Nov. 1, 2022 – Piedmont Electric Cooperative has awarded $50,403 in Bright Ideas education grants to 30 local teachers to fund engaging projects for their students. More than 7,410 students at schools in Alamance, Caswell, Durham, Orange and Person counties will benefit from these grants awarded for projects in all subject areas such as music, art, history, reading, science, math and more.
“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.”
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 the Bright Ideas grant program began in 1994, Piedmont Electric has contributed more than $650,000 to local teachers. In addition, Piedmont Electric is one of 26 electric cooperatives in North Carolina’s who collectively have awarded more than $14.3 million in Bright Ideas funding for nearly 13,536 projects supporting teachers and benefitting more than 2.8 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 2023. The Bright Ideas grant program is part of Piedmont Electric’s ongoing commitment to building a brighter future through community support of education. To learn more about Bright Ideas grants, visit ncbrightideas.com and follow them on Facebook and Twitter.
2022-2023 Bright Ideas Grant Winners
| Applicant Name | Grant Title | School | Awarded | Students Impacted | STEM Project |
| Abigail Dufretay-Stepanek | Coffee Talk | Grady Brown Elementary | $ 2,000.33 | 400 | No |
| Amanda Haney | Cardinals Gaining their Wings: Social and Emotional Learning at Oakwood | Oakwood Elementary | $ 1,954.81 | 325 | No |
| Bailey Normann | True Book Fair | Ephesus Road Elementary | $ 1,000.00 | 398 | Yes |
| Beth M Bell | Interior Design: Design Thinking with Technology | Eastern Alamance High | $ 1,589.00 | 300 | Yes |
| Cheri Thomas | Dancing Our Way Around the Globe! | Efland Cheeks Elementary | $ 1,897.72 | 560 | No |
| Colin Tapp | Jazz for Expression: Innovative Technology for Middle School Musicians | Brogden Middle | $ 1,894.42 | 200 | Yes |
| David A Jones | If they build it, they will get it. | Person High School | $ 2,000.00 | 120 | Yes |
| Demikia Taylor | NHS Sustainable Agriculture Project | Northern High | $ 2,000.00 | 75 | Yes |
| Elizabeth Sinnott | 5th Grade Creation Stations (MakerSpace) | South Elementary | $ 1,771.10 | 60 | Yes |
| Jackie Priestaf | Interactive Read Alouds | North Elementary – Roxboro | $ 1,629.53 | 24 | No |
| Jaclyn TenEyck | STEAM Bins | Bethel Hill Charter | $ 1,983.37 | 65 | Yes |
| Janice Castle | Panda News for You | North Elementary – Providence | $ 1,017.53 | 400 | Yes |
| Jasmine Johnson | LEAPing into New Realities with CoSpaces! | Mary Scroggs Elementary | $ 2,000.00 | 85 | No |
| Jessie Malloy | Orange Middle School After School Competitive Robotics Club | Orange Middle | $ 2,000.00 | 50 | Yes |
| Julia Fair | Fill North with Pride | North Elementary – Providence | $ 2,000.00 | 400 | Yes |
| Kara Morgan | Chicken Club | South Elementary | $ 1,867.00 | 380 | Yes |
| Katie Louhoff | Seating for You and You and You…. | North Elementary – Providence | $ 1,000.00 | 400 | No |
| Kim Solomon | Help us get “FIRED UP!” | Oak Lane Elementary | $ 1,308.90 | 290 | No |
| Kristie Mabry | Herstory, History and STEM | A L Stanback Middle | $ 1,000.00 | 620 | Yes |
| Kristin Hernandez | Art & Agriculture Outdoor classroom | South Elementary | $ 1,998.91 | 335 | No |
| Natalia Johns | Decodable Books for Young Readers | Grady Brown Elementary | $ 1,150.00 | 50 | No |
| Patrick Mitchell | Upgrade our Robotics Program | River Park Elementary | $ 1,999.00 | 100 | Yes |
| Randi Michelle Reed | Modern Social Injustices, Females Too | Cedar Ridge High School | $ 952.90 | 270 | No |
| Richard “Coach” Hughes | The Adventures of Captain Laker and the Hula Huts from the 3rd Dimension | Woodland Elementary | $ 1,992.79 | 245 | Yes |
| Robin Smith Leissner | BEE-coming Coders With Bee-Bots! | Pathways Elementary | $ 1,280.00 | 400 | Yes |
| Shawn Shoptaw | Autonomous First Responder Drone | Career and Technical Education School | $ 1,934.91 | 120 | Yes |
| Shelly Nance | Music unites people! Help music be a messenger. | Northern Middle | $ 1,906.52 | 100 | No |
| Stephanie Hopper | Interactive Zoo Adventure | South Elementary | $ 1,817.00 | 18 | Yes |
| Terri Gullick | Panthers Read 30 | Stoney Creek Elementary | $ 1,463.44 | 160 | No |
| Whitney Williams | Outdoor Classroom | Grady Brown Elementary | $ 1,994.00 | 400 | Yes |
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.