Blue Ridge Electric Awards Local Educators Grants for Innovative Teaching Projectst

For Immediate Release

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

Lenoir, North Carolina (November 17, 2004) – Grants totaling more than $6,000 were awarded to seven local educators today by Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation during a luncheon ceremony at Berkley’s restaurant honoring 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. Bright Ideas grants help further traditional academic learning by funding innovative scholastic projects that go beyond available school funding.

Winners of the grants are:

Judy Robertson and Amy Bradley, of Hibriten High School, for “From Watson and Crick to Watson and Holmes: Building Scientific Literacy Through Biotechnology.” The projects will benefit 200 10th, 11th and 12th grade students in biology, honors biology and forensic science students working with 6th- and 8th-graders.

The grant totaled $1,782 and helps students become master sleuths through inquiry-based experimentation. Forensic students become assistants to middle school students who have the opportunity to attend a forensic science camp to investigate a “crime” by detecting and classifying fingerprints, and analyzing blood and DNA.
Libby Huff, of Granite Falls Middle School, for “CSI: Granite Falls” to all Granite Falls Middle School students. The grant was for $1,500 and will help students study biotechnology to learn about science and technology. Through the use of digital microscope and other laboratory equipment, the students will create composite pictures, learn about DNA fingerprinting, and will collect and process evidence to solve a “crime.”
Vicky B. Smathers and Tammy Knight, of Hudson Middle School, for “Be a Blockhead!” to benefit 120 7th grade math students and 120 science students each year for the next several years. The grant was for $376 and will give students an opportunity to construct 3-D figures and make top, side, and front drawings and take digital photos which are used to check accuracy with reports being written and displayed.
Tammy Hatfield, of Caldwell Career Center, for “Operation Pink Parade” to benefit all female Caldwell County High School students, with additional students benefiting from presentations to female peers. The grant totaled $800 and features a breast health awareness through a program developed and presented by Allied Health Science students of the Caldwell Career Center.
Mimi Starnes, of Granite Falls Elementary School, for “Focused on Technology” to benefit all Granite Falls Elementary School students. The grant totaled $1,600 and will be used to bring more access to computer technology. All students will be able to view and complete web-based lessons and access internet-based instruction with just one laptop computer and a data projector.

Each September, Blue Ridge Electric seeks applications from area educators and principals serving grades K-12 in public schools. Grants are awarded in amounts from $100 to a maximum of $2,000. For the 2004-2005 school year Blue Ridge Electric received 72 Bright Ideas grant applications from schools in its service territory of Caldwell, Watauga, Ashe, Alleghany, Avery and Wilkes County. Funds totaling $18,634 are being awarded to 15 classroom teachers to directly benefit thousands of area students, teachers, schools and communities. Blue Ridge Electric is celebrating its 11th year of offering Bright Ideas grants as part of its support and commitment to education. Since 1994, the cooperative has awarded nearly $200,000 in Bright Ideas grants through 232 different grants impacting over 55,000 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.