. I had a lot of fun with my son through the day.”

As part of Student Government Day, the students toured the general officers of the Peabody Municipal Light Plant and the Waters River Substation. They learned about the workings of the plant, the commission and city government in general. The day brought Will and Charles together, and they learned that they will be heading off to the same college in the fall, Franklin Pierce University in Rindge, New Hampshire. Will plans to study physical therapy and Charles is enrolled in their criminal justice program. Both felt that participating in Student Government Day was a good learning experience and a nice addition to their resumes.