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December ElectricConnection



Wake Electric Membership Corporation
Wake




ElectriConnection
a newsletter for members of Wake Electric Membership Corporation

Dec. 2007

the power to make

a difference
A Touchstone Energy Cooperative
Area teachers awarded Bright Ideas grants
R2D2 Star Wars-like robots at Ligon Middle School in Raleigh?
Solar-powered water pumps and furniture made from recycled materials at Heritage
Middle School in Wake Forest?
These advanced concepts are all cutting-edge new projects funded by Wake Electrics
Operation RoundUp program. 39 teachers from Wake Electrics service territory were
awarded $50,000 in grants for projects that
will benefit close to 14,000 students. What do
all of these projects have in common?
They show very definitive thinking outside
the box, said Wake Electric CEO Jim
Mangum. Wake Electric understands just
how tight budgets are for our school systems.
Our teachers have brilliant ideas that boldly
compliment regular curriculums. Or that introduce new, exciting ideas into
old curriculums. As stewards of the communities we serve, we believe this is
an excellent way to give to our schools.
The Bright Ideas winners were recently honored at a banquet held at the
Marriott Hotel in Raleigh.
Bright Ideas, which is administered by cooperatives across the state of North Carolina, awards grants to innovative
educators in any subject or grade at North Carolina certified K-12 schools.
Wake Electrics Bright Ideas grant program has awarded more than $380,000 to area educators since 1994. To learn
more about the grant program, visit www.ncbrightideas.com or Wake Electrics website at www.wemc.com.


Marti Capaforte, Lufkin Road Middle
Mary Helen Earle, Hillside High
Mrs. Roberta Hutchins, Lead Mine Elementary
Nikki Valentine, Royal Elementary
Pam Jackson, Brentwood Elementary
Pamela I. Marquie, Apex Elementary
Patricia L. Buryj, Creedmoor Elementary
Per Rosenbaum, Moore Square Museums Middle
Randy L. Bryant, Ballentine Elementary
Rebecca Bishop, Franklinton Elementary
Rhonda Mack, Central Park School for Children
Robin Boltz, South Granville High
Robin Davis, Weatherstone Elementary
Sharon Doehner, Brassfield Elementary
Stephen M. Rasey, Apex Middle
Tammy Bunn, Heritage Elementary
Terrence M. Moore, Oak Grove Elementary
Tommy Kemp, Franklinton High
Vickie Hight, Terrell Lane Middle
Al Mrozek, Hillside High
Anica H. Weeks, GR Edwards Jr. High
Barbara Jean Howell, Franklinton High

Barnanne Creech, Zebulon Middle
Brian Krieger, Smithfield Middle
Carla Y. Joyner, William G. Enloe High
Carrie Jones, Middle Creek High School
Corey White, Ligon Middle
Cynthia Carpenter, Southern Nash Middle
Elizabeth L. Gainey, North Johnston Middle
James Yost, Heritage Middle School
Jeffri R. Wier, Granville Central High
Jennifer Capps, Smithfield Middle
Kari Webb, Rocky Mount Preparatory School
Kathryn Mundt, Cooper Elementary
Katie Tatum, Terrell Lane Middle
Lynn Powell, Youngsville Elementary
Michelle McGhee, Franklinton Middle
Marlene Jones, Rocky Mount High
Marta Whitehouse, Wakelon Elementary


Classroom Tech Awards granted

Teachers in the Triangle region and surrounding
counties are thinking ahead. In classrooms across
Wake Electrics service territory, teachers are using
technology to better communicate with their students
in new and innovative ways. And all thanks to
$20,000 in grants from Wake Electric for Classroom
Technology Awards. From laptop computers to
interactive tutoring software, teachers will be able to
guide their students in new and creative ways that suit
todays wired generation.
More funding is clearly
needed for student access
to lap-tops and similar
devices, according to a
study by U.S. Department
of Education. Although
public schools are im-
proving in giving students
access to technology,
said Jim Mangum, CEO
of Wake Electric, we
feel that through our grant
giving, we can really help move our schools forward.
Forward in the sense of taking technology in the
classroom past word-processing. Extra funding can
ensure access to mind tools that really suit the needs
of our youth.
The award winners for 2007 are:

Arthur Barham, East Cary Year Round Middle School
William Brooks, East Millbrook Magnet Middle School
Sherry Cataldo, Oak Grove Elementary School
Elizabeth Cooper, Oak Grove Elementary School
Stephen Elrod, Wake Forest Elementary
Susan Evans, Panther Creek High School
Roxanne Gallup, royal elementary School
Deborah Gaul, South Granville School of Engineering
Roland Hill Green, Sanderson High School
Charlotte Harris, Terrell Lane Middle School
Christa Hayden, Wakefield High
Rustyn Hyams, Lacy elementary
Tommy Kemp, Franklinton High School
Michelle McGhee, Franklinton Elementary
Rhesia Mitchell, Forestville Road Elementary
Carol Nata, Leesville Road High School
Libby Newton, Sanford Creek
Barbara Nicholl, South Johnston High School
William Norton, East Wake Academy
Deborah Nowell, Northern High School
Jessica Oertling, Oak Grove Elementary School
Heather Shipley, Youngsville Elementary School
Suzanne Tilton, Oak Grove Elementary School
Karen Waller, Timber Drive Elementary
Martha Worsley, Athens Drive High School

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page 2

Wake Electric and its
subsidiaries will be
closed for the holidays
on Mon. and Tues.
Dec. 2425 and Jan.
1, 2008.

Students who make at least one
A on their report card
can enter by Dec. 21 to win a
$50 U.S. Savings Bond!

Thats right. Any
student making at
least one A (or the
equivalent) in
grades K-12 whose
parents or legal
guardians live in
Durham, Franklin,
Granville, Johnston,
Nash, Wake, or
Vance counties, can
enter a drawing to win a $50 U.S. savings bond.
All you need to do is mail in your most recent re-
port card highlighting the A by no later than Dec.
21. Mail to:

Give Us an A
Wake Electric
P.O. Box 1229
Wake Forest, NC 27588


Funds are made possible through member
contributions to Operation RoundUp. Through the
Operation RoundUp program, members have their
light bill rounded up to the next whole dollar. For
example, if your light bill is $91.85, then your bill
is rounded up 15 cents to $92.00.
Deadlines are rolling, so if you miss one, youll be
entered into the next. For more info., go to
www.wemc.com or call 919.863.6376 or
1.800.474.6300.


Wake ElectriConnection











page 3

Striking
the Right Balance

Across the nation, co-op members are excited about the
the promise of renewable energy. This promise is
expressed through the mouths of manythrough
legislators, law-makers, television, radio and newspapers.
And as Americans who are tuned in to the days events,
we are listening to these promises and working to
understand the complex nature of this prevalent concept
renewable energy.

Where did the push for renewables come from?

Basically, it is a grassroots mixture of innovation and
creativity, state and federal incentives, grants and research,
science and business, and most importantly, an expression
of the nations desire to be less dependent on imported oil.
Americas electric cooperative network, which brings
reliable, cost-effective electric power to more than 40
million consumers, has a deep appreciation for this
desire to gain energy independence.
More than 70 years ago, the electric cooperative idea
energized rural America, giving farms, ranches and
small communities a way to gain electricity independence
and do what large power companies would not
bring electricity to the countryside.
That idea grew, and today, more than 900 locally
owned electric cooperatives in 47 states are bringing
electric energy to 75 percent of Americas landmass.
Electric co-ops support renewable energy
development because they recognize that their con-
sumer-owners and their communities can benefit
from a rural renewable renaissance that will result in
job creation, new markets, improved economies and
a brighter future.
Electric co-ops bring leadership, experience
and pragmatism to the renewable energy industry.
Electric co-ops are working at the state and federal
levels to educate regulators and legislators on our
support for renewables, electric utility industry reali-
ties and our plans to meet a growing demand for
reliable, cost-effective power with improved tech-
nology.
Most important, our experience has taught us that
the hoped-for innovation and growth in renewable
energy will come only through a cohesive national
policy driven by incentives.

Wake Electric currently derives 2% of its energy
mix from renewables in the form of hydropower
from Kerr Lake.
The current
energy mix
allows Wake to
consistently
maintain rates for
our members and
to ensure
efficiency.
As Wake Electric
continues to be
one of the fastest
growing co-ops in
the nation, we
also are
co