NC Beautiful Announces Windows of Opportunity Grants Winners

Twelve North Carolina schools have been selected to receive educational funds to promote environmental stewardship in the classroom.

NC Beautiful, a provider of environmental education and beautification opportunities that elevate the quality of life of North Carolinians, has announced this year’s recipients of the organization’s environmental education grants. Twelve schools were awarded Windows of Opportunity Grants, representing a total of over $11,000 in educational grants. The grants are available to certified, full-time K-12 teachers in the state of North Carolina.

Windows of Opportunity provides up to $1,000 grants to NC teachers to reward their creativity fostering environmental stewardship, leadership, and awareness and initiating a sense of community service. Each grant applicant was required to complete a five-section online application that included a two-page project narrative, budget, and commitment letter, which commits the school to complete the projected work. Each school must use its grant by June 2010.

NC Beautiful Executive Director, Steve Vacendak, says that the goal of the NC Beautiful is to annually offer a Windows of Opportunity grant in all 100 counties in North Carolina. “Promoting and fostering environmental stewardship is a state-wide commitment,” says Vacendak. “NC Beautiful remains committed to expanding our communication efforts to ensure that every school in the state has the opportunity to take advantage of this valuable resource so that everyone can connect to make North Carolina beautiful.”

The Windows of Opportunity Grants were created to cultivate an appreciation of natural environments by helping children get out of school and into natural settings. The grants also build leadership awareness, develop environmental educational mentors and ambassadors, create materials and resources that can be used by other K-12 students, and develop a sustainable, outdoor program, which will continue well after the grant period ends.

The following is a list of the 2010 Windows of Opportunity Grant recipients, including name of the teacher submitting the winning entry:

· Nancy Bryant, Burlington Christian Academy, Burlington (Alamance County)
· Crystal Hendrix, Ira B. Jones Elementary School, Asheville (Buncombe County)
· Becky Leousis, Shawboro Elementary, Shawboro (Currituck County)
· Kristen Snyder, George Watts Montessori, Durham (Durham County)
· Ruth McDaniel, Southern High School, Durham (Durham County)
· Zenda Cloniger, The Children’s Center, Winston-Salem (Forsyth County)
· Susan Parker, Buckland Elementary, Gates (Gates County)
· Kathleen Conroy, Providence Spring Elementary School, Charlotte (Mecklenburg County)
· Beth Carter, Cape Fear Center for Inquiry, Wilmington (New Hanover County)
· Kathleen Lester, Swansboro Elementary School, Swansboro (Onslow County)
· Lara Brickhouse, EB Aycock Middle School, Greenville (Pitt County)
· Tedi McManus, Gardners Elementary, Elm City (Wilson County)

About NC Beautiful
NC Beautiful has been part of the state’s environmental preservation community for over 40 years—supporting awareness, education and beautification efforts that affect our quality of life. Today, we concentrate on hands-on and merit-based programs designed to empower our citizens to preserve the natural beauty of the state of North Carolina. Whether it’s school children building outdoor classrooms, graduate students developing cutting edge research, or a Boy Scout troop planting azaleas at an elder care facility, we make it possible for North Carolinians to keep NC Beautiful. For more information, visit http://www.ncbeautiful.org/.

Butterfly/azalea photo by PAPARABBIT