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Carteret-Craven Electric Cooperative (CCEC) and the Carteret-Craven Electric Foundation have awarded $30,546 in Bright Ideas education grants to 38 educators in Carteret County and Havelock to fund engaging projects for their students. More than 7,000 area students will benefit from these grants.

“Educators who win Bright Ideas grants are going above and beyond for their students,” said Melissa Glenn,30 Years of Bright Ideas communications director at CCEC. “The innovative and creative learning initiatives developed by our area’s teachers are impressive, and we are proud to help them bring these bright ideas to life.

”Over the past 30 years, CCEC and its foundation have contributed more than $646,000 to local teachers, funding 852 projects benefiting over 175,000 students in Carteret County and Havelock. Winning projects cover nearly all subjects, including science, math, technology, art, music, and more.

CCEC is one of 26 electric cooperatives in North Carolina offering Bright Ideas grants to local teachers. Since 1994, North Carolina’s electric cooperatives collectively have awarded nearly $16 million in Bright Ideas funding for almost 15,000 projects benefiting nearly 4 million students statewide.

Bright Ideas grant applications are accepted by the co-op 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 2025.

The Bright Ideas grant program is part of Carteret-Craven Electric Cooperative’s ongoing commitment to building a brighter future through community support of education.

Follow CCEC on Facebook @CarteretCraven to see how programs, such as Bright Ideas, are impacting local students and communities. To learn more about Bright Ideas grants, visit ccemc.com/BrightIdeas and follow @NCBrightIdeas on Facebook and Twitter.

2024 Bright Ideas Education Grant Winners

School

Applicant

Title

A Sea of Learning

Patience Haye

Free Your Mind and The Rest Will Follow

Annunciation Catholic School

Norma Fulton

Mixing math and Science in the Land of Oz

Arthur Edwards Elementary

Heather Santos

Terrific Tech for Hands-on Learning

Atlantic Elementary

Deidre Arthur

Shipshape STEM Bins

Atlantic Elementary

Faith Piner Styron

Minds Mesmerized with Microscopes & Microphones

Beaufort Elementary

Amy Wilson

Birds of a Feather

Bridges Learning Center

Nicole Crampton

Feed the Chickens

Broad Creek Middle

Rebeccah Haines

Let's Have a "Wheely" Good Time and "Phun" with Physics

Broad Creek Middle

Krystle Diefenbach

Calming Room

Broad Creek Middle

Ashley Colley

Walk It, Talk It

East Carteret High

Melissa Perritt

Buzzing Towards Brilliance: Launching A Quiz Bowl Team

Gramercy Christian School

Katie Long

Creative Design and Technology in the Classroom

Havelock Elementary

Karen Branch

Welcome to Cluckingham Palace

Havelock Elementary

Madison Kurre

Second Grade Paleontologists: Fossil Hunting for the Megalodon

Havelock High

Patricia Blair Dyal

"Jazzing Up" our Percussion Section

Havelock High

Eric Dougherty

Building Water Quality Awareness

Marshside Community School

Laurie Power

Creative Computers and Coding Concepts

Morehead City Elementary

Janette DeVan

Problem Solved! Movement & Fun to Accelerate Mathematics Learning

Morehead City Middle

Jasa Ellis

Save A Life

Morehead City Primary

Claire Ross

Rocks Rock & Soil is Super!

Nature School at Camp Albemarle

Kelly Justice

Rhythm and Roots: A Comprehensive Music Program

Newport Middle School

Karen Hudson-McClosley

From Paper to Perch: Engaging Math through Birdhouse Construction

Newport Middle School

Todd M Stehle

It's ELECTRIFYING!

Newport Middle School

Heather Montero

Stop Motion Superstars and Makerspace Madness!

Newport Middle School

Stacey Stehle

Delicious Science!

Newport Middle School

Alex Glass

Unlock the Past: Social Studies Adventures using Breakout Boxes

Newport Middle School

Ann Kelly

Exploring with Foldscopes

Newport Middle School

Cynthia Ackerson Delafuente

Engaged with K'nex for Force and Motion

Smyrna Elementary School

Ashley Surfass

Climbing to Success

Smyrna Elementary School

Dawn M Simpson

Recharge with Research: Inside-Out!

Smyrna Elementary School

Bridget Daniels Davis

Becoming More Mindful

Tiller School

Dana Pingatore

Rocket Science: Air Power a Journey of Forces

Tiller School

Sarah Harker Leary

Pixel Crafts Lab

Tiller School

Jetta Ivester

STEAMing with Words (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math)

Tucker Creek Middle School

Cheri Brody

Taking Learning to New Heights

Tucker Creek Middle School

Rosemary Steinman

Helping students learn in the space they learn best!

West Carteret High School

Theresa Replogle

Perseverance and Concentration

West Carteret High School

Ashley Allen

Celebration of Employable Students