Florida Power & Light Company today announced that two teachers in Sarasota County were selected to receive $1,990 in funding through FPL’s 2013 Teacher Grant program.

The winning teachers will receive the funding to support classroom projects that help teach students about energy and adhere to the Florida State Board of Education’s Sunshine State Standards. In total, 43 teachers across FPL’s 35-county service territory have been selected to receive a total of $47,000.

 “As new energy sources become more prevalent in our everyday lives, it’s more and more important that our children have a hands-on understanding of clean energy,” said Rae Dowling, FPL’s external affairs manager for Sarasota County. “We’re thrilled to partner with Florida’s teachers to bring exciting, innovative projects into the classroom to get their students inspired to help us lead the way to tomorrow’s clean energy world.”

The winning teachers, schools and projects in Sarasota County are:

• Carlos Hernandez, Sarasota School for Arts and Sciences, Sarasota
  • “Living Green at Home” introduces students to concepts of renewable energy, sustainable living, and energy conservation. They’ll construct model homes that use principles of solar energy and wind power to create a self-sustained system.
    
    
• Edward Hashey, Wakeland Elementary School of International Studies, Bradenton
  • Students will explore the transformation of energy and how energy is constantly changing forms around them.
    
    

The awards range from $500 to $2,500 per project, based on the proposed budget and number of students that will benefit, and come from the NextEra Energy Foundation, which is funded by shareholders of FPL’s parent company, NextEra Energy, Inc., the nation’s largest producer of renewable energy from the wind and the sun.

Award recipients are selected by the National Education Energy Development project (NEED), a non-profit organization working with energy companies and agencies to bring balanced energy curriculum and training to the nation's classrooms.

“FPL and NEED share a common mission: to educate the next generation about clean, sustainable energy sources,” said NEED Executive Director Mary Spruill. “Today, the need for this education is greater than ever, and that’s why we partner with FPL on these teacher grants – to help ensure that Florida’s kids develop practical knowledge about clean energy sources.”

Projects were judged according to stated goals, energy content, creativity and plans for budget and evaluation. Completed projects may be featured on FPL’s Solar Station website at www.FPL.com/solarstations.

This is the fourth year for FPL’s Teacher Grant program and is part of a larger commitment to the state. So far, the company has granted more than $175,000 to 175 teachers, installed Next Generation Solar Energy Station arrays at 14 educational facilities across Florida, and built three large-scale solar power plants to power its customers.