25 teachers in Durham, Franklin, Nash/Rocky Mount, Johnston, Granville and Wake counties have been awarded the 2017 Bright Ideas grants. The grants will be used for a variety of classroom programs throughout the school year. Grant winners are:
| Amber Edwards | Riverwood Middle School | Clayton |
| April Bernier | Innovation Academy at South Campus | Smithfield |
| Beth Campbell | Mt Vernon Redirection | Raleigh |
| Bruce Mamel | Millbrook High | Raleigh |
| Cynthia J Linton | Stough Elementary | Raleigh |
| David Sander | Wake Forest High | Wake Forest |
| Diane Johnson | North Johnston High | Kenly |
| Doug Pawlak | Riverwood Middle | Clayton |
| Elizabeth Godwin | Coopers Elementary | Elm City |
| Emily Haggerty | Rocky Mount High | Rocky Mount |
| Erin Nivens | Central Park School for Children | Durham |
| Jan Bullock | Princeton Elementary | Princeton |
| Joann Blumenfeld | Needham Broughton High | Raleigh |
| John Wozniak | Nash Central High | Rocky Mount |
| Karen Waller | Timber Drive Elementary | Garner |
| Kendra Madding | Central Park School for Children | Durham |
| LeAnne Wolford | Hodge Road Elementary | Knightdale |
| Marissa Minnick | Merrick-Moore Elementary | Durham |
| Nathan Moreschi | Franklinton High | Franklinton |
| Rachael Polmanteer | Wake Forest Middle | Wake Forest |
| Tammy Bunn | Heritage Elementary | Wake Forest |
| Tommy Kemp | Franklinton High | Franklinton |
| Travis Martin | William G Enloe High | Raleigh |
| Trisha Dillon | Sycamore Creek Elementary | Raleigh |
| Victoria Sondecker | JF Webb High | Oxford |
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 43,500 consumers in parts of Durham, Franklin, Granville, Johnston, Nash, Vance, and Wake counties.