Blue Ridge Electric Awards Educators Grants for Innovative Teaching Projects

For Immediate Release

Contact: Renee Whitener, Director of Public Relations, Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation, (828) 758-2383 ext. 3213; Pager: 1-800-471-1323; or E-mail: Renee Whitener

Boone, North Carolina (November 9, 2005) – Grants totaling more than $4,000 were awarded today to five local educators today by Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation during a luncheon at Broyhill Inn and Conference Center to honor the cooperative’s Bright Ideas grants recipients.

Bright Ideas is an academic grants program sponsored by Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation in conjunction with the North Carolina Electric Membership Corporation and its 26 other member electric cooperatives. These grants enhance traditional academic learning by funding innovative scholastic projects that go beyond available school funding.
Local winners of the grants are:

Terri Miller, of Green Valley Elementary School, for “Next Generation Composers”, which will benefit 55 students in grades 5th through 8th who are enrolled in beginning and intermediate strings, and beginning and advanced band. Students will use music software to create and publish their own music compositions. The grant totaled $390.
Josephine Sorrell, for “Boosting Brains with Big Books”, benefit 88 students in pre-kindergarten through 3rd grade. The grant totaled $936 and will be used to purchase a Big Book Caddy, Big Books and Puppets to be used in the classroom and after school care program.
Kathy Butler, Sondra Edwards, Jeanie Hawkins, and Ashley Johnson, of Green Valley Elementary School, for “5th Grade Choral Festival” which will benefit all 5th grade students from all Watauga County elementary schools that participate in general music. Students will learn compositions to be presented at a choral festival the winning educators arranged at Appalachian State University next spring. The students will be exposed to professional direction, rehearsals, an performance techniques. The grant totaled $1,444.
Ann Donadio and Jennifer Gray, of Cove Creek Elementary School, for “Community Reading Group” which will benefit two first-grade classes and other students. The program this grant establishes will provide a network between home, school and the community and will promote a love of reading, motivation for success and a sense of accomplishment. The grant totaled $1,025.
Kimberly Tufts, of Cranberry Elementary School in Avery County, for “Global Neighbors: Asia” which will benefit 65 7th graders. Students will learn about various Asian cultures through various pieces of literature, music, artifacts, foods, costumes/dress and will be involved in many different hands-on projects. The grant totaled $506.

Each September, Blue Ridge Electric seeks applications from area educators and principals serving grades K-12 in public schools. For the 2005-2006 school year Blue Ridge Electric received 54 Bright Ideas grant applications from schools in its service territory of Caldwell, Watauga, Ashe, Alleghany, Avery and Wilkes County. Funds totaling $19,004 are being awarded to 19 classroom teachers to directly benefit thousands of area students and their teachers, schools and communities. Blue Ridge Electric is celebrating its 12th year of offering Bright Ideas grants as part of its support and commitment to education. Since 1994, the cooperative has awarded nearly $213,000 in Bright Ideas grants that has impacted more than 64,000 students.

To learn more about the Bright Ideas grants program, visit Blue Ridge Electric’s web site at www.BlueRidgeEMC.com or contact your local Blue Ridge Electric office and ask for Grey Scheer, director of community relations.