Earlier this month, NGA received a wonderful message from Jeanna Newton, a 4th-grade teacher at Capeless Elementary School in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. As she taught her class about energy resources, the topic of natural gas safety sparked a memorable hands-on experience — with help from a timely Scratch and Sniff mailer.

Ms. Newton shared that she had taught her students that natural gas is naturally odorless, and that an odor is added to make leaks easier to detect. But the classroom lesson got a big upgrade when our scratch-and-sniff mercaptan insert arrived — offering students a chance to actually smell the distinctive odor used to keep customers safe.

“I brought it in to share with my students and I only wish I had recorded their reactions,” Newton explained. “It was so funny! Thank you for turning a generic textbook lesson into a real-life learning experience.”

“I really appreciate any opportunity to bring learning to life,” she added. “They were very brave, and they all sniffed it. It was hysterical to see their reactions.”

Hands-on education like this helps students better understand the role natural gas plays in their lives, and why detecting a leak matters. We're thrilled to see how a safety brochure helped support real-world learning in such a positive way.

Thank you, Ms. Newton and the 4th-grade students at Capeless Elementary School, for your curiosity, your energy — and your brave noses! We applaud Ms. Newton for her commitment to bringing natural gas safety into her classrooms with educational resources that make science engaging, practical, and fun.

Interested in learning more about natural gas safety? Learn more here: https://northeastgas.org/natural-gas-safety

Interested in Public Awareness efforts supported by NGA and our member companies? Learn more here: https://northeastgas.org/Be-Nosey