Big Tires, Big Questions, Big Fun at Moore Magnet

Today was Transportation Day for students in kindergarten through second grade at Moore Magnet School. Standing by the truck that he drives for Fritts Motor Co., recovery driver Alexis Correa answered such questions as “Why does your truck have double tires?” To handle all the weight of the vehicles that his truck has to carry and so that the truck can still be driven should one of its tires get punctured, he told the students. He also talked about why he likes what he does.

“It’s a very good profession to have,” said Correa. “You get to help people for a living. Being able to help people is a very satisfying thing to do.”

Anne Collins, the counselor at Moore, has been organizing the annual event since 1995. “The whole point is to expose children to different occupations – get them thinking.”

“She works really, really hard every year,” said Tammie Brown, one of the school secretaries. “The kids enjoy it.”

“I think it’s great,” said Judy McLaughlin, a kindergarten teaching assistant.

Along with Correa, representatives from Gallins Vending Services, Parrish Tire Co. Ready Mixed Concrete Co., Forsyth Humane Society and Piedmont Sheet Metal Co. were there with their trucks. One question Terrell Robinson and Tom Westra of Piedmont Sheet Metal fielded was “How do you get electrocuted?”

“By not paying attention,” said Robinson, a residential HVAC technician.

Robinson went on to talk about the importance of being careful when working around electricity. Before he was done, he had brought Benjamin Franklin into the picture. His presentation to the kids was both informative and amusing, and he was clearly having a good time with the students. When a teacher started to say something to a particularly enthusiastic student, Robinson told her not to worry.

“I was a kid once, too,” Robinson said.

Stationed next to Piedmont Sheet Metal was a concrete mixer. There, you could learn such facts as a cubic yard (27 cubic feet) of concrete can weigh almost two tons. Terry Callaway, a fleet manager for Ready Mixed, said they like to go to such events when they can so that young people can learn more about what the company does and to see the equipment up close. “It’s a great opportunity for us to get out and give back to the community,” Callaway said.

The students also got to walk through the truck that the Humane Society takes to animal adoption events and uses to rescue animals after a disaster and to see some impressively big tires that Steve Lunt, a manager for Parrish Tire, brought. He pointed out the differences between a tire that you might see on a tractor-trailer truck rolling down the highway and one that you might see on a piece of construction equipment working in the dirt.       

The morning was informative for adults as well. “I found out a lot about tires that I never knew,” said Sally Merrill, a teacher assistant for second grade fresh from Lunt’s presentation.