(Back row left to right) Ryan Moretz, Mauriah Smith, Carla Murray. (Front row left to right) Kellie Smith, Julia Fair, Katie Louhoff.
Hillsborough, N.C., (Oct. 22, 2021) – Piedmont Electric Cooperative has awarded $50,430 in Bright Ideas education grants to 33 local teachers to fund engaging projects for their students. More than 9,500 students at schools in Alamance, Caswell, Durham, Granville, Orange and Person counties will benefit from these grants.
“We are grateful for our amazing educators that make a positive difference in students’ lives,” said Steve Hamlin, Piedmont Electric president and general manager. “Supporting these innovative class projects through the Bright Ideas education grant program is just one of the ways we follow through on our seventh cooperative principle, Concern for Community.”
Since the Bright Ideas grant program began in 1994, Piedmont Electric has contributed more than $600,000 to local teachers.
Typically, these grants bring creative projects to life inside classrooms. However, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Piedmont Electric has been flexible with the types of projects awarded to ensure that all students are able to benefit, whether they are in the classroom or learning remotely. Grants are awarded for projects in all subject areas such as music, art, history, reading, science, math and more.
Piedmont Electric is one of 26 electric cooperatives in North Carolina offering Bright Ideas grants to local teachers. The funding for Piedmont Electric’s Bright Ideas education grants comes from the Piedmont Electric Helping Hand Foundation which is supported by generous members who round up their monthly electric bills. Since 1994, North Carolina’s electric cooperatives collectively have awarded more than $13.6 million in Bright Ideas funding for nearly 12,922 projects supporting teachers and benefitting more than 2.7 million students.
Bright Ideas grant applications are accepted by Piedmont Electric each year from April through mid-September, and winning proposals are selected in a competitive evaluation process by a panel of judges. The application process will reopen for interested teachers in April 2022.
The Bright Ideas grant program is part of Piedmont Electric’s ongoing commitment to building a brighter future through community support of education.
Follow Piedmont Electric on Facebook to see how programs, such as Bright Ideas, are impacting local students and communities. To learn more about Bright Ideas grants, visit ncbrightideas.com and follow them on Facebook and Twitter.
Piedmont Electric Cooperative is a local, member-owned, not-for-profit electric cooperative serving more than 33,000 electric accounts in Alamance, Caswell, Durham, Granville, Orange and Person counties. Piedmont Electric exists to serve our members and improve the quality of life in our communities through local employment, economic development, business engagement, youth education, grants to educators, advocacy for energy issues, community involvement, broadband connectivity and emergency preparedness support. Visit www.pemc.coop for more information.
Bright Ideas Grant Recipients 2021
| Applicant Name | County | Subject | School |
| Kelly A. Poquette | Alamance | Movement, Music, and Friends! | Alamance Virtual School |
| Rachel Yarbrough | Alamance | Flexible Seating Improves Learning | Altamahaw Ossipee |
| Amanda Haney | Caswell | The Power of Biographies: Providing Mirrors and Opening Windows | Oakwood Elementary |
| Brittini Macedo | Caswell | My Smartest Artists are KIL’N it! | Stoney Creek Elementary |
| Carla Murray, Mauriah Smith | Caswell | Diversity for ALL! | North Elementary – Providence |
| Julia Fair | Caswell | Handy Handbells | North Elementary – Providence |
| Katie Louhoff, Mauriah Smith | Caswell | Storytelling for the Win! | North Elementary – Providence |
| Kellie Smith | Caswell | Popping with Excitement to Learn | North Elementary – Providence |
| Leslie W Gehris | Caswell | Hydroponics and Composter | N.L. Dillard Middle School |
| Mauriah Smith | Caswell | Creative Coders! | North Elementary – Providence |
| Ryan Moretz | Caswell | Everyone Gets a Heartrate Monitor! | North Elementary – Providence |
| Abigail Thompson | Durham | Wet and Wild Water quality | Northern High |
| Jennifer Ruth Scoggin, Tommy Johnson | Durham | Friends Beekeeper Project – Growing the Apiary | Carolina Friends School |
| Jenny Bailey, Adam Davidson, Glenn Walters, Kim Bowers, Michelle Dennis | Durham | Potted Pirates: An OCS/EC & Engineering Student Collaboration | Riverside High |
| Sarah Laughhunn, Bart Gonzalez, Eric Long, Jenny Bailey, Perry Tharrington | Durham | Riverside Coffee Bar | Riverside High |
| Dasie Roberts, Maureen Bellissimo, Holly Carroll | Granville | Story Walkabout | Stovall-Shaw Elementary |
| Becky Wilson | Orange | Goooood Morning, Bulldogs from WALS! | A L Stanback Middle |
| Brett Stegall, Katie Moorehead | Orange | Carrboro High Amphitheater | Carrboro High School |
| Christie Williams | Orange | Soft Start STEM Bins | Grady Brown Elementary |
| Dianne Vetter | Orange | Teeing Off to Equity | Glenwood Elementary |
| Kimberly Christian, Ashley Clark | Orange | Environmental Lit Justice: Using Novels in the Science Classroom | A L Stanback Middle |
| Kristie R Mabry, Wyn Payton | Orange | Team work makes the Dream work! | A L Stanback Middle |
| Patrick Mitchell, Tony Widder | Orange | Outdoor Classroom | River Park Elementary |
| Robin Bulleri, Christina Augustine, Paula Dey | Orange | Synthesizing Science and Social Justice | Carrboro High School |
| Selena Masse | Orange | Social Studies Extension Activities in Literacy and STEM | Orange Middle |
| Amanda Bedo | Person | What a Year! | Woodland Elementary |
| Ashley Bailey, Russell Fryczynski | Person | Hands on Minds on – Scientific Inquiry with modeling | Roxboro Community School |
| Douglas Glenning | Person | The Learning Spike | North End Elementary |
| Jennifer Innis | Person | Engineering is Incredibly Elementary | Person County Virtual Academy |
| Jill Clayton | Person | Saving Lives | Roxboro Community School |
| Lauren Pool | Person | “Diversity in sports, bringing a new beat” | Northern Middle |
| Pamela M Parham | Person | Lego Science | Person County Virtual Academy |
| Richard Hughes | Person | The Laker Drive-In – An Adventure in Projected Physical Education | Woodland Elementary |
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