Thank you to our District Partner in Education Jackson Electric Membership Corporation (EMC) for their continued support of our schools! 

For the 2025-2026 school year, all five BCSS middle schools are represented with 8 of our educators receiving Bright Ideas grants totaling $11,317!

Arts & Innovation Magnet Program

• April Balenger, Georgia Roots: An Interactive Journey Through Time, $1,000

Bear Creek Middle School

• Kimberly Wilson, Georgia Through Our Eyes: A Tourism Video Project, $1,550

Haymon Morris Middle School

• Chris Chapman, Robots & Rates: Coding Proportional Relationships, $1,556
• Melissa Fowler, Unlocking Confidence: One Clue at a Time, $2,000
• Russell Hodsdon, Life Saving Skills, $907

Russell Middle School

• Maria Montalvo, Boosting Math with Tools & Space, $2,000
• Elizabeth Zirbel, STEM in Action: Exploring Motion with Sensors, $332

Westside Middle School

• Gregory Slusher, Music Literacy and Proficiency, $1,972

The Bright Ideas grant program funds innovative classroom projects developed by state-certified public middle school educators within the counties served by Jackson EMC. Educators for grades six through eight can apply for up to $2,000 in grant funds for classroom projects that are not funded through general education dollars.