Piedmont Electric Cooperative has awarded $50,309 in Bright Ideas education grants to 34 local teachers to fund engaging projects for their students. More than 8,387 students at schools in 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 $700,000 to local teachers. In addition, Piedmont Electric is one of 26 electric cooperatives in North Carolina’s who collectively have awarded more than $15 million in Bright Ideas funding for nearly 14,200 projects supporting teachers and benefitting more than 3.5 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 2024. 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.
2023 Bright Ideas Grant Winners
| Applicant Name | County | Project Name | School | Students Affected |
| Katie Louhoff | Caswell | Storyboards & Sensory | North Elementary – Providence | 350 |
| Janice Castle | Caswell | Graphic Novels for All! | North Elementary – Providence | 350 |
| Amanda Haney | Caswell | Now Hear This! | Oakwood Elementary | 350 |
| Julia Fair | Caswell | Totally Tootular | Oakwood Elementary | 400 |
| Hilary Dodson Moore | Caswell | Super Science STEAM Lab | Stoney Creek Elementary | 150 |
| Bryan Christopher | Durham | Upgrading Riverside’s scholastic media programs | Riverside High | 1800 |
| Kenisha Smith | Orange | Bulldogs Got Something To Say!! | A L Stanback Middle | 375 |
| Kimberly Clark | Orange | Water, Water Everywhere: Water Quality Empowerment | A L Stanback Middle | 200 |
| Robert L Ballard | Orange | NASCAR RACECAR | Chapel Hill High | 110 |
| Hannah Murphy | Orange | Color Printer for Excited Artists | Ephesus Road Elementary | 350 |
| Whitney Williams | Orange | Outdoor Classroom | Grady Brown Elementary | 400 |
| Christine Lutz | Orange | Magnetic Letters and Boards for First Grade classroom | Grady Brown Elementary | 20 |
| Natalia Johns | Orange | To Reading Through Spelling | Grady Brown Elementary | 50 |
| Teresa Touchette | Orange | Robotics 2: Coding Dash | Grady Brown Elementary | 65 |
| Clotilde Riley | Orange | Hands ON-Minds ON ! | Guy Phillips Middle School | 50 |
| Rita Singh | Orange | Creek Exploration | Mary Scroggs Elementary | 400 |
| Kathryn Cole | Orange | A True Book FAIR: Bringing Literacy Joy to All | Northside Elementary | 415 |
| Robin Smith Leissner | Orange | Learning is Outta This Atmosphere with Spheros! | Pathways Elementary | 200 |
| Melissa Barry | Orange | Hands On Math | R.D. and Euzelle P. Smith Middle School | 60 |
| Patrick Mitchell | Orange | After School Competitive Robotics Club | River Park Elementary | 15 |
| Dory Newkirk | Person | A Bundle of Bee Bots | Helena Elementary | 500 |
| Melissa White | Person | Cardio Drumming Fitness | Helena Elementary | 530 |
| Heather Clarke | Person | Encouraging Creative Thinking with Hands On Activities | North Elementary – Roxboro | 200 |
| Kristen Clayton | Person | The Incredible Egg! | Oak Lane Elementary | 40 |
| Melisa Poindexter | Person | STEMing into the future! | Oak Lane Elementary | 43 |
| Pamela M Parham | Person | Design Factory | Person County Virtual Academy | 20 |
| Ashley M Bailey | Person | Let it Glow – Biotech fun in Biology | Roxboro Community School | 120 |
| Hiedi Gustin | Person | Reset, Relax, Refresh | South Elementary | 485 |
| Kristin Hernandez | Person | Jean Jacket Juggernaut | South Elementary | 60 |
| Elizabeth Sinnott | Person | Properly Pin-Pointing Properties | South Elementary | 60 |
| Kelly Pearce | Person | Our Future is Bright! | Southern Middle | 90 |
| Lauren Pool | Person | “Diffability”- “Differences are all the Difference” | Stories Creek Elementary | 100 |
| Katy Watson | Person | iPads for Bright iDeas! | Stories Creek Elementary | 29 |
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.