On a crisp autumn morning in Waconia, Minnesota, Laketown Elementary buzzed with excitement as fifth-grader Grant Scotting kept his eyes trained on the parking lot.
A birthday surprise for Scotting was in the works — and soon it rolled up: a shiny Xcel Energy bucket truck.
Scotting, who has special needs and is nonverbal, is known for his love of Xcel Energy. His enthusiasm for the local energy company ranges from reporting outages on his family's iPad to eagerly opening each monthly bill.
“Whenever we get an Xcel Energy bill, he keeps it and won’t let me have it,” said his dad, Troy Scotting, with a chuckle.
To mark Grant’s birthday in mid-October, Laketown Elementary teamed up with a local Xcel Energy line crew to give him and his classmates a day they would never forget.
When the crew arrived at the school, Grant was invited to stand in the bucket, sit in the driver’s seat and even received an authentic Xcel Energy helmet — making him an honorary crew member for the day. He and his classmates enjoyed photo opps with the truck and watched as the crew demonstrated how the bucket lifts up high enough for line workers to reach and repair power lines.
“Grant lights up whenever he sees anything Xcel Energy-related,” said his dad. “For him to be able to get to do something I know he loves is the best feeling in the world.”
The moment meant something for the line workers, too.
“To have something like this for that young man — and for the rest of them — just feels really good,” said Darin Skiple, the foreman on the crew. “You think about your own childhood and what this would have meant to you. Today really made us smile.”