This week, the Coastal Electric Cooperative Foundation awarded over $40,000 in Bright Ideas Education Grants to local teachers. Co-op staff surprised teachers with the good news in their classrooms at schools across Bryan, Liberty and McIntosh counties.
Primarily funded by Coastal Electric Cooperative members who allow their electric bills to be rounded up to the next dollar through Operation Round Up, Bright Ideas Grants bring teachers’ innovative classroom project ideas to reality.
Since the Bright Ideas program’s inception in 2002, around half a million dollars has been awarded to give local teachers the power to put their creative teaching ideas into action.
Summary of Bright Ideas grants awarded in Bryan County:
Richmond Hill Middle School
“Ozobot Expeditions: Unveiling Mars” By Mary Bowden
$2,000
Students will create a plan to explore the surface of Mars through programmable Ozobots.
“Showing the Motion of Coastal Erosion” By Audra Esquivel
$1,754.39
Students will research coastal erosion prevention by building and experimenting with different models.
“Weather from the Hill” By Amy Beasley, Haley Keller, Amy Peters, Malie Shumway, Audra Esquivel
$1,798.93
Students will analyze data and predict future weather forecasts and conditions using sliding models.
“The Impact of Temperature on the Heart Rate of Daphnia Magna: A Comparative Analysis Using Digital Microscopy” By Nicole Harrington
$1,726.34
Students will use digital microscopes to learn about the effect of temperatures on microscopic life.
“What’s in a Wave?” By Kelli Waldrop
$2,000
Students will learn about specific wave properties using a wave generator. Students will then compare and contrast electromagnetic and mechanical waves before building a model of a concert venue to be judged.
“The Chemistry of Garden Fertilizer” By Robert Hodgdon
$1,238
Students will research how different elements and compounds are essential to plant growth, then mix and brand their own fertilizer.
“Build a Generator” By Abbey Robertson, Breanna Appugliese
$1,896.66
Students will learn concepts of magnetism and electricity through guided experiments building small electric generators.
“RoboRaptors: Engineering Dinosaurs” By Philip Lyons
$1,959.93
Students will program robotic arms to simulate feeding a dinosaur.
Frances Meeks Elementary School
“Meaningful Mural Project” By Brenna Baluh
$1,926
Students will research the culture, history and values of the community to design a mural for their school, then vote on a winning design to paint.
Richmond Hill High School
“Take Flight” By Stephen Peterson, Corey Fickiesen, Joshua Romain
$1,998
Students will design, model, construct and launch a rocket using the engineering design process.
“Rain Garden for Flood Mitigation: A STEM Initiative to Capture Runoff” By Cassandra Breckenridge
$2,000
Students will research, design and construct a rain garden to prevent flooding on campus and capture runoff water.
Carver Elementary School
“Learning with Legos” By Katie Linder
$1,599.75
Students will be briefed with a problem scenario related to a student learning objective and will use Lego bricks to build and explore solutions to the presented challenges.
Richmond Hill Elementary School
“Life Cycle of a Chicken” By Jessie Ratton
$1,425.25
Students will learn the life cycle of a chicken and how to properly care for a flock. Students will start with reading about chickens as they incubate care for the chicks after hatching, and transfer the young chickens to an outdoor coop when ready.
