PIEDMONT EMC AWARDS GRANTS TO TEACHERS FOR ‘BRIGHT IDEAS’
HILLSBOROUGH, N.C., NOVEMBER 13, 2015 – PIEDMONT EMC awarded more than $25,000 in Bright Ideas education grants to 23 area teachers to fund engaging classroom learning projects. More than 6800 students at schools in Alamance, Caswell, Durham, Orange, and Person counties will participate in Bright Ideas projects funded by Piedmont EMC this year.
“Our Bright Ideas grant winners are making a real difference for students,” said Randy Brecheisen, CEO of Piedmont EMC. “Teachers have so many innovative ideas to engage students in learning, and we’re excited each year to support pioneering initiatives and creativity in the classroom through our Bright Ideas grant program.”
Winning projects include a Destination Rain Forest in Caswell County, Tree Rescue in Orange County, a Biotech Mobile Lab at Orange High School, a School Geography Lab in Person County, and numerous other sustainable Bright Ideas. Bright Ideas Winners were awarded their grants at the Bright Ideas Luncheon held on the campus of NC State University on November 5, 2015.
Since the Bright Ideas grant program began in 1994, Piedmont EMC has contributed more than $376,000
to local teachers. “Piedmont EMC is committed to the communities we serve, and we believe there is no better investment than in the education of our youth and future leaders,” Mr. Brecheisen said.
Piedmont EMC is one of 26 member-owned electric cooperatives in the state offering Bright Ideas grants to local educators. During the month of November, North Carolina’s Touchstone Energy cooperatives awarded teachers statewide close to $600,000 in Bright Ideas education grants.
Since 1994, North Carolina’s electric cooperatives collectively have awarded more than $9.6 million to Tar Heel teachers. The Bright Ideas program has reached well over 1.8 million North Carolina students and sponsored more than 9,200 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 judges. The application process will reopen for interested teachers in April 2016.
To find out more information about the Bright Ideas grant program, visit (www.pemc.coop or the Bright Ideas website at www.ncbrightideas.com).
North Carolina’s Touchstone Energy cooperatives serve 2.5 million people in 93 of the state’s 100 counties. Piedmont EMC is a Touchstone Energy Cooperative delivering electricity to more than 30,000 consumers within Alamance, Caswell, Durham, Granville, Orange and Person counties.
PEMC WINNERS
| County | Name | School | Title |
| Alamance | Melaine Rickard | Western Middle | Droning On and On and On |
| Caswell | Beth Kirby | Stoney Creek Elementary | Destination Rain Forest! |
| Caswell | Teresa Perkins | Stoney Creek Elementary | Destination Desert! |
| Caswell | Samantha Lawrence | Stoney Creek Elementary | Little Minds Learning with Legos |
| Caswell | Mauriah Smith | Stoney Creek Elementary | Can You Hear Me Now? |
| Durham | Thomas Johnson | Carolina Friends | Engineering with Little Bits |
| Durham | Jennifer Umbarger | Rogers Herr Middle | PLearning in the Library |
| Orange | Christen Campbell | Chapel Hill High School | Why Pay For Water when it is Free? |
| Orange | Keith Yow | Cedar Ridge High School | Solar Powered Wood Kiln |
| Orange | Kim Kelleher | New Hope Elementary | Tree Rescue |
| Orange | Eric McDuffie | C. W. Stanford Middle | Environmental Literacy Proj. Based |
| Orange | Natalia Johns & Cynthia Lewis | Grady Brown Elementary | Literacy Room |
| Orange | Julianne Mertz | A. L. Stanback Middle | The Classics Exposed |
| Orange | Claire Capps | A. L. Stanback Middle | Stability Balls |
| Orange | Lauren Aldridge | Orange High School | Biotech Mobile Lab |
| Person | Lauren Copley | Southern Middle | Barrels of Fun |
| Person | Elizabeth Sinnott | South Elementary | Wild and Wonderful Weather! |
| Person | Lindsey Hensler | Helena Elementary | Habitable Hornets |
| Person | Whitney Sharlow | Southern Middle | 3Rs Reduce, Reuse, Recycle |
| Person | Barbara Jenkins | Northern Middle | Hands on Math & Science w/twist |
| Person | Pamela Parham | North Elementary | Unlocking Learning with IPads |
| Person | Douglas W. Glenning | North End Elementary | School Geography Lab |
| Person | Julie Goodwin | Woodland Elementary | Chromebooks for a Brighter Tomorrow |