For 30 years, North Carolina’s electric co-ops have helped light up learning in K-12 classrooms statewide through the Bright Ideas education grant program. Approximately 600 grants are awarded annually by our state’s electric co-ops for projects to improve classroom instruction and utilize innovative teaching methods.
Meet our winners
Hillel Davis Chocowinity Middle School
“Chocowinity Robotics Team”
$2,134.75
If only we could bottle the energy teacher Hillel Davis exudes in his classroom! As soon as we entered the classroom to surprise Mr. Davis with his Bright Ideas award, his students erupted in applause for a teacher they obviously greatly respect and admire. The grant funding will fund the school’s first robotics and coding STEM initiative. Robotics requires competency in the basic disciplines of math, engineering and science.
In addition to reaching students in media center classes, the project materials will also be utilized in CMS’ after-school Lego Robotics Club. Students will be able to collaborate with others across the school district through workshops and competitions as well as the opportunity to compete statewide and nationally.
Robyn Register & Stephen Nyberg West Craven Middle School
“Planting the Future Brick by Brick”
$2,205.75
This design-build project will take learning from planning to practice to permanency on the school campus. Students working in teams of five will design personalized planters and raised flowerbeds with seating using Legos. They will then do a construction test run using recyclable construction tools and materials. Finally, after critiquing and perfecting their designs, they will construct permanent projects that will serve to beautify the campus in perpetuity.
Kimberly Lipford Fred A. Anderson Elementary
“Science Labs in Elementary”
$1,295.95
Kimberly Lipford’s grant will be used to purchase science kits focusing on matter and energy, ecosystems, and force and motion. Eighty fifth graders will benefit annually from the recurring use of these classroom materials.
Karen Teklinsky Ocracoke School
“A Portal for Future Innovators”
$2,007.56
This project will allow students to further explore topics in engineering, technology, Earth science, chemistry, geology, and anatomy beyond the classroom setting with the establishment of a Science Club. Participants will build towers, helicopters, windmills and other mechanical devices. They will solve crimes, create chemical potions, identify fossils and plants, position mirrors to direct laser beams and explore robotics. By providing a “portal” to various science disciplines, Teklinsky hopes students will find a branch of science that they feel most passionate about to pave the way for future innovators of science. By encouraging active, hands-on participation, she hopes to foster creativity, inquisitiveness, and the desire to learn more about the world we live in and a lifelong passion for investigating and learning.
Tami Wagaman Mattamuskeet High School
“Learning Science with Robotics”
$1,661.47
Congratulations to Tideland’s winningest Bright Ideas grant writer, Tami Wagaman! Materials purchased will complete 5 different robots with each emphasizing a unique scientific concept. We can’t wait to see what emerges from her Mattamuskeet classroom as she continues to expand the school’s science curriculum.
Casey Lewis Schulte, Dawn Johnson and Ronald Crider Northside High School
“Fueling Innovation & Launching Students into Science”
$2,498.29
Teacher Casey Schulte understands how important hands-on activities are for student engagement and curriculum retention. This funding will allow Schulte and team members Dawn Johnson and Ronald Crider to expand their science department to include robotics, flight kits, soil and photosynthesis investigations and more.
Alison Bennett Pamlico County High School
“STEAM Rolling Into Robotics”
$2,500.00
Alison Bennett’s students will use Sphero Bolt coding robots and experimental design to solve real world science problems. Solving these problems will require students to plan, built and test structures such as rescue boats, bridges, catapults, Mars rovers and rockets. They will even use the robots to rescue sea turtles and follow the flow of energy through an ecosystem. In addition to practicing experimental design, students will learn how to code the robot spheres to make them move, speak, create light shows, and create celestial orbits.
Teachers: Spark Innovation in Your Classroom
South River EMC is proud to support the next generation of great minds through our Bright Ideas educational grant program. K–12 teachers throughout our community with ideas for creative classroom projects can learn more on our website.
