Hillsborough, NC – Piedmont Electric awarded $49,616 in Bright Ideas Education grants to 34 teachers to fund engaging classroom learning projects. More than 8,700 students at schools in Alamance, Caswell, Durham, Orange and Person counties will be impacted by these innovative classroom projects.
“Educators who win Bright Ideas grants are going above and beyond for their students,” said Steve Hamlin, President & CEO of Piedmont Electric. “We’re excited to support their innovative and creative learning initiatives through the Bright Ideas program each year.”
Since the Bright Ideas grant program began in 1994, Piedmont Electric has contributed more than $460,000 to local teachers. “Investing in the education of our youth and future leaders is a major part of Piedmont Electric’s commitment to the communities we serve,” Hamlin said.
Piedmont Electric is one of 26 member-owned electric cooperatives in the state offering Bright Ideas grants to local educators. Since 1994, North Carolina’s electric cooperatives collectively have awarded more than $11.5 million to Tar Heel teachers. The Bright Ideas program has reached well over 2.2 million North Carolina students and sponsored more than 11,000 projects in all subjects including math, reading, science and technology, history, music and the arts.
Bright Ideas grant applications are collected each year through mid-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 2019. To find out more information about the Bright Ideas grant program, visit www.ncbrightideas.com
https://youtu.be/PwzIjElKEb4
2018 Bright Ideas Education Grant Winners:
Contact Name |
Grant Name |
School |
# of Students Impacted |
Amount Awarded |
| Amanda Haney | On a Roll | Oakwood Elementary | 180 | $1,799.99 |
| Angel Fox | Brain, Body and Hearts Alive! | Helena Elementary | 24 | $375.00 |
| Ashley Bailey | Modeling our cells, sharpening our minds! | Roxboro Community School | 100 | $1,000.00 |
| David Jones | Heads Up Display | Person High | 120 | $1,332.72 |
| Elen Wilkinson | Mini-Makerspace | A.L. Stanback Middle | 100 | $751.39 |
| Elizabeth Sinnott | Manipulating Movement: A PBL To Teach Force and Motion | South Elementary | 50 | $1,358.81 |
| Partnership Academy Alternative | Trout in the Classroom | Partnership Academy Alternative | 45 | $1,260.00 |
| Heather F Bowes | Energized Coding | A.L. Stanback Middle | 110 | $1,369.90 |
| Heather Rogers | Growing Learners | North End Elementary | 35 | $1,951.29 |
| Henry Walker | Energy Made Real | Carolina Friends School | 450 | $2,000.00 |
| Jenni Scoggin | Friends Beekeeper Project | Carolina Friends School | 260 | $1,315.94 |
| Karen Clark | A Light On Our Path – Energy Awareness Project | Immaculata Catholic | 532 | $1,500.00 |
| Kelly Sears and Cara Parsons | Citizen Scientists Unite! | R.D. and Euzelle P. Smith Middle School | 289 | $1,559.30 |
| Kimberly Clark | Micro Curiosities | A.L. Stanback Middle | 650 | $379.05 |
| Kimberly Griffis | Children as Authors | Eastlawn Elementary | 35 | $810.00 |
| Kristie Mabry | Mission- Makerspace! | A.L. Stanback Middle | 660 | $1,844.00 |
| Kristy Horner | “WeDo” STEAM | Bethel Hill Charter | 394 | $1,899.50 |
| Lena Deskins | Increasing Campus Biodiversity with Citizen Science | Sandy Ridge Visual and Performing Arts Elementary | 320 | $1,984.00 |
| Lisa Volaric | Inquiry Driven Experimentation in Core Science Classes | Cedar Ridge High School | 600 | $2,000.00 |
| Lorelei Soli | Calcs for Class | Roxboro Community School | 400 | $1,000.00 |
| Marsha Absher | Reading Wow Factor | A.L. Stanback Middle | 105 | $300.00 |
| Meredith Stephens | Producing a Legacy | Orange Senior High | 1300 | $2,000.00 |
| Michael Lester | Weather Station for GHMS | Gravelly Hill Middle | 157 | $1,489.75 |
| Michelle Sondles | Virtual Reality Trip to Space | Hawfields Middle School | 225 | $1,979.84 |
| Micki Powell | Let’s Get It Started | Person Early College for Innovation & Leadership | 150 | $1,954.80 |
| Nancy Huskins | Nature Nomads | A.L. Stanback Middle | 100 | $1,925.15 |
| Natalia Johns | Reading on Wheels | Grady Brown Elementary | 60 | $545.00 |
| Patrick Mitchell | AMP It Up!! | Cameron Park Elementary | 620 | $1,685.98 |
| Richard Hughes | “Hole in Fun” | Woodland Elementary | 300 | $1,942.80 |
| Taylor Bryant | Phoenix Academy Engineering Club | Phoenix Academy High School | 40 | $1,752.40 |
| Teresa Perkins | Learning Life Lessons With a Buddy | Stoney Creek Elementary | 45 | $1,500.00 |
| Thomas Fisler | Sun’s Energy in the Garden | A.L. Stanback Middle | 250 | $1,143.00 |
| Tina Mansfield | Energized about Science | Morris Grove Elementary | 85 | $1,906.88 |
| Valerie Smith | Beginning Band Bonus | Southern Middle | 5 | $2,000.00 |
Piedmont Electric is a local, member-owned, not-for-profit electric cooperative serving more than 32,000 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 and emergency preparedness support. Visit www.pemc.coop for more information.