Little Silver Teacher Gets STEM Grant For Light-Up Clothes

LITTLE SILVER, NJ - A local teacher is among the recipients of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics grants awarded by the parent company of JCP&L, the utility company. Eleven New Jersey teachers have been awarded STEM classroom grants from FirstEnergy Corp. The grants, totaling almost $8,000, will be used for hands-on projects, workshops and academic programs across Jersey Central Power & Light's service area.

Wendy Whittle, Point Road Elementary School in Little Silver , received her grant for making clothing that lights up using conductive thread and LED lights. She joins Leigh Fitzsimmons, Henry Hudson Regional School in Highlands for designing and building battery-powered toys to explore circuits and electricity and Chris Zrada and Cheryl McDonald, Marine Academy of Science and technology in Highlands for designing removable guards for utility lines to protect large bird species from contacting the lines and Danielle Parella, Elms Elementary School in Jackson for exploring aquaponic growing systems and donating the food produced from the growing systems.

Out of the area, Matthew Garrera, High Point Regional High School in Sussex for using digital electronic systems to learn about automation and automated systems; Katherine McFadden and Dana DeMetro, Hopatcong Borough Schools, Hopatcong for planting and growing a sustainable garden of vegetables and flowers; Gina Newmann, Central Middle School, Stirling, for designing and building a prosthetic limb using recycled materials. Michael Schwartz, Sussex County Charter School for Technology, Sparta, for studying hydropower and solar energy and building prototype systems to demonstrate student knowledge.

FirstEnergy offers grants up to $1,000 to individual teachers and administrators at schools served by its electric utility operating companies and in communities where it has facilities. Company-wide, these grants totaled almost $70,000 in 2017, according to a prepared release.

Grants recipients are recommended by local educators who make up FirstEnergy's Educational Advisory Council. As part of the program, recipients must furnish a written summary and evaluation of their projects that can be shared with other educators in FirstEnergy's service area.

A bright idea: solar powered light bulb in the Phillipines. Photograph by Bullit Marquez.