Local Educators awarded Bright Ideas Grants from Jackson EMC
Jackson EMC recently surprised 39 educators with big checks to fund their innovative class projects. Overall, the cooperative awarded $61,161 in Bright Ideas grants to educators in 22 middle schools for projects representing a variety of subjects.
“Each year, we hear fantastic stories of Bright Ideas grants unleashing students’ imaginations across disciplines. We’re excited to see what happens in classrooms this school year,” said Karen Ewing, community relations representative for Jackson EMC.
The 2021 Bright Ideas grants represent a variety of subjects, including engineering, music, biology, computer science, math, history, English language arts and more.
The Bright Ideas grant program awards up to $2,000 to sixth through eighth grade teachers in Jackson EMC’s service area for innovative class projects that would go unfunded otherwise.
Funded projects must involve the students directly, provide a creative learning experience with ongoing benefits through innovative teaching methods, create opportunities for teamwork and support the continuous improvement of education in Georgia. A panel of independent judges with expertise in education reviews the applications.
Since 2015, Jackson EMC has awarded $404,655 in Bright Ideas grants to local educators.
Applications for the 2022 Bright Ideas grants will open during the summer.
| School Name | Award | Educator | Project |
| Barrow Arts & Innovation Magnet Program | $1,796 | Ashley Bailey | STEM & Arts Engagement |
| Barrow Arts & Innovation Magnet Program | $1,985 | Jennifer Stockwell | Lights, Camera, Communication |
| Barrow Arts & Innovation Magnet Program | $1,992 | Kristin Fuqua | Robotic Solutions for Future Leaners |
| Barrow Arts and Sciences Academy 8th grade | $1,224 | Jennifer Deckard | Physical Science Gamified |
| Barrow Arts and Sciences Academy 8th grade | $1,996 | Paul Thornton | Mobile Recording Studio |
| Bear Creek Middle School | $1,719 | Toni Sessions | Hopping Into Dissection |
| Bear Creek Middle School | $1,908 | Tonia Harbin | Weather Station |
| Berkmar Middle School | $1,468 | Monica Shaffer | Bio Science Learning Garden |
| Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle School | $1,925 | Tymisha Creightney | Newscasting for the Future |
| Cherokee Bluff Middle School | $1,250 | Michelle Petersen | Starting from the Ground Garden System |
| Chestatee Academy of Inquiry & Talent Development | $510 | Lynn Murphy | Theme Park Design |
| Chestatee Academy of Inquiry & Talent Development | $1,542 | Leanne Alexander | Horticulture for Sustainable Resources |
| Coleman Middle School | $1,963 | Kelli Sinclair | Aquaponics System |
| Commerce Middle School | $2,000 | Lydia Peterman | No Red Ink Writing |
| Dacula Middle School | $1,346 | Susan Rumble | Mystery Minerals |
| Dacula Middle School | $1,995 | Tracie Banner | Coding for Animation |
| East Jackson Middle School | $1,600 | Michael Shawler | Robotics: Building for the Future |
| Gainesville Middle School | $1,998 | Jane Reed | Function Blocks for Graphing |
| Hull Middle School | $816 | Cindy Mollard | Bravo for Braille |
| Hull Middle School | $1,978 | Kanisha Sherman | Adobe Spark for Business |
| Jefferson Middle School | $2,000 | Shelia House | Lego Boost Creative Tool Box |
| Jones Middle School | $512 | Ashley Saye | iDrum for Special Needs Students |
| Jones Middle School | $998 | Rick Milleman | Robot Design for Artifical Intelligence |
| Jordan Middle School | $1,600 | Stacey Edison-Bryson | Food for All Tower Garden |
| Lumpkin County Middle School | $826 | Mariam Brunner | Hands-on with Raspberry Pi |
| Lumpkin County Middle School | $1,284 | Tori Jones | Biomedical Designs for Prosthetics |
| Northbrook Middle School | $2,000 | Zachary Davison | Eco Warriors |
| Radloff Middle School | $750 | Tamika Sirmons | Literature to Life Stage Play |
| Radloff Middle School | $1,335 | Clara Chelko | Lego Robotics: Transportation for a Sustainable Future |
| Radloff Middle School | $1,620 | Haley Gordon | Engineering Skills for Sustainable Development |
| Radloff Middle School | $2,000 | Celia Ayenesazan | Multiliteracies Through Graphics |
| Radloff Middle School | $2,000 | Michelle Morgan | Picture Perfect for NASA Science |
| Sweetwater Middle School | $1,325 | Kobie Flocker | Georgia Studies |
| Twin Rivers Middle School | $1,917 | Andrew Cox | Dynamics Cart and Track System |
| Twin Rivers Middle School | $1,955 | Anna Herdliska | Spectroscopy: Quantiying Color of Light in Biological Specimens |
| West Jackson Middle School | $1,097 | Meg Barber | Adaptive Printing for Special Ed Students |
| West Jackson Middle School | $1,410 | Laura Miller | Podcasting through Africa & Asia |
| West Jackson Middle School | $1,526 | Ka Charand | Who Killed Jumpy? Dissection Project |
| West Jackson Middle School | $1,995 | Dana Harrell | Music Makes the World Go Round |
For more information about the program, visit www.jacksonemc.com/brightideas.