Bright Ideas

Bright Ideas is Mid-Carolina Electric Cooperative's way of "energizing" creativity in the classroom through educators at local schools. Mid-Carolina awards approximately $16,000 in grants each October to educators who have innovative ideas for their classroom projects. Mid-Carolina Electric sponsors the Bright Ideas program to allow educators to compete for funding outside often-limited school district resources.

The "Bright Ideas Grant Patrol" makes special visits to grant winning teachers, surprising them with a check and other prizes to celebrate their awards with the entire school.

"The idea behind Bright Ideas," according to MCEC's CEO Bob Paulling, "is to help empower good teachers, to provide support outside of normal public school funding for great projects that deserve to be used in the classroom, yet need that extra assistance."

Bright Ideas is open to classroom educators of grades kindergarten through twelve in Lexington School Districts One, Two, Three and Five; Saluda County schools; or Pinegrove Elementary, Rhame Elementary, Sandel Elementary, St. Andrews Middle or Columbia High (Richland County).  To learn more about MCEC's Bright Ideas program, contact Lacy Ridgell at 803-749-6471.

Congratulations to our 2018 winners! 

April Beale Dutch Fork Middle School
Cheryl Leaphart Lake Murray Elementary School
Bethany Reilly Harbison West Elementary 
Parker Hollister Oak Pointe Elementary 
Emily Ray Oak Pointe Elementary 
Daniela Tripon Lake Murray Elementary School
Jaime Gill HE Corley 
Pollyanna Buff Irmo Elementary School
Megan Mantooth Green Charter School of the Midlands
Martha Hughes Ben Lippen School
Helen Siceloff Forts Pond Elementary 
Ray Hammond Columbia High School
Mary Hooker Saxe Gotha Elementary
Lisa Fisher Busbee Creative Arts Academy
Suzanne Brooks White Knoll Middle School
Shannon Frye Meadow Glen Elementary
Deborah Hightower Airport High School
Jennifer Simmons Carolina Springs Middle School