W. A. YOUNG ELEMENTARY TEACHER HONORED AS 'TAR HEEL TEACHER OF THE WEEK'

Rutherford Electric Membership Corporation is proud to announce that local teacher Amber Peterson of W. A. Young Elem. is being honored on a statewide level as a Bright Ideas Tar Heel Teacher of the Week. Rutherford EMC nominated Peterson in recognition of her dedication to students and for winning Bright Ideas education grant funding for the project "The Daily Five: Listen to Reading."

Peterson is one of only 26 teachers statewide to earn the Tar Heel Teacher of the Week designation this school year. She will be recognized on air during the radio broadcast of the University of North Carolina football game against Illinois on Sept. 19 and also on the Bright Ideas website at www.ncbrightIdeas.com. She, along with the 25 other Tar Heel Teacher of the Week honorees, will also receive tickets to attend a UNC game and a plaque commemorating their achievement.

"We are privileged to work with many outstanding teachers through our Bright Ideas education grant program, and Mrs. Peterson consistently goes above and beyond to make a difference for students," said Dirk Burleson, vice president of member and corporate services for Rutherford EMC. "It is an honor to recognize Mrs. Peterson for her hard work and to be able to thank her for the positive contribution she makes in our community."

Peterson entered the educational field through her acceptance into the Teaching Fellows Program, and was named Elementary Teacher of the Year in Burke County for the 2013-14 school year. She is also a multi-year Bright Ideas grant recipient.

Rutherford EMC is accepting Bright Ideas education grant applications from teachers for creative classroom learning projects at www.ncbrightideas.com through Sept. 18. The Tar Heel Teacher of the Week and Bright Ideas education grant programs are examples of North Carolina's electric cooperatives' commitment to community

Rutherford EMC, headquartered in Forest City, N.C., is a rural electric cooperative that maintains over 7,150 miles of power lines to provide electricity to more than 68,300 member-consumers in a 10-county area of the southwestern Piedmont.

The Bright Ideas education grant program, sponsored by North Carolina's electric cooperatives, strives to improve education in North Carolina classrooms by awarding grants to Tar Heel teachers in grades K-12 for innovative, classroom-based projects that would not otherwise be funded. Since the program began in 1994, about $9.6 million has been given to educators for more than 9,200 projects benefitting well over 1.8 million students.