Mississippi Power employees fosters environmental education at local schools
Employees from Mississippi Power's Plant Ratcliffe recently completed a service project to enhance environmental studies for children of all ages and abilities by donating two wheelchair-accessible raised garden beds to local schools in Meridian and Lauderdale County.
The Generation employees supplied materials to build the garden beds and coordinated the logistics of delivering them to Northeast High School and Poplar Springs Elementary School.
“Our company is always focused on making a better life for those within our communities and schools, especially in the lives of younger generations,” said Plant Ratcliffe Operations and Maintenance Manager Randy Joe Miller. “By completing this service project, we are certain our efforts will increase the quality of environmental education for hundreds of students now and into the future for years to come.”
The project will provide students with a unique, hands-on opportunity to learn skills associated with growing, nurturing and cultivating a variety of plants and produce. By designing the planting beds to be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act standards, students with physical and mental disadvantages will also be able to fully immerse themselves into an interactive experience of learning botany and other plant sciences.
Northeast High School Principal Joshua Herrington commended the company and its local partners for creating a tangible learning environment for students and providing opportunities for those who have never had the opportunity to grow a garden.
"We look forward to the many lessons that will be learned by watching students see the fruits of their labor in a real way. This raised garden bed will provide our students the opportunity to leave the traditional four-walled classroom from time-to-time and learn outside,” said Herrington. “Most importantly, we look forward to seeing our students assist those who are less fortunate exemplifying true Trojan Pride. Trojan Nation thanks Mississippi Power for your support!”
In addition to Mississippi Power, the raised garden beds were also built in partnership with volunteers from Leadership Lauderdale, Naval Air Station-Meridian, Castle, Regions Bank, Planter’s Supply, Van Zyverdan and other local contributors.
Now in its 99th year of operations, Mississippi Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO), produces safe, reliable and affordable energy for nearly 191,000 customers in 23 southeast Mississippi counties. Mississippi Power was recognized by the Edison Electric Institute with an Emergency Response Award in 2023. The company was also a recent recipient of the Community Partner Impact Award from the Center for Energy Workforce Development for its innovative and ongoing efforts to build a diverse workforce. With nearly 160 megawatts of approved solar energy capacity, Mississippi Power is the largest partner in providing renewable energy in the state of Mississippi. Visit our websites at mississippipower.com and mississippipowernews.com, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
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