Snapping Shoals EMC recently awarded $15,000 in Bright Ideas grants to Rockdale County teachers. Pictured are, left to right, Rockdale County Public Schools Superintendent (RCPS) Dr. Terry Oatts, grant winner Janice Foot, grant winner Sarah Davie, RCPS Grants Services Coordinator Tracy Knutsen, grant winner April Williams, C.J. Hicks Elementary School Principal Dr. Erica Wakefall, and Snapping Shoals EMC's Vice President of Economic Development and External Affairs Chris Wood.
Each fall, Snapping Shoals EMC awards grants to teachers from the schools that the electric co-op serves in Rockdale, Newton, Henry and DeKalb counties through the co-op's Bright Ideas program. The grants, which are allocated from the co-op's unclaimed capital credit funds, are designed to help teachers who wish to extend educational opportunities and activities for students by developing student interests and abilities.
Teachers have innovative ideas about how learning can be made more exciting, effective and interesting and how curriculum can be expanded to meet the needs of particular groups or individual students; however, resources are sometimes not available for special instructional opportunities. The Snapping Shoals EMC Bright Ideas grants are designed to assist teachers in the planning and implementation of these ideas.
As a non-profit organization SSEMC’s capital credits, or margins, are the revenues that are over and above the cost of providing service for the electric co-op’s customer-owners. These are required by lending institutions to establish financial strength for loans. Snapping Shoals EMC routinely refunds these capital credits to its members when its board of directors determines it is appropriate to do so. Despite all of our efforts to locate past members, there are always those whom we cannot locate to return their patronage capital. Legislation passed in 2005 allows EMCs to retain these unclaimed capital credits that historically would be turned over to the state. The unclaimed funds are used to support Snapping Shoals EMC’s various educational programs, as well as other community and economic development projects.
Congratulations to this year's Rockdale County Bright Ideas winners!
• Tonya Grant, Barksdale Elementary School, Character Counts Book Challenge
• Sean Turley, Rockdale County High School, Looking and Feeling Good the Competitive Edge
• Mary Jane Floyd, Salem High School, Bowling Adventures
• Katie Medley, Lorraine Elementary School, Puppet Creations
• Danielle Carey, Barksdale Elementary School, Multisensory Approach to Phonics
• Tanya Hampton, Barksdale Elementary School, Breakout Outbreak 2.0
• Chalice Downs, Memorial Middle School, A Club for Everyone
• Vanessa Sharif-Brown, C.J. Hicks Elementary School, Fine Motor Fun and Function
• Allison Joy Russell, Honey Creek Elementary School, Can You Dig It?
• Shannon Barron, Lorraine Elementary School, Actions Speak Louder Than Words
• Shelley Dirth & Trenetta Wilcox, Hightower Trail Elementary School, How Does Your Garden Grow?
• Janice Foot, C.J. Hicks Elementary School, Non-Verbal Communications PECS Training
• Sarah Davie, C.J. Hicks Elementary School, PBIS for Students
• William Harris, Heritage High School, National History Day
• Katy King, Davis Middle School, Empty Bowls - A Community Effort
• Katy King, Davis Middle School, Puppets Please! A Literacy and Arts Production
• April Williams, C.J. Hicks Elementary School, Falcon Sensory Room
