PPL Montana this month kicks off a water safety poster contest in 21 schools in the Great Falls area. Students in grades three through six can choose any outdoor activity — such as swimming, fishing or canoeing — and draw a poster that contains an important message about safety around Montana’s many lakes, rivers and streams.
“Because our power plants are located near major rivers in the state, we have an interest in the safety of boaters, swimmers and fishermen,” said M. David Hoffman, PPL Montana’s manager of External Affairs.
The pilot contest is designed to be a fun, hands-on learning activity for teachers and students. Tommy Trout, an energetic, cartoonlike fish, will be the contest’s safety mascot. Information about the contest, which runs through Nov. 30, will be mailed to schools this month.
In December, a panel of teachers and PPL employees will select eight winners – a grand-prize winner and a runner-up for each grade level. Each grand-prize winner will receive a certificate and two shares of PPL Corporation stock, runners-up will each receive a certificate and one share of stock, and each participating student will receive a special PPL prize.
PPL Montana will also give $50 for instructional materials or supplies to each teacher of grand-prize winners. In addition, the first 50 teachers who submit their students’ posters will receive a special gift from PPL Montana.
The eight prize-winning posters will be featured on a special 2005 PPL Montana Water Safety Poster, copies of which will be distributed to schools, community leaders and PPL facilities in Montana.
“We are targeting about 3,500 intermediate grade students with this contest because this age group tends to be very receptive to safety messages,” said Hoffman.
PPL Montana, a subsidiary of PPL Corporation (NYSE: PPL), has offices in Billings, Butte and Helena. With about 500 employees, PPL Montana operates the coal-fired Colstrip and Corette power plants and 11 hydroelectric facilities along the Missouri, Flathead, Clark Fork and Madison rivers and Rosebud Creek. PPL EnergyPlus, another PPL subsidiary, operates a trading floor in Butte that markets and sells power in the wholesale energy market. More information is available at .