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Electric co-op gives $15K in grants to Newton County teachers
SSEMC grants
Newton County School System teachers receiving grants from Snapping Shoals EMC this year show their certificates for receiving the funds. Shown are, seated from left, teachers Jessica Tamburro, Andrew Pollard and Datha Curtis; standing, teachers Laura Lambert and Beth Bryan, NCSS Grants Coordinator Tiffany Merriweather, and teachers Catrina Pollard and Scott Quinlan. - photo by Courtesy of Newton County School System

COVINGTON, Ga. — Snapping Shoals EMC recently awarded $15,500 in grants to Newton County School System teachers through the cooperative’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.

“We had many wonderful projects submitted this year,” said Newton County School System grants coordinator Tiffany Merriweather. “It made it very difficult for the judges to narrow down the selections.”

This year’s grant recipients include:

• Alainna Batchelor Evans, Newton High School. “The Dance Costume Project.” Through the purchase of performance materials, students will demonstrate what they have learned in fine arts education to live audiences.

• Andrew Pollard, Newton College and Career Academy. “CNC Plasma Project.” Funds will provide resources for students to learn entrepreneurship by creating and selling metal products for community events.

• Angela Dean, Fairview Elementary School. “Read Between the Notes.” Through the purchase of bell extension sets, students will increase their understanding of melodic patterns and key signatures.

• Beth Bryan, Eastside High School. “Promoting Student Voices with Podcasting.” Students will use new podcast kits to create literary podcasts that connect to personal perspectives.

• Blake Alexander, East Newton Elementary School. “Mission Acquisition!” Funds will provide materials for students to participate in learning stations that increase their physical education skills.

• Catrina Pollard, Eastside High School. "It's a Great Day to BEE an Eagle." Students will harvest honey to create an apiary and increase their knowledge of Horticultural and Agricultural sciences.

• Danita Doan, Newton County Theme School. “Mathematical Art.” Students will be actively involved in STEAM using Learn It By Art instructional kits and resources.

• Datha Curtis & Laura Lambert, Newton College and Career Academy. “EPP Recycling Club.” Funds will be used to purchase resources for an Environmental Pollution Pandemic initiative.

• Hannah Cole, South Salem Elementary School. “Keeping the Beat with Xylophones.” Students will use various instruments to expand their foundation of music education.

• Jessica Tamburro and Ali Geigerman, Newton County Theme School. “MERGE into Augmented Reality!” Funds will be used to purchase Co-Space resources to teach technology instruction with a STEM focus.

• Kemily Pattillo, Newton College and Career Academy. “Let's Get Analytical.” Through the purchase of an analytical balance, students will participate in real-world chemistry labs to determine chemical formulas.

• Meghen Bassel, East Newton Elementary School. “Booker's Wagging for Books.” Funds will expand the Booker’s therapy dog reading program, which supports literacy development and personal growth.

• Pam Allen, East Newton Elementary School. “Paw Pride Garden Classroom.” Through the purchase of gardening materials, students will have access to outdoor learning opportunities while studying plant growth.

• Scott Quinlan, Newton College and Career Academy. “Applied Science in Culinary Arts.” Culinary Arts and S.T.E.M. students will have access to project-based learning that includes the engineering and design thinking process.

• Tracy Angel, Oak Hill Elementary School. “Sport Stacking.” Funds will be used for fitness-based sports materials to promote physical education skills and the value of teamwork.

• Veronica Houssel, Newton County Theme School. “Around the World with a Book.” Students will have access to culturally diverse novels to incorporate literacy learning in Social Studies.

Funding for the grants comes from unclaimed capital credits, said Leigh-Anne Burgess, Snapping Shoals EMC communications and marketing coordinator.

“A big advantage of being a part of an electric cooperative like Snapping Shoals EMC is that we operate on a not-for-profit basis. This enables us to return our margins, which are revenues collected in excess of expenses, to the co-op’s members,” Burgess said.

“Margins, also known as capital credits, are usually 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. 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.”

Snapping Shoals Electric Membership Corp. is headquartered on Brown Bridge Road in Covington and is an electric cooperative providing service to about 95,000 homes and businesses in an eight-county area, including much of Newton County.