Casey Schulte and family, Bath Elementary

For nearly 30 years, Tideland EMC has helped brighten classroom learning through the annual award of Bright Ideas grants. The stars of the program are teachers who go the extra mile to research, write and submit their grant proposals in addition to their other classroom duties. They are motivated to do so by a desire to bring engaging and hands-on learning activities to their students for which funds would otherwise be lacking. Let’s meet this year’s winners:

Tami Wagaman

Northside High School
“Who Did It?”

Wagaman is excited to roll out a new Forensic Science class. Her classroom will in fact become a mock crime scene for students to investigate. Among the items funded by this grant are fingerprinting kits, footwear identification and casting kits, latent print kits, as well as blood spatter and hair analysis kits. Students will develop their own analytical and observation skills along with report writing while learning more about any number of real world career paths.

Danielle Banks

Creekside Elementary
“Little Coding Crocs”

Students will learn the basics of coding language so they can program “Bee-Bots” that will be purchased with the grant funds. The robotic bees can carry out 200 consecutive commands including moving forward and backward and turning left and right. Learning accessories for the project include a Bee-Bot transportation map, alphabet mat, world map bundle and sequence cards.

Lisa Baker Bath Elementary

“Al Fresco Ed”

An outdoor classroom will be created for students in grades K-5. The shared space will be utilized by approximately 150 students.

Donna Whitfield

Washington County Early College High School
“WCECHS to 2023 YLA Conference”

Students will attend the 2023 North Carolina Youth Legislative Assembly where they will see, experience and actually work through the legislative process of mock proposed bills to determine if the proposed bills should pass their respective legislative houses. Students even sit in the actual seats of the General Assembly to provide an even more authentic experience.

Casey Schulte and Cara Lilley

Bath Elementary
“Flexing our Learning”

Funds will be used to create a variety of collaborative and flexible learning spaces and seating alternatives to keep students engaged and attentive.

Mary Alons

Tyrrell Elementary
“Touch Me”

While the smallest grant awarded this year, Alons expects big rewards from the purchase of tactile and auditory books to serve the school’s exceptional needs students.

Brenda Tyndall

Pamlico Christian Academy
“It All Adds Up!”

With a dozen years of academic instruction under its belt, Pamlico Christian Academy continues to work to build student resources. This grant will provide for the purchase of 10 Texas Instruments graphing calculators for the academy’s high school students.

Tracey Woodard

Creekside Elementary
“Insect Exploration”

Kindergarten students in six classrooms will observe and explore the life cycles and behaviors of four different live insects: ladybugs, butterflies, praying mantises, and ants. Capitalizing on young learners’ natural curiosity not only nurtures their desire to learn but encourages them to be more engaged with their own outdoor environment.

Susan Long

Fred A. Anderson Elementary
“Books for Everyone!”

Building on the success of a previous Bright Ideas grant, additional sets of read along books will be purchased for Long’s classroom.

Lauren A. Seber

Fred A. Anderson Elementary
“One World. Many Stories.”

With her Bright Ideas grant, Lauren Seber will purchase 100 new books to sow the seeds for a substantive classroom library. Her goal is to develop reading fluency through self-directed reading.

Ashley Sawyer

Pamlico County MIddle School
“Boogie Down with Math!”

Funds will be used to purchase 20 electronic Boogie Boards for classroom math lessons. Because the students have no math textbooks, the grant will also provide poly folders to secure the photocopied curriculum.

Wayne Price and Jeannie McNair

Washington County Early College High School
“The Wolf Packers”

Each Friday, WCECHS students pack book bags for 25 elementary school students identified by school social workers, guidance counselors, and principals as living in food insecure homes. Each bag contains enough food for the student to last a weekend or during extended school holidays like Thanksgiving. Our Bright Ideas grant will allow the students to expand the program to an additional elementary school in Washington County. Food items are individual serve products the child can manage without adult supervision. Students also author notes of encouragement for each of the anonymous recipients. If you would like to privately contribute to the students’ feeding project please call 252.793.1327. This is a very impressive group of young people who want to make a difference in their community.