Blue Ridge Electric Awards Bright Ideas Grants to Local Educators

As part of its commitment to local education, Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation (BREMCO) recently presented Bright Ideas grants to seven educator teams in Avery and Watauga counties.

Bright Ideas is an academic grants program BREMCO sponsors in conjunction with North Carolina Electric Membership Corporation and its 26 other member electric cooperatives. Bright Ideas grants help further traditional academic learning by funding innovative scholastic projects that go beyond available school funding.

For the 2009-10 school year, BREMCO received 91 Bright Ideas grant applications from schools in its service territory in Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Caldwell, Watauga and Wilkes counties. Funds totaling $18,852 are being awarded to 20 classrooms and teachers to benefit thousands of area students, teachers, schools and communities.

BREMCO is celebrating its 16th year of offering Bright Ideas grants as part of its support and commitment to education. To date, BREMCO has awarded more than $286,000 and provided direct funding assistance that has impacted more than 80,000 students. BREMCO is part of several North Carolina electric cooperatives providing Bright Ideas grants. Together, these entities have provided more than $7 million for North Carolina teachers and students.

For more information about the Bright Ideas grants program, click to www.BlueRidgeEMC.com.

Avery Grants

BREMCO recently presented Bright Ideas grants totaling $1,600 to three educator teams during “surprise patrols” to the teachers’ schools in Avery County.

Avery County grant winners are Jeri Minford, Donna Burnop, Levin Sudderth and Robert Tufts of Cranford Middle School for “Cranberry City,” Justin Carver and Elise Lipps of Newland Elementary School for “Get Your Fuze on: Reading in the 21st Century” and Elise Lipps and Justin Carver of Newland Elementary School for “Freaky Friday.”

The “Cranberry City” grant of $500 will benefit 73 middle school students, who will reference existing skyscrapers in Asia to utilize scaling factors in math, energy efficiency data from science and writing skills from language arts to build a city of energy efficient skyscrapers to form a cityscape.

The “Get Your Fuze on: Reading in the 21st Century” grant of $600 will benefit 43 students by putting technology to work in an educational setting. The grant will fund the purchase of “Fuze” MP3 players to better students’ learning by allowing them to hear what they are reading during the Daily Five Reading Power groups.

The “Freaky Friday” grant of $500 will benefit 43 third-grade students, helping students perform hands-on learning and experiment-based projects that align science curriculum and writing skills.

Watauga Grants

Pat Warren, Patty Buckner, Allyson McFalls, Terri Miller and James Eichmiller (pictured left to right), along with other educators in Avery and Watauga counties, recently received Bright Ideas academic grants. Photo submitted

BREMCO recently presented Bright Ideas grants totaling more than $3,500 to four Watauga County educator teams during a luncheon ceremony at the cooperative’s district office.

Watauga County grant winners are James Eichmiller of Watauga High School for “Clickers for the Classroom,” Allyson McFalls and Kathy Moore of Blowing Rock Elementary School for “Environmental Library,” Patty Buckner and Pat Warren of Bethel Elementary School for “Creative Center City” and Terri Miller, Tim Walker, Will Selle, Joy Pritchett, Beth Winkler and Judd Pinnix of Green Valley Elementary School for “Strike Up the Band.”

The “Clickers for the Classroom” grant of $1,200 will benefit 100 high school students. The clickers are remote personal response systems that enable students to answer questions anonymously, with the goal of encouraging higher student participation in the classrooms.

The “Environmental Library” grant of $544 will benefit 360 students by funding literature and resources for student and teacher access to support a K-8 science curriculum, which now includes an environment component.

The “Creative Center City” grant of $375 will benefit 21 first grade students by funding the purchase of materials for learning centers. In these learning centers, students can explore and discuss scientific and mathematical concepts, as well as learn to work together and independently build their critical thinking skills.

The “Strike Up the Band” grant of $1,500 will benefit all Watauga County seventh- and eighth-grade band and string students. It will fund training in a one-day clinic and a free public performance for them to demonstrate their skills.