WFEC makes the grade in supporting schools
When area students begin a new school year, so does West Florida Electric Cooperative. WFEC and its employees enthusiastically contribute to and participate in activities and programs that benefit local schools because, like all Touchstone Energy cooperatives, WFEC is strongly committed to the communities it serves, and supporting education is a vital part of that commitment. We realize that, to foster prosperity in a community, we must nurture its future leaders.
One of the most substantial ways WFEC supports education is through mini-grants for teachers whose students live within the Co-op’s service area in Calhoun, Holmes, Jackson and Washington Counties. Each spring, local teachers can apply for the funding, which WFEC offers in conjunction with the National Rural Education Association and National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, for classroom projects in the coming school year.
NREA and NRECA provide ten $300 mini-grants nationwide each year, and WFEC matches that amount for any area teacher who receives one of the awards. The grants are intended to cover materials and other costs associated with projects featuring student investigation of some aspect of the science of energy or electricity. Since the money first became available through WFEC in 1996, two local teachers have been selected, from a nationwide pool of applicants, to receive the mini-grants for eligible projects.
WFEC’s annual Youth Tour competition provides a unique educational experience for high school juniors in its service area. Each year, eleventh-graders whose homes are served by WFEC are eligible to compete for a week-long, expenses-paid trip to Washington, D. C., for NRECA’s National Youth Tour. Contestants are chosen by their high school guidance counselors to represent their schools in the contest, in which three judges conduct interviews and evaluate the participants’ knowledge of WFEC, rural electrification and energy facts; communication skills; poise; and personalities.
The panel then selects two students and an alternate to represent WFEC at the National Youth Tour, where they’ll join other student delegates from electric co-ops throughout the nation. The trip includes a breakfast with congressional representatives, a Potomac River cruise and visits to several historic sites. WFEC also treats all its Youth Tour competitors to a two-day tour of the state capitol in Tallahassee. Overall, the Youth Tour’s purpose is to provide public recognition to outstanding young people and to acquaint high school students with governmental activities on a local, state and federal level.
For middle school students in WFEC’s service area, Teen Power is an innovative program that uses music, cartoons and interactive Web pages to teach energy awareness through real-life exercises. Developed by the Electric Power Research Institute, Teen Power is "The Energy Education Neighborhood Program Offering Wise Energy-use for Real-life." Although Teen Power offers online instruction, a CD ROM and workbooks are available for classrooms without Internet access. A science-based but not science-specific program, Teen Power consists of six modules – energy, lighting, water, office equipment, building envelope and heating, ventilation and air conditioning.
Because Florida is one of the country’s most environmentally-sensitive states, WFEC and its power supplier, Alabama Electric Cooperative, have developed a new, environment-oriented program for elementary school science students. With hands-on instruction, A Cooperative Environment teaches students about the unique characteristics of certain animals and plants and incorporates a closer look at other environmental components -- air, water and natural resources. The program discusses the roles of the school, student, WFEC and the Co-op’s employees as environmental stewards, as well.
Another way WFEC seeks to enhance the quality of education in its communities is through its role as a Partner for Excellence in Education. As a Partner, WFEC has donated money for computer equipment, sponsored educational field trips and conducted tours of Co-op facilities. In addition, WFEC’s employees have participated in career fairs, mentored students participating in "shadow" programs and conducted classroom lessons on topics such as electrical safety, energy conservation, basic electricity and how electricity is produced and distributed. In fact, for its work with area educators, WFEC was one of only three Florida businesses chosen two years ago to receive the state’s Silver Zone Award.
WFEC also lends support by sponsoring yearbooks and athletic programs and events such as math tournaments and Veterans’ Day programs, as well as Project Graduation, a drug- and alcohol-free, all-night party for high school seniors. For additional information about how WFEC assists area schools, contact WFEC Communications Supervisor John Thornton at (850)263-3231, ext. 1142.
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