Bright Ideas grants provide funding for innovative, classroom-based projects that would otherwise not be possible. Since 1994, the grants have touched the lives of more than 2.1 million students who have participated in 10,400 Bright Ideas projects, and given out more than $10.9 million. Each year, close to 600 grants are funded across the state from North Carolina’s 26 electric cooperatives.
The EMC Prize Patrol, consisting of members of the Edgecombe-Martin EMC Volunteer Action Committee, visited classrooms in Edgecombe County where they made presentations to the following teachers:
James Guy – Edgecombe Early College High School – “Weapons of Mass STEM” - $750 – In this project-based learning challenge, teams will design and construct a I have for a school-wide competition of accuracy and distance.
Amy Foss – Martin Millennium Academy – “Empowering Students through Genius Hour” - $993.96 - The project, modeled after a Google initiative, allows scholars to pursue their own passions by researching a self-selected topic and creating a product to share with others. This truly allows students to live out the school’s vision of being trailblazers: “innovative leaders working for positive change in a global community.”
Cora Wooten – Martin Millennium Academy – “Technology & Art” - $900 - Students will research and create whirligigs inspired by late, local artist Vollis Simpson. Students will research artist as well as the physics and mechanics of the working whirligig.
Lisa McElwee – South Edgecombe Middle School – ‘Changing times means changing places” - $700 - Changing times means that we have to make efforts to engage students in hands-on productions of items that they will create, budget, and sell. Students will be the business men & women by producing products using simple tools like a circuit machine and basic embroidery machine to create products to advertise and sell.
Mike Whitehurst & Willie Lester – SouthWest Edgecombe High School - $900 – “Take me to the moon and back” – This grant will allow the JRTOC Program to purchase rocket kits for 180 students. The students will build, paint and launch these rockets as their STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) block of the Space Technology block of instruction.
“Edgecombe-Martin County EMC is committed to bettering the communities we serve, and we believe there is no better way than through the education of our youth,” said Monica Speight, Communication Specialist form Edgecombe-Martin EMC. “We’re pleased to award these dedicated educators with Bright Ideas grants. Their creative projects will no doubt help students reach their full potential and spark higher interest in learning for years to come.”