Snapping Shoals EMC recently awarded $15,000 in grants to Newton County School System teachers through the co-op’s Bright Ideas program. The grants, which are allocated from 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.
According to Chris Wood, Snapping Shoals EMC Vice President of External Affairs & Economic Development, the grants are provided through unclaimed capital credits.
“Electric cooperatives like Snapping Shoals EMC operate on a not-for-profit basis. This allows us to return our margins, which are revenues collected in excess of our expenses, to the co-op’s members as capital credits,” Wood explained. “Capital credits are retained by the cooperative for a while to be used as a source of funding for the construction of new lines and other utility expenses. They are paid to the members when it is financially sound to do so and when approved by our Board of Directors. Despite all our efforts to locate past members, there are always those we cannot locate. The unclaimed capital credit funds are used to support SSEMC’s educational programs, such as Bright Ideas and scholarships, as well as other community projects.”
“We are incredibly grateful to Snapping Shoals EMC for their unwavering commitment to education and their generous support of our teachers,” said Mrs. Shakila Henderson-Baker, Chair of the Newton County Board of Education. “Snapping Shoals EMC has been a reliable and supportive Partner in Education for many years, and their contributions have made a significant difference in the lives of our students and teachers. The funds provided through unclaimed capital credits have enabled our educators to expand educational opportunities and develop innovative activities that inspire our students and nurture their talents.”
Mrs. Abigail Coggin, Vice-Chair of the Board of Education added, “We are truly fortunate to have such a community-minded organization like Snapping Shoals EMC in our corner. Their continued support exemplifies their commitment to the betterment of our community and the success of our students. On behalf of the Newton County School System, I want to express our sincere appreciation for their ongoing generosity, which enhances the educational experience for our students and strengthens our entire community. Thank you, Snapping Shoals EMC, for being a generous and supportive Partner in Education.”
This year’s grant recipients include:
Allisa Abraham- Newton College & Career Academy, “The STEM Garden Project: Growing Active Thinkers and Doers.” Funds will be used to purchase materials for a cross-curricular STEM garden.
Amanda Kirkham & Elizabeth Rogers- Newton County STEAM Academy, “Drones in the Elementary Classroom (Agriculture & Digital Media).” Through the purchase of mini-drones, students will explore agriculture and digital media activities that build real world skills.
Amanda Restivo - South Salem Elementary School, “Las Calaveras.” Funds will be used to purchase materials for cultural events that will help build students’ background knowledge.
Andrew Pollard- Newton College & Career Academy, “Plasma Table Fire Pits and Ornaments.” Funds will be used to purchase steel sheets for AUTOCAD projects to be used in school and the community.
Blake Alexander - East Newton Elementary, “Safety First, Gymnastics Second!” Through the purchase of gymnastic mats, students will be able to perform different gymnastic movements in a controlled area.
Catrina Pollard- Eastside High School, “BeeGuardians: Cultivating Environmental Stewards through Hands-On Beekeeping.” Through the purchase of bee suits, students will engage in hands-on beekeeping and experiential learning.
Dr. Frances Vereen-Dunbar- Clements Middle School, Civil War Immersion: A Virtual Reality Journey.” Through the purchase of virtual reality headsets, students will study historical events in immersive settings.
Dr. Katherine Fielder, Allison Smith & Shakena Gray- Newton County STEAM Academy, “Literacy for All.” Funds will be used to purchase braille reading materials, allowing students with visual impairments to engage in inclusive reading opportunities.
Jennifer Novak Garibay & Gary Thompson- Indian Creek Middle School, “Harnessing Wind Power.” Through the purchase of wind turbine materials, students will be able to use the engineering design process to build a wind turbine and study science standards.
Kemily Pattillo & Marcus Pollard- Newton College & Career Academy, “Squeaky Clean: Making Soap While Learning About our Natural Resources.” Funds will be used to purchase materials for soap molds so that students can study intermolecular forces and acid-based reactions.
Kerrie Carlile- Newton High School, “Blood Splatter Tent.” Funds will be used to construct a blood splatter tent, allowing Forensics and Criminal Justice students to analyze scenarios from a court of law.
Lee Shepard- Eastside High School, “High School Classroom Chicken Hatchery Project.” Funds will be used to purchase materials for a chicken hatchery project so that students can study biology, agriculture, and sustainable food production.
Melinda Atkinson- East Newton Elementary School, “Sensory Underload.” Funds will be used to purchase alternative seating for students who can benefit from sensory friendly movement and decompression activities.
Melissa Greer- Indian Creek Middle School, “Growing the Guinea Pigs.” Through the purchase of a hydroponic growing system, students will be able to study the standards while making cross-curricular connections.
Rachel Harris- Eastside High School, “Volume Discovery Learning through GeoSolids.” Funds will be used to purchase volume manipulatives so that students can study new math standards using visual and concrete methods.
Sarah Beth Hammond- Eastside High School, “Sow, Grow, Bloom: Cultivating Passion with Hands-On Learning.” Funds will be used to purchase materials for a horticulture project, allowing students to study horticulture and floral cultivation.
Sondra Griffin: Newton College & Career Academy, “Blowing Them Away: Exploring Wind Energy.” Funds will be used to purchase Vernier® Wind Energy Exploration kits so that students can investigate wind energy.
Snapping Shoals Electric Membership Corporation is a consumer-owned electric cooperative providing electric service to approximately 95,000 homes and businesses in an eight-county area. Most of the utility’s service area is in Newton, Rockdale and Henry counties. Portions of DeKalb, Butts, Walton, Morgan and Jasper counties are also included. The company’s headquarters is on Brown Bridge Road in Newton County.