For Additional Information, Contact:
Susan Cashion, Mgr. Public Relations & Communications
Piedmont Electric Membership Corporation
Telephone: 919.732.2123
Fax: 919.644.1030
Piedmont Electric Awards
Area Bright Ideas Grants
HILLSBOROUGH, N.C., December 11, 2009—Nineteen grants totaling almost $19,000 have been awarded to area teachers through the Cooperative’s Bright Ideas Grant Program.
The grants are to be used for innovative teaching projects not funded by traditional school budgets.
Through the Bright Ideas Grant Program, which began in 1994, Piedmont Electric has awarded more than $204,000 to teachers in the Cooperative’s service area of central North Carolina.
This year’s winners from Piedmont Electric include the following:
• Jennifer Livers, Woodlawn Middle School, Alamance County, “Literature Alive”
• Hilary Dodson and Beth Kirby, Stoney Creek Elementary School, Caswell County, “Magic of Electricity”
• Donna James, Hillandale Elementary School, Durham County, “Adventures in Reading: Family Literacy Bags”
• Mattie Perry Johnson, M. Jones, V. Porter and S. Green, Y.E. Smith Elementary School, Durham County, “iGOGREEN Museum”
• Temperance Tobe, Northern High School, Durham County, “A-FAST Learning Community”
• Dr. Erin Nelson, Triangle Day School, Durham County, “Bring Science to Life”
• Rebecca Maupin, Holt Elementary School, Durham County, “Treasure Hunting”
• Deborah Wilkins, Angela Barker and Stephanie Cook, Bethel Hill Charter School, Person County, “Junior Rock Hounds”
• Angel Fox, Traci Carter, Elizabeth Cox, April Revels and Jamie Williammee, Helena Elementary School, Person County, “The Young Author’s Classroom”
• Amanda Bedo, Stories Creek Elementary School, Person County, “Building Clay Character”
• Jon Corcoran and Susan Snyder, Central Elementary School, Orange County, “Excelling Eagles Robotics Team”
• Jacob Sanford and Eric McDuffie, C.W. Stanford Middle School, Orange County, “Eco-Powered Minds”
• James Davis, Guy B. Phillips Middle School, Orange County, “Science Olympiad Team”
• Michelle Reed, Eileen Slade and Marilyn Jackson, Cedar Ridge High School, Orange County, “Solving Mysteries/Feeling Suspense”
• Yvonne Wahlers, Cameron Park Elementary School, Orange County, “Wallaroo Work Crew”
• Kathryn Cole, Ariana Kanwit, Jose Ruiz and Anna Sorin, Frank Porter Graham Elementary School, Orange County, “Read at Home Backpacks/Building Literacy”
• Kristy Mabry, A.L. Stanback Middle School, Orange County, “How Does Smoking Impact Society, Environment/Health?”
• Stephanie McMullen, Kristen Bedell, A.J. Chenail, Victoria Frisch, Katie Phelps and Kim McColman, Efland Cheeks Elementary School, Orange County, “Getting Animated About Research”
• Patrice Cook, Donna Dodson, Kristen Hughes, Marcia O’Neal, Thomas Scheib, Angela Short and Madeline Thomas, Guy B. Phillips Middle School, Orange County, “Algorithm Gallery Walks Boost Manual Math Skills”
The Bright Ideas Grant Program, has awarded more than $7 million from cooperatives to teachers in North Carolina. The program is a joint venture with N.C. Electric Membership Corporation.
The teachers were recently recognized at the annual Touchstone Energy Bright Ideas education grant awards luncheon in Raleigh. Darrell Scott, whose daughter Rachel was the first victim of the Columbine High School shootings, delivered the luncheon’s keynote address.
During November, North Carolina’s Touchstone Energy cooperatives awarded more than $580,000 in Bright Ideas education grants to deserving teachers across the state.
After this year’s awards, North Carolina’s electric cooperatives will have provided more than $7 million in funding for more than 6,300 projects in subjects ranging from mathematics to the arts.
To date, the grant money has allowed more than one million students to participate in visionary classroom projects. The Bright Ideas program is the only education grant program exclusively for North Carolina’s K-12 teachers.
“Piedmont Electric is proud to award these grants to such dedicated teachers,” says CEO R.G. Brecheisen. “We are committed to helping improve the communities where we live and work,” he adds.
Piedmont Electric, a Touchstone Energy Cooperative based in Hillsborough, is a nonprofit electric utility serving 31,000 consumers in parts of Alamance, Caswell, Durham, Granville, Orange and Person counties.
CAPTION:
Local teachers who received Bright Idea Grants from Piedmont Electric Membership
Corporation were recognized at a luncheon honoring recipients from electric
cooperatives statewide. Piedmont EMC employees Rachel Hawkins and Susan Cashion
(holding check) also attended. |
