Ten Coweta Teachers Receive Bright Ideas Grants

Palmetto, GA – December 3, 2010 – Teachers at ten Coweta schools were surprised with gift baskets, balloons and Bright Ideas checks ranging from $1,136 to $1,500 recently when a group of Operation Round Up representatives – grant judges, Coweta-Fayette EMC employees and a program board member – showed up in classrooms across the county to announce this year’s winners.

Through Operation Round-Up, the Coweta-Fayette Trust, Inc., Board of Directors awarded $30,000 in Bright Idea grants to 24 deserving teachers throughout the EMC’s service area.

Earlier this year, the Trust asked teachers in grades K-12 to submit proposals for innovative classroom projects, and 93 grant applications were received.  Without knowing the names of the schools or educators involved, a group of retired teachers from Coweta, Fayette and Heard counties rated the requests according to need, level of creativity in the learning experience and student involvement.

Winners in Coweta County were:  Melissa Barronton, East Coweta High, $1,500 for “Flexible Focus Groups for Math Skill Building using Interactive Technology;” Scott Brown, Central Educational Center, $1,295 for “Information Location;” Jill Edwards, Thomas Crossroads Elementary, $1,500 for “Human Calculators;” Sondra Edwards, Moreland Elementary, $1,500 for “Grab a Hoe, Plant a Row;” Kim McCormick, Madras Middle, $1,136 for “iRead, iListen, iLearn;” Bruce Patterson, Arnall Middle, $1,490 for “Strummin’ and a-Hummin’;” Brea Strong, East Coweta Middle, $1,500 for “Stepping into Fitness;” Dr. Penny Thomas, Thomas Crossroads Elementary, $1,500 for “Drums to Reading;” Karley Walker, Arnco-Sargent Elementary, $1,500 for “Get FIT;” and Nancy Williams, Madras Middle, $1,350 for “Cooking Techno.”

The Bright Ideas program is sponsored by the Coweta-Fayette EMC Operation Round Up Trust from funds raised by EMC members who allow their bills to be “rounded up” to the nearest dollar each month.  This is the fifth year the Bright Ideas grant has been available, and it will be offered to educators once again for the 2010-2011 school year.  Interested teachers are encouraged to begin working now on plans for their applications.

Coweta-Fayette EMC is a consumer-owned cooperative providing electricity and related services to over 74,000 member accounts in Coweta, Fayette, Heard, South Fulton, Clayton, Spalding, Troup and Meriwether Counties.

Arnall Middle School teacher Bruce Patterson accepts his Bright Ideas award.

East Coweta Middle School teacher Brea Strong accepts her Bright Ideas award.

For more information:  www.utility.org or

Contact:  alott@utility.org

Phone:  770-502-0226