Hillsborough, NC (October 23, 2019) – Piedmont Electric awarded $49,489 in Bright Ideas education grants to 38 teachers to fund engaging classroom learning projects that will impact more than 8,300 students at schools in Alamance, Caswell, Durham, Orange and Person counties.
Since 1994, Piedmont Electric’s Bright Ideas education grant program has contributed more than $500,000 to local teachers for creative classroom projects.
“We are proud to support these innovative learning initiatives through the Bright Ideas program each year,” said Steve Hamlin, President & CEO of Piedmont Electric. “These experiences can make a positive difference in students’ lives.”
Piedmont Electric is one of 26 member-owned electric cooperatives in the state offering Bright Ideas grants to local educators. The funding for Piedmont Electric’s Bright Ideas education grants comes from the Piedmont Electric Helping Hand Foundation. Altogether, North Carolina’s electric cooperatives will award teachers statewide close to $600,000 in Bright Ideas education grants this year.
Bright Ideas grant applications are collected each year through from April through the beginning of September, and winning proposals are selected in a competitive evaluation process by a panel of external judges. The application process will reopen for interested teachers in April 2020.
To find out more information about the Bright Ideas grant program, visit www.ncbrightideas.com.
PIEDMONT ELECTRIC’S 2019 BRIGHT IDEAS GRANT WINNERS ARE:
| Grant Writer(s) | Grant Name | School | County |
| Casey Thompson | CGS Growing Minds Project | Clover Garden | Alamance |
| Kimberly J Griffis | Discovering the Joy of Writing | Eastlawn Elementary | Alamance |
| Stacy B Noell | Simulation Station | Eastern Alamance Hi | Alamance |
| Amanda Haney | Making a Difference | Oakwood Elementary | Caswell |
| Mauriah Smith | Masterful Makers | North Elementary – Providence | Caswell |
| Logan Webb, Julie Ross | Escaping Ordinary Lessons with Breakout EDU Boxes | Stoney Creek Elementary | Caswell |
| Samantha Crews | Readers for Reluctant Readers | Stoney Creek Elementary | Caswell |
| Sandra Goodwin, Matthew Jones, Amy Beebe | ABC – 123 – C.O.D.E | Mangum Elementary | Durham |
| Cheryl Michalec | Mobile Outdoor Classroom | Sandy Ridge Visual and Performing Arts Elementary | Durham |
| Lena Deskins | Creating an Office of Innovation | Sandy Ridge Visual and Performing Arts Elementary | Durham |
| Douglas Price, Carrie Miller | Community Garden Greenhouse | Voyager Academy | Durham |
| Joseph D Sharp, Julianne Mertz, Steve Kirby, Kimberly Clark, Alex Petercuskie | Archaeological Excavation Lab Expansion | A L Stanback Middle | Orange |
| Melissa Barnhouse | We Like Big Books and We Can Not Lie | A L Stanback Middle | Orange |
| Jenni Scoggin, Abby Kennedy | Friends Beekeeper Project – Part 2 | Carolina Friends School | Orange |
| Michelle Reed, Christina Clark, Kelly Monroe-Porvo | No More Boring Books!: Book Clubs for Compassion and Real Life Heroes and The Search For Compassion | Cedar Ridge High School | Orange |
| Selena L Masse | Making Historical Connections by Infusing STEM and Literacy in Social Studies | Charles Stanford Middle | Orange |
| Lindsey Halas, Nick Winstead, Tyson Hallet, Jamie East, Jeannie Pfautz | Connecting Readers and Writers Across State Lines | East Chapel Hill High | Orange |
| Christie Williams | Help Save Our Seas | Grady Brown Elementary | Orange |
| Jennifer Carson, Anthony Folden, Kelly Lazarus, Whitney Williams, Ashlie Hobson, Shannon Floyd, Teresa Touchette | Picture-Perfect Science and STEM | Grady Brown Elementary | Orange |
| Kelly Lazarus | The Power of STEAM Play in Academics | Grady Brown Elementary | Orange |
| Jillian Grimm | Harness the Energy | Guy Phillips Middle School | Orange |
| Andrea Perrone | Drumming up a Global Perspective | New Hope Elementary | Orange |
| Cassidy Milosh | Cooking Up Some Confidence | New Hope Elementary | Orange |
| Cheryl Mitchell | Math through Robotics | New Hope Elementary | Orange |
| Holli Wallace, Abby Kennedy | Blast Off Sensory Path! | New Hope Elementary | Orange |
| Laura Holmes, Lauren Maher | Exceptional Espresso Coffee Cart!! | Orange Senior High | Orange |
| Sarah S. Wilson | Google Jamboard for World Language | Orange Senior High | Orange |
| Kelly Sears, Katie Williams, Regina Baratta | Exploring Science with Virtual Tours | R.D. and Euzelle P. Smith Middle School | Orange |
| Susan Hess | Drawing Challenge for Youth Art Month | Helena Elementary | Person |
| Shelly Nance | Uniting students with music! | Northern Middle | Person |
| Julie Goodwin | Guided Instruction to Guide Tomorrow’s Leaders | Oak Lane Elementary | Person |
| David B Jones | HOOKED-UP 4 SAFETY | Person High | Person |
| Ashley M Bailey | Building Proteins, Engaging Learners | Roxboro Community School | Person |
| Tabitha Faulkner | Comfort While Composing | Stories Creek Elementary | Person |
| Amanda Bedo | Ozobots Assemble | Woodland Elementary | Person |
| Jennifer Davis, Angie Hungate | Extra, Extra, Read All About It! | Woodland Elementary | Person |
| Richard Hughes | Moving with Makey Makey – An Adventure in Inventing in Physical Education | Woodland Elementary | Person |
| Sabrina Crumpton | Simply Reading | Woodland Elementary | Person |