The Shelly Company has introduced a virtual quarry tour for primary school students in the United States as an alternative method to its hands-on quarry education program.
Previously, the company has allowed classes to visit some of its quarries, aiming to teach students about the importance of construction materials and the aggregates industry.
This year, however, the Shelly Company is offering a virtual tour of the quarry to students in the wake of COVID-19 and the health and safety measures it has brought.
“Sadly, this year’s school groups would have been without first-hand experience of our operations and we just couldn’t let that happen,” Shelly quality control technician and facilitator Robin Kraner told Times Bulletin.
The virtual tour, which can be accessed from the company’s website, is designed to teach students from grades two through to six about the quarrying industry. The main topics of the tour consist of geology, mining methods and uses for aggregates in the real world.
In previous years, the Shelley Company has been active in promoting the importance of its quarries by educating the community and engaging people in tours and local events. The company launched its third annual Maumee open house education session in 2019, in which 600 attendees toured the company’s Maumee limestone quarry and were treated afterwards to a community barbecue.
According to Lyle Snyder, the Shelly Company’s senior vice president and co-ordinator of the Rocks Build Our World program, education programs teach people about the importance of quarries and what their aggregates provide.
“Educational tours and classroom presentations help the future workforce understand the vital role our products play in building and sustaining the infrastructure of the communities we serve,” he told Times Bulletin.
“I’m hopeful that the materials we’ve shared on our website will allow this message to reach students we are unable to teach in person this year.”
Further information about the virtual education program can be viewed on the Shelly Company’s website.