Bright Ideas

Roanoke Electric Cooperative LOVES teachers!

We recently awarded $8,000 in grants to area teachers as part of our annual Bright Ideas grant program.  "A record number of applications were received this year," said Marshall Cherry, VP of Member Services and Marketing at REC.  "Our judges stressed that it was tough deciding who to fund because all of the projects had merit."

Judges from each school district in Roanoke Electric's service territory were represented, including Halifax, Bertie, Hertford, Gates, and Northampton counties, to determine this year's winners.  Area teachers submitted applications detailing innovative classroom/schoolwide projects that are typically not able to be funded by school systems.   

Receiving grants this year are:

• Billie J. Boyd of Everetts Elementary: Roanoke Rapids, Halifax County Schools, $1,426.68 for “On Demand Learning.”
  
• Jan Lee Wicker of Weldon Elementary: Weldon, Weldon City Schools, $2,000 for “Kindergartners Learn Who's Who in the Animal Kingdom.”
  
• Tracy Vinson & Lashawn Scott of Bertie Middle School: Windsor, Bertie County Schools, $1,615.50 for “Achievable Dreams.”
  
• Belinda Gutierrez of Windsor Elementary: Windsor, Bertie County Schools, $400 for “Life Skills Training.”
  
• Teri T. Campbell of Gates County Senior High: Gatesville, Gates County Schools, $142.26 for “Look Who's Teaching.”
  
• Robin Copeland of Ahoskie Elementary: Ahoskie, Hertford County Schools, $1,157.78 for “Picture This!.”
  
• Sylvia M. Miller of C.S. Brown Student Development Center: Winton, Hertford County, $1,257.78 for “You Ought To Be In Pictures.”
  

General Information

Roanoke Electric Cooperative has awarded more than 50 Bright Ideas Grants since 1994 totaling more than $50,000.00. Across the state Bright Ideas have shown to improve classroom instruction and encouraged innovative teaching techniques benefiting over 500,000 students.

The funds go to North Carolina teachers and principals serving grades K-12. They are awarded for projects in any discipline as long as they use creative teaching techniques to improve instruction. Projects are eligible for grants of up to $2,000.

Since the inception of this program Roanoke Electric Cooperative and the North Carolina Electric Cooperatives have presented over $1.5 million to Tar Heel educators. The statewide Bright Ideas Grant Program was launched in October 1994 by North Carolina's electric cooperatives and the Carolina Electric Cooperatives network, and has been very instrumental in assisting teachers and principals with programs that they cannot fund through traditional school financing.

The 2010 grant application process is open. The application deadline is September 20, 2010

The judges that are selected to review the applications are located throughout the cooperative's service area, and include educators and community leaders.

To learn more go to www.ncbrightideas.com.

ONLY ON-LINE APPLICATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED FOR 2010.

For more information about the grant program, email Robin M. Phillips, Coordinator of Commumications and Public Relations at rphillips@roanokeelectric.com or call 252-209-2259 or 1-800-433-2236, ext. 259.

To read press releases about previous Bright Ideas grant recipients, click here.