21 teachers in Franklin, Nash, Johnston, Vance, Granville and Wake counties have been awarded the 2016 Bright Ideas grants. The grants will be used for a variety of classroom programs throughout the school year. Grant winners are:
| Cindy Raynor | River Dell Elementary | Clayton, NC |
| Michaela Crencea | LB Yancey Elementary | Henderson, NC |
| Cynthia Linton | Stough Elementary | Raleigh, NC |
| Christopher Cullom | Bunn High | Bunn, NC |
| Jan Bullock | Princeton Elementary | Princeton, NC |
| Karen Waller | Timber Drive Elementary | Garner, NC |
| Danielle Neujahr | Franklinton Middle | Franklinton, NC |
| Mike Bartholomew | Southern Nash Senior High | Bailey, NC |
| Christine Tuttell | Washington Elementary | Raleigh, NC |
| Farrah Preddy | Mt. Energy Elementary | Creedmoor, NC |
| Charlene Outland | Rocky Mount Middle | Rocky Mount, NC |
| Kathleen Keller | Cary High | Cary, NC |
| Pamela Fiely | Rolesville Middle | Rolesville, NC |
| Willie Langley | Nash Central High | Rocky Mount, NC |
| Emily Richardson | Rocky Mount High | Rocky Mount, NC |
| Deborah Gaul | Center for Innovative Learning (CIL) | Oxford, NC |
| Barbara Weiffenbach | Northern Nash High | Rocky Mount, NC |
| Heather Dahlberg | Franklin Academy | Wake Forest, NC |
| Christopher Zirkle | Fuquay-Varina Middle | Fuquay-Varina, NC |
| Amy Moore | Coopers Elementary | Elm City, NC |
| Leah Williams | Neuse Charter | Smithfield, NC |
The funds for the Bright Ideas grants come from WEMC members who agree to round up their light bill to the nearest whole dollar through the Operation RoundUp program. For example, if the bill is $190.91 – the bill will be rounded up 9 cents to $191.00. These pennies add up to major dollars. Partial funding also comes from the North Carolina Electric Membership Corporation, located in Raleigh, NC. The NCEMC consists of a family of corporations formed to support the state’s 27 electric cooperatives.
Wake Electric is a non-profit electric utility serving over 42,000 consumers in parts of Durham, Franklin, Granville, Johnston, Nash, Vance, and Wake counties.