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Caldwell Teachers Win Bright Ideas Grants from Blue Ridge Energy
Now in its 31st year of helping teachers provide creative learning projects for students, Blue Ridge Energy is awarding $7550 in Bright Ideas grants to seven local Caldwell classrooms.
Bright Ideas is an academic grants program sponsored annually by Blue Ridge Energy. Bright Ideas grants help further traditional academic learning by funding innovative educational projects beyond available school funding.
Blue Ridge Energy has awarded over $674,000 in Bright Ideas classroom grants, impacting over 150,000 local students and teachers. This year, the cooperative is funding winning grants totaling over $25,000 to 27 classrooms in Caldwell, Watauga, Ashe, Alleghany, and Wilkes counties.
Caldwell County grant-winning teachers are:
- Alison Milstead of Hudson Elementary for Bee Botting into Kindergarten - the $1,100 grant will be used for a Pitsco Bee-Bot Getting Started Kit to enhance interdisciplinary learning in a kindergarten classroom. The Bee-Bot's age-appropriate design and intuitive programming interface make it an ideal tool for developing critical thinking, collaboration, and foundational coding skills. This technology will be integrated across core subject areas—ELA, math, social studies, and STEM—engaging young learners in meaningful, hands-on activities that align with academic standards and 21st-century skills.
- Anthony B. Chucci of Granite Falls Middle School for Home Maintenance Instruction - the $1,000 grant will be used to build a series of faux walls representing a kitchen, bathroom, and hallway to give students hands-on experience with real home repair tasks. Each 4-foot-wide space will include functional components—such as a kitchen sink, electrical outlets, switches, lighting, and toilets allowing students to practice skills such as fixing leaks, repairing plumbing, replacing electrical fixtures, finding studs, patching drywall, and painting.
- David Brotherton of Gateway School for Warming Up to Creativity - the $1,000 grant will support the transformation of a covered outdoor area into a makerspace. The Career and Technical Education students will construct side covers, install fans and heaters, and add electrical outlets. This project provides trade students with valuable hands-on, real-world experience that builds confidence in their skills, while creating a dedicated space for other students to conduct science experiments, collaborate, and explore learning opportunities without disrupting nearby classes.
- Betty Jo Pritchard of Gamewell Middle School for Raising the Bar: Mobile Science Lab - the $1,500 grant will fund the creation of a mobile science lab with running water. The mobile lab will help teachers implement effective, engaging science activities despite the lack of traditional lab space.
- Heather Taylor of Gamewell Middle School for Gamewell Blessing Box - the $1,200 grant will be used to establish a student-led blessing box offering non-perishable food, hygiene items, and school supplies to families from the middle and the nearby elementary school. The students will manage donation drives, stock the box, track inventory, and communicate with community partners, building leadership and service-learning skills. High school trade students will design and build the box, gaining hands-on experience and mentoring younger students while reducing construction costs.
- Julie C. Overby of Dudley Shoals Elementary for Coordinate Plantes – “Math in Motion” - the $1,250 grant will be used to purchase a giant floor coordinate grid and programmable drones allowing students to physically plot points, navigate paths, and collect data that connects math to science and technology. This will transform the way 5th-grade students learn about coordinating planes and graphing by turning abstract concepts into hands-on, real-world experiences. This kinesthetic, interactive approach will engage all learners, foster collaboration, and help students clearly see how math applies to the real world.
- Katelyn Hester of South Caldwell High School for Spartan Success Lab: Strengthening Transition Skills with Project-Based Learning - the $500 grant will be used to purchase items for the success lab, including: shelving units, laundry baskets, clothing hangers, timers, mobile work cart, assorted building materials, play grocery food, office supplies etc. Serving approximately 50 students with mild to moderate disabilities, the lab will bridge the gap between classroom instruction and workforce preparation by offering simulated work tasks that align with students’ IEP transition goals. Activities will include folding laundry, stocking shelves, sorting cutlery, labeling envelopes, shredding, and performing basic data entry, reflecting real-world responsibilities in clerical, retail, food service, and custodial industries.
“Blue Ridge Energy is proud to be in our 31st year of providing Bright Ideas grants to support our schools and teachers in building brighter futures for our communities,” said Tasha Rountree, director of community relations and economic development for Blue Ridge Energy. “I’m proud that Blue Ridge can help by funding creative classroom projects that bring innovative learning experiences to our students.”
Blue Ridge Energy is part of several North Carolina electric cooperatives that provide Bright Ideas grants. Together, they have provided over $16.5 million for over 15,400 classroom projects, impacting over 3.8 million students in North Carolina.
Blue Ridge Energy is a member-owned electric cooperative serving some 80,000 members in Caldwell, Watauga, Ashe, Caldwell, Avery, Alexander, and Caldwell counties. To learn more about the Bright Ideas grants program, visit www.BlueRidgeEnergy.com or contact your local Blue Ridge Energy office.