SALEM, Va. — Brye Hayes replica of a distribution pole complete with crossarms and electrical equipment made for an impressive display at this year's Glenvar High School Career Day. After all, it's not every day a high school student gets an up-close view of the equipment on a utility pole or to experience what it's like to close-in a fuse. 

An Appalachian Power line mechanic since 2019, Hayes built the power pole replica entirely on his own. After gathering the parts, the Roanoke, Virginia line mechanic cut the pole to size, attached the cross arms, and assembled the electrical equipment so the finished product would resemble a true scaled-down version of a distribution pole.

"Once I got started it didn't take long to pull together," explained Hayes. "After I had the equipment it honestly only took about an hour to assemble." This is the second time Hayes has had an opportunity to showcase his handy work in an educational/career day setting. 

Held in Glenvar High's gymnasium last month, the power pole replica proved to be a draw for Roanoke County students, staff, teachers, and other participating vendors - each curious about the company's display and how electricity works.

Kevin Smith, Roanoke District distribution system manager, and Andrew Newby, line mechanic, joined Hayes as he talked with students and answered a host of questions.

Students asked about how electricity flows, what it takes to restore service after an outage, and, of course, what it's like and what it takes to become a line mechanic.

The event lasted about two hours. 

This is the fifth year Appalachian Power employees have participated in the Roanoke County school's annual Career Day.