By JOYANNA LOVE/ Senior Staff Writer

Isabella High School has received a $1,200 Bright Ideas Grant from Central Alabama Electric Cooperative toward Students With A Goal teams.

The S.W.A.G. teams are part of the school’s efforts to be an official “Leader in Me” school.

Teachers Tammy Pairrett, Chrystie Mims and Pam Jackson, school counselor Amy Ballew and Assistant Principal Sue Ellen Gilliland worked on the grant.

Gilliland said the grant will be used “to provide resources like student and teacher activity guides for students in grades seven to 12 during Wednesday mentoring meetings. Students in grades seven to 12 meet every Wednesday in S.W.A.G. Teams.”

“As Isabella High School moves toward becoming an official ‘Leader in Me’ school next year, the students in grades seven to 12 began a book study in January to foster awareness, self-growth, leadership, and an overall understanding of Covey’s 7 Habits,” Gilliland said.

The book study will take students through “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens.” Teams will meet and discuss aspects of the seven habits outlined in the book.

“The grant will fund activity guides to assist with these discussions as well as provide students with a strategic approach and templates to begin creating action plans for becoming better leaders at school, home and in the community,” Gilliland said. “In today’s society, we need students to grow into productive, young adults who have the soft skills necessary to tackle the complex challenges of tomorrow. By instilling these 7 Habits through the use of the resources funded by the Bright Ideas grant, the students will gain the foundational skills necessary to be able to make good decisions, set goals, work collaboratively with others, and become leaders of their own lives, school, and community.”

The team that wrote the grant had some very specific goals it wanted students in seventh through 12th grades to accomplish through this program, including at least 90 percent of these students being able to name and explain the 7 Habits and at least 90 percent of these students applying at least one of the habits in their lives.
Central Alabama Cooperative awarded $16,000 in grants this year. According to a CAEC press release, these grants will benefit 3,400 throughout the company’s multi-county service area.