Teachers receive grants
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on December 14, 2015 1:46 PM
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Wayne County teachers receiving Bright Ideas grants, front row from left: Amber Sauls, Rebecca Davis Jones, Vickie Atkinson and Carrie Croom-Vick; back row: Tammy Derksen, Sheila Rollins, Debbie Bass, Pam Taylor, Krystal Sykes, Jennifer Williams and Gerald Reedy. Not pictured: Allison Jennings, Emily Paul, Tricia Sullivan and Sandra West.
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Wayne County recipients of Bright Ideas grants, front row from left: Teresa Eason, Shaconda Ford, Rema Alawar and Angie Lewis; second row: Marlene Paige, Karen Cox, Steven Thorne, Valerie Blokland and Rena Mason. Back row, Star Shaffer, Mary Sue Caplinger, Mary Rose Yoo and Donna Lee.
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Teacher recipients of the Bright Ideas grants included, front row from left: Dena Creger, Lorre Gifford, Kimberly Edmondson and Tara Skinner; back row, Thomas Gay, Dona Briggs, Dawn McDonald, Marsha Compton, Cathie Hooks and Catherine Bennett.
Thirty-eight educators representing Wayne County Public Schools and Wayne Country Day School have been named recipients of Bright Ideas education grants.
Tri-County EMC awarded $59,765 worth of grants to a total of 69 teachers from Wayne, Duplin and Lenoir counties. They received checks in varying amounts, from $152 to $1,000, to fund their engaging classroom projects.
The amount distributed locally was $31,906.
The Bright Ideas grant program began in 1994, with applications collected each year. Winning proposals are selected in a competitive evaluation process. The next round will be open to interested teachers in April 2016.
Since its inception, Tri-County EMC has contributed $1.3 million to fund 1,432 creative projects for local teaches.
"Tri-County EMC is committed to the communities we serve and we believe there is hardly a better investment than in the education of our youth and future leaders," said Michael Davis, general manager of Tri-County.
The local electric cooperative is one of 26 in the state offering Bright Ideas grants to educators in their respective communities.
"Our Bright Ideas grant winners are making a real difference for students," Davis said. "Teachers have so many innovative ideas to engage students in learning, and we're excited each year to support pioneering initiatives and creativity in the classroom through our Bright Ideas grant program."
To learn more about the grant program, visit www.ncbrightideas.com.
This year's recipients included:
* Brogden Primary: Rema Alawar, Star Shaffer and Tricia Sullivan
* Carver Elementary: Marlene Paige
* Charles B Aycock High: Mary Sue Caplinger, Karen Cox, Mary Rose Yoo and Steven Thorne
* Eastern Wayne Elementary: Sheila Rollins and Pam Taylor
* Eastern Wayne Middle: Donna Lee
* Fremont Elementary: Vickie Atkinson, Debbie Bass, Carrie Croom-Vick, Tammy Derksen and Amber Sauls
* Grantham Elementary: Rebecca Davis Jones and Crystal Sykes
* Grantham Middle: Jennifer Williams
* Mount Olive Middle: Valerie Blokland, Shaconda Ford and Rena Mason
* Norwayne Middle: Sandra West and Emily Paul
* Rosewood High: Allison Jennings and Teresa Eason
* Rosewood Middle: Angie Lewis
* Southern Wayne High: Gerald Reedy
* Wayne Country Day School: Catherine Bennett, Dona Briggs, Marsha Compton, Dena Creger, Kimberly Edmondson, Thomas Gay, Lorre Gifford, Cathie Hooks, Dawn McDonald and Tara Skinner.