Building and programming robots, watching live butterflies emerge from their cocoons and creating art inspired by classical masters are a few projects Autauga County students will explore thanks to funding from the Bright Ideas Grant Program, sponsored by Central Alabama Electric Cooperative (CAEC).
Teachers, students and area schools were awarded $16,000 in grants to benefit more than 7,200 students across four counties through CAEC’s educational grant program.
A reception honoring the 26 selected grant recipients was held during an evening ceremony on Jan. 19 at the cooperative’s headquarters in Prattville, where CAEC’s Board of Trustees presented checks to the area teachers who were the authors of the grants. Grant proposals had been evaluated by a panel of judges from local community associations.
Teachers and their teams receiving a 2016 grant are: Kylee Adams of Prattville Intermediate School; Meg Aman of Central Elementary School of Coosa County; Sandy Barfoot of Airport Road Intermediate School; Brittany Brown, Janett Skinner and Denise Syslo of Prattville Primary School; Spring Bruner, Stephen Mathews and Dana Penton of Marbury Middle School; Teresa Calhoun, Melissia Wills and John Cooper of Prattville Intermediate School; Stacy Chancellor of Holtville Middle School; Lisa Compher, Paige Alverson, Delois Forbes, Debby Thompson and Tina Perry of Central Elementary School of Coosa County; Angela Cooper, Jessica Quinn and Charlette Wilson of Eclectic Elementary School; Kimberly Deem of Wetumpka Elementary School; Emily Gregory of Pine Level Elementary School; Barbara Haisten and Jerie Lewis of Elmore County High School; Darren Hughes, Angela Hughes, Rachel Jones, Donna Burke, Janet Brown and Jeremy Freeman of Central Middle School of Coosa County; Jessica Jones, Leslee Deavers, Ruth Easterling, Kalyn Shannon, Briar Smith and Stephanie Rheaume of Verbena High School; Carolee Lindsey of Holtville High School; Hannah Meherg, Katie Blight; Karen Cannon, Valerie Hughes and Anna Jones of Prattville Junior High School; Kristen Mims, Ingrid Shipman, Tina Colvin, Cesily Agee, Melinda Riddle, Donna Roberts, Mary Davis and Marina Roland of Daniel Pratt Elementary School; Kim Miller of Holtville High School; Hilary McKinney, Stacey Pierce and Tammy Price of Jemison Elementary School; Natalie McLemore of Holtville Elementary School; Melissa Nelson and Carrie Alvarenga of Millbrook Middle School; Tiffany Oshel of Wetumpka Elementary School; Michelle Richey of Daniel Pratt Elementary School; Beth Whorton Roberts of Wetumpka Middle School; and Kimberly Rose, Laconya Warwick, Renee Tucker, Lamaric Owens, Fred Graves, Leigh Sprayberry, Jenny Brannen, Ellen Palmer and Tracy Hinton of Wetumpka Middle School.
The Bright Ideas Grant Program was introduced by CAEC in 1998 with the goal of supporting innovative, interesting and effective initiatives that are not usually covered by school funding. Grants are intended to help enhance teachers’ efforts, and are awarded to individuals or teams in public, private and home schools within CAEC’s service area.
“Today’s classrooms serve as springboards for the future leaders of our communities,” said CAEC President and CEO Tom Stackhouse. “We are honored to be able to provide assistance to our educators who work tirelessly to impact all students by giving them the tools they need to be successful as well as the desire for a lifetime of learning.”
To date, CAEC has awarded approximately $272,000 to local schools through the program. More than 110,000 students in all grade levels and subject areas have benefited from the Bright Ideas grants.