Many teachers develop innovative classroom projects but lack the funds to implement them.  The Palmetto Electric Trust and Palmetto Electric Cooperative offer Bright Ideas, a grant program that provides funding for innovative classroom-based education projects that fall outside of normal school funding. Each year, teachers from southern Beaufort, Jasper and Hampton counties school submit proposals for innovative classroom projects.  The grants are intended to fund projects outside normal school funding. Teachers in grades K–12 from schools in our three-county service area can apply. A school may submit more than one application, but a teacher is limited to one application per school year.

The Palmetto Electric Trust is supported by funds from Operation Round Up®, a program in which the Cooperative’s members round their electric bill up to the nearest whole dollar. If you have any questions about the grant program or application procedures, please contact your local Palmetto Electric office or e-mail us at brightideas@palmetto.coop.

These grants are designed to help teachers provide creative and innovative learning experiences for their students. Since Palmetto Electric launched the program in 2004, area teachers in Hampton, Jasper and southern Beaufort counties have received over $805,000 in grants.

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2025 Bright Ideas Winners

Palmetto Electric Cooperative and Palmetto Electric Trust is proud to award $39,150 in Bright Ideas grants to 44 deserving teachers in southern Beaufort, Jasper and Hampton counties in 2025. Earlier this year, teachers submitted proposals for innovative classroom projects. Congratulations to this year's winners!

Beaufort County

Bluffton Middle School

Our Stories, Our Voices: Bilingual Book Publishing for Multilingual Learners: Dr. Terry Grant-Robinson, $1,000.00 

Cross Schools

Generational Genius: Amy Hall, $1,000.00 

Hilton Head Island IB Elementary School  

Pencils with Purpose: Tools for Focused Learning in 4th Grade: Jill Fernandez, $500.00

Hilton Head Island High School  

Cellular Dynamics: Investigating the Building Blocks of Life: Heidi McAllister, $520.00

STEM-STATIONAL: Rosellyn Cassidy, $1,000.00

Hilton Head Preparatory School  

Stock the Classroom Libraries: Cara Witt, $1,000.00

Business and Innovation Training: Jeff Rehling, $900.00

Tap In – A Simulated Disney Experience Using RFID, NFC & Raspberry Pis: Laura Campbell, $1,000.00

Okatie Elementary School  

The Creation Station: Amanda Altman, $945.00

St. Gregory the Great Catholic School  

Infinity and Beyond: Space Exploration: Laurie McKamey, $1,000.00

Future Makers: Design to Dollars: Christina Cleveland, $1,000.00

Red Cedar Elementary School

K-5 Builders Lab: Christina Duncan, $1,000.00

Hampton County

Ben Hazel Primary 

Soft Start Morning Bins: Creating a Calm Classroom Environment: Stephanie Carroll, $665.00

Estill Elementary

Student-Run DIY Shop: Ian Welch, $1,000.00

Estill Middle School

Understanding The Importance of Plants And Their Effects on Erosion: Mythianne Shelton, $915.00

Fennell Elementary School

Up in the Air Farming: Angela Evans, $1,000.00

Hampton Elementary School

MindField: Gregg Dixon, $1,000.00

Studio Lighting Setup: Rachael Phillips, $870.00

Varnville Elementary School

Learning and Growing with our Hands: Kelyne Buxton, $1,000.00

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words: Kelly Shipes, $785.00

Printing Landforms: Nichole Sauls, $1,000.00

Autism Awareness: Taylor Hobbs, $1,000.00

Jasper County

Hardeeville Elementary School

Self-Regulation Centers: Kimberly Gadson, $800.00

Jasper CATE Center

Digital Literacy: John Bolsch, $900.00

Ridgeland Elementary School

Publix in the Classroom – A Real-World Math Market Simulation: Karesha Taylor-Parnell, $1,000.00

Royal Live Oaks Academy Charter School

Zen and the Art of Middle School Math: Sharon Moots, $460.00

Hand In Hand, Page By Page: Carole Green, $950.00

O Geometry! O Geometry! Your Terms Are So Unchanging!: Angela Richardson, $650.00

History/Social Studies Table Top Games: Christopher Smith, $1,000.00

Without Geometry, Life is Pointless!: Amanda Gunderson, $1,000.00

Gizmos: Interactive STEM Simulations & Virtual Labs For Multilingual Learners: Leyla Heightland, $900.00

STRAWtured Learning: STEM Across Subjects: Kadene Witter-Headley, $1,000.00

Igniting Innovation Through Small Engine Repair: Romon Gray, $950.00

Literacy in Motion: Using Ozobots to Bring Stories to Life: Ced'Rica Harper, $1,000.00

Powering Up Math: Real-World Energy Explorers: Yonna Porter, $1,000.00

A Novel Idea: Alyssa Serrani, $200.00

Expanding Student Engagement in Biology through Digital Microscopy: Melanie Williams, $905.00

Manipulating Math in a Real World: Mebane Connelly, $835.00

21st Century Digital Literacy in the English Classroom: Richards Fumbi, $1,000.00

Passport to the World, a Cultural Immersion Project: Jennifer Whorf, $500.00

Eye C U!: Angela Ocasion, $1,000.00

Thomas Heyward Academy

From Page to Stage: Bringing Literature to Life: Lisa Fantacone, $1,000.00

MICROPLASTICSJO: Julie Harvey, $1,000.00

Spanish Around the World: Virtual Curriculum Immersion: Paige Hernandez, $1,000.00