Wake Electric Earmarks $50,000 for Area Teachers and Classrooms
Teachers apply for 2010-11 Bright Ideas Education Grants
Wake Electric has allocated $50,000 for classroom-based projects through the Bright Ideas education grant program for the 2010-11 school year. Teachers can apply online at www.ncbrightideas.com. Only online applications will be accepted.
The Bright Ideas program is the only education grant program exclusively for North Carolina’s K-12 teachers. Grants of up to $3,000 per project are available. The deadline for teachers to submit an application is September 20. Teachers who submit their application by the early-bird deadline on August 16 will be entered in a drawing for a $500 Visa gift card.
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 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. For more information on past Wake Electric Bright Ideas winners and an explanation of the program, go to www.wemc.com or contact Angela Perez, Bright Ideas Coordinator and Public Relations & Communications Specialist for Wake Electric, at 919.863.6376, 800.474.6300 or angela.perez@wemc.com.
Wake Electric is a non-profit electric cooperative in Wake Forest serving 34,000 members in parts of Durham, Franklin, Granville, Johnston, Nash, Vance, and Wake counties. Funding for the Bright Ideas program is through Operation RoundUp, a program funded by Wake Electric members and employees opting to have their monthly electric bill rounded up to the nearest whole dollar.
