Central Alabama EC awards Bright Ideas grants

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 were evaluated by a panel of judges from local community associations.

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.