Passion and Innovation:
Bright Ideas grants

Teachers can apply for a grant of up to $3,000. The deadline is September 20. The winner of the early-bird August 16 drawing for a $500 Visa gift card is Dinah Poteat of Draughn High School, which is sponsored by Rutherford EMC.

  • On-line applications for the Bright Ideas grant program, can be found at www.ncbrightideas.com.

  • NOTE: The the Classroom Technology Awards grants and the Bright Ideas grants are two SEPARATE and DISTINCT grant programs offered by Wake Electric. Teachers can apply for both – but if a teacher does apply for both grants – he or she must apply for a DIFFERENT item or project between the two.

  • For example, a teacher cannot apply for SmartBoard funding through the Classroom Technology Awards grants and then also apply for a SmartBoard through the Bright Ideas grant program.

  • Wake Electric has allocated $50,000 for classroom-based projects through the Bright Ideas education grant program for the 2010-2011 school year.

  • Grants of up to $3,000 are available. The deadline for teachers to submit an application is September 20.

  • Since 1994, Wake Electric has given a total of $480,000 in Bright Ideas grants to teachers in Durham, Franklin, Granville, Johnston, Nash, Vance and Wake counties.

  • Bright Ideas grants are intended to help finance innovative classroom projects that would otherwise not receive funding. Over the years, North Carolina's Touchstone Energy cooperatives, including Wake Electric, have sponsored a variety of hands-on projects, including activities in music, art, history, language, math, science, career-planning and information technology.

  • The primary elements of the online application process include an explanation of the project and its potential benefits to students. A sample application and contact information for program coordinators are available on the Bright Ideas Web site.

  • Teachers in Durham, Franklin, Granville, Johnston, Nash, Vance and Wake counties are eligible to apply for a Wake Electric Bright Ideas grant. To determine if your school is eligible for a Wake Electric Bright Ideas grant, go to www.ncbrightideas.com.

  • Grant applicants will be notified of their grant status in October 2010.

  • Grant money will be awarded in October 2010. Teachers who win will be requested to attend an awards banquet in Raleigh in November.

  • If you have any questions about this or any other grant programs at Wake Electric, email Angela Perez, Public Relations/Communications Specialist at angela.perez@wemc.com or call 919.863 .6376 or 1.800.474.6300.

2009 Bright Ideas Teacher Grant winners

Last year, 43 teachers in Durham, Franklin, Granville, Johnston, Nash, Vance, and Wake counties were awarded Bright Ideas grants.  The grants were used for a variety of class-room programs throughout the school year. Grant winners were:

BI Grant Winner (Name)

School

Name of grant

County

Amount Awarded

A. Daphne Terry

C C Spaulding Elementary

Respecting the Earth, Each Other, and Ourselves

Durham County

$1,244.42

Alison L. Tiangson

Western Vance Secondary

Recycling for our Future

Vance County

$1,134.15

Beth Ryan

Casa Esperanza Montessori

Discover North Carolina

Wake County

$1,138.00

Carolyn Boeckx

Coopers Elementary

Flying High

Nash-Rocky Mount

$771.90

Chuck Sinclair

Franklinton Elementary

Franklinton Elementary Chorus

Franklin County

$1,403.00

Cynthia Carpenter

Southern Nash Middle

How Clean Is Our Creek?

Nash-Rocky Mount

$355.00

Doug Pawlak

Riverwood Middle

Support Your Local History

Johnston County

$1,500.00

Elizabeth Logan

Princeton High

Neurons  R  Us

Johnston County

$181.34

Ellen Ennis

Smithfield-Selma High

T.E.S.T (Using Technology to create Excitement and Success in Teens)

Johnston County

$1,501.95

Janet Whitfield

Martin Middle

Help us see, Elmo!

Wake County

$1,257.12

Jen Moreck

Riverwood Middle

Boston Massacre Mock Trial

Johnston County

$1,480.00

Jennifer Capps

Smithfield Middle

Quiet on the Set

Johnston County

$754.95

Dr. Susan Johnson

Crosscreek Charter

Lights! Cameras! Students on Stage!

Franklin County

$1,404.00

Jonathan Phillips

Franklinton High

GRIND, BIND and APPLY

Franklin County

$1,486.20

Julie Taylor

Cooper Elementary

Golden Globetrotters

Johnston County

$1,360.00

Karen Waller

Timber Drive Elementary

Read Around the World

Wake County

$1,499.00

Katherine Tucker-Thompson

Smithfield Middle

The Struggle to Suceed

Johnston County

$1,476.00

Kelly Nesbitt

Pinkston Street Elementary

Enrichment for Students with Special Needs

Vance County

$1,271.78

Kimberly Ellison

Powhatan Elementary

It's a Messy World but We Love It!

Johnston County

$1,500.00

Kit Bunn

Jones Dairy Elementary

W.A.L.K. (Walk And Listen Klub)

Wake County

$1,499.60

Kristen Hensley

Bunn Middle

Ewwww! Frog Guts

Franklin County

$300.00

Lacy Coley

Royal Elementary

Connecting to the Counties: Learning through Mail

Franklin County

$142.00

Lanelle Sutton

Smithfield Middle

Continuing the Trip with Technology and Books

Johnston County

$1,480.00

Leigh Anne Howard

Nash Central Middle School

Mathletics

Nash-Rocky Mount

$1,173.50

Lia Stene

Powhatan Elementary

PEP-TV

Johnston County

$1,430.63

Lori Craven

Cedar Creek Middle

Acids and Bases and Neutrals Oh My!

Franklin County

$1,500.00

Marsha Hast

Bunn Middle

Family Night with the Stars

Franklin County

$1,199.00

Mary Aker

South Smithfield Elementary

"Let's Hear It For Podcasting"

Johnston County

$1,350.00

Maureen Lalino

Royal Elementary

Lifeline for Students

Franklin County

$1,495.00

Melissa Hubard

Selma Elementary

R.E.A.D. Family Packs

Johnston County

$804.00

Michelle McGhee

Franklinton Elementary

Animation and Digital Storytelling

Franklin County

$980.00

Nicole Borman

Knightdale High

Read it Forward!

Wake County

$1,481.70

Renee Gorby

J F Webb High

Engaging Students with the Science of Crime - Forensics

Granville County

$340.17

Richard Kozak

Mt. Energy Elementary School

Are you smarter than a 5th grade weather person?

Granville County

$1,500.00

Rita Vermeulen

Millbrook Elementary

Bright Readers

Wake County

$1,134.20

Robert Nalen

Butner-Stem Middle

Discovery China

Granville County

$1,500.00

Ronda Bullock

Hillside High

iTEACH: integrating Technology to Expand All Children's Horizons

Durham County

$1,298.95

Shawn Richards

Western Vance Secondary

Web 2.0: School Website Creation

Vance County

$1,200.00

Suzanne Tilton

Sycamore Creek Elementary

Kyle's Travel Blog

Wake County

$975.00

Tanya Whitmoyer

East Clayton Elementary

Helping Hands Craft Club: The Art of Giving

Johnston County

$1,078.00

Timothy Zantello

Wilton Elementary

I've Got A Wiki, and I'm Not Afraid To Use It

Granville County

$1,500.00

Tracy Greene

Northern Nash High

Cook to educate

Nash-Rocky Mount

$1,500.00

Victoria Bradsher

Eaton-Johnson Middle

Math Thinking Through Writing

Vance County

$475.00

 

The funds for the Bright Ideas grants come from WEMC members who agree to round up their light bill to the nearest whole dollar through the Operation RoundUp program. For example, if the bill is $190.91 – the bill will be rounded up 9 cents to $191.00. These pennies add up to major dollars. Partial funding also comes from the North Carolina Electric Membership Corporation, located in Raleigh, NC. The NCEMC consists of a family of corporations formed to support the state’s 27 electric cooperatives.

Wake Electric is a non-profit electric utility serving over 34,000 members in parts of Durham, Franklin, Granville, Johnston, Nash, Vance, and Wake counties.


 






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