A book written and illustrated by Stella Grace Burroughs, a fourth-grade student at Fairfield Magnet School for Math and Science, has won the South Carolina Children’s Book Challenge, individual division. Stella Grace created The Day That Power Took a Vacation, which was chosen among nearly 200 statewide submissions by a panel of judges representing South Carolina’s electric cooperatives.

Stella Grace was guided in her project by the school’s visual arts teacher, Kimberlea Daly.

At Fairfield Magnet School’s quarterly awards day ceremony on Friday, March 27, representatives from Fairfield Electric Cooperative and the Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina surprised Stella Grace with the announcement and presentation of prizes, including $500 for Miss Burroughs and $250 for Mrs. Daly.

They both will be recognized and honored by the South Carolina General Assembly in April, along with four students from Walker Gamble Elementary School in Turbeville, who won the group division with their book, Job Shadowing a Lineman.

The Children’s Book Challenge is sponsored by Fairfield Electric Cooperative and the Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina. Participating students from across the state were asked to write and illustrate a children’s book that focused on a day in the life of a line worker. The Day That Power Took a Vacation competed against books from across South Carolina after being selected by Fairfield Electric as the local finalist.

“We were very impressed with Stella Grace’s entire creation—her story, her characters and her wonderful artwork,” says Stephanie Martin, communications coordinator for Fairfield Electric. “We could tell that she did her research about power restoration and the important work line workers do.”

The Day That Power Took a Vacation tells the story of what happened when the power went out after Hurricane Helene and how the line workers who restored that power were like superheroes. Stella Grace dedicated her book to her late uncle, who worked as a lineman for another utility company.

“Stella Grace’s idea for a power hero was amazing, but her real hero was her uncle,” says Daly. “Fairfield Electric sent us all kinds of good material, so we got to learn about what a lineman does, what he wears and all the cool equipment that they use. Then she had a totally different viewpoint of what her uncle did.”

South Carolina’s electric cooperatives have been committed to powering rural communities since 1938. This concern for communities, and the future of our youth, has carried forward to today. By inspiring students to learn more about energy in our state, S.C.’s electric co-ops hope to spark a passion for critical thinking in the minds of tomorrow’s leaders.