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 $846,000 in grants.

Deadline to apply was September 11, 2026. 

---

2026 Bright Ideas Winners

Palmetto Electric Cooperative and Palmetto Electric Trust is proud to award $40,475 in Bright Ideas grants to 45 deserving teachers in southern Beaufort, Jasper and Hampton counties in 2026. Earlier this year, teachers submitted proposals for innovative classroom projects. Congratulations to this year's winners!

Beaufort County

Cross Schools

What Are We Missing? From Camera-Based Biodiversity Monitoring to Student Investigation: Nancy Ungvarsky, $1,000

Creating a Culture of Reading: Stefoni Shaw, $1,000

Infrared Photography: Combining Art with Science: John Cullinen, $540

Hilton Head Island High School 

Heart-Smart Cadets: Real Time Fitness Training: John Wyatt, $1,000

Hilton Head Island IB Elementary School

Building Minds and Bodies Through Cooperative STEM Movement: Kevin Murphy, $1,000

Bluffton Middle School

Environmental Impacts on the Low Country: Tanya Anderson, $1,000

Hilton Head Preparatory School

Bit32 - Creative Game Design Club: Laura Campbell, $1,000

Navigate to Well-Being: A Student-Designed K–12 Orienteering Course: Lawrence Tavino, $1,000

Catch the From Tide to Table: Bringing South Carolina Fisheries into the Science Classroom: Kathleen Sanz, $1,000

Okatie Elementary School

STEM Lab Scientists: Lizabeth Webber, $1,000

St. Gregory the Great Catholic School 

Math Comes to Life: Six Transformations, Six STEM Adventures, One Transformation: Donna Sparre, $825

The Book Report Remix: Video Podcast: Barbara Helms, $1,000

Reading is more than a Fairy Tale: Laurie McKamey, $1,000

Red Cedar Elementary School 

Discovery for the Masses!: Christina Duncan, $800

Bluffton High School

The Future of Sustainable Materials: Transforming Plastic Waste into Art, Innovation, and Environmental Action: Eveles Church, $1,000

From $100 to CEO: The Student Startup Challenge: Shalon Roberts, $1,000

H.E. McCracken Middle School

White Coats, Bright Futures: Building Tomorrow’s Medical Leaders: Melissa Richardson, $1,000

Pritchardville Elementary School

Hydroponic Garden and Propagation Stations: Liza Fries, $335

Jasper County

Beaufort-Jasper Academy for Career Excellence

EV Motor Technology Student Workstation: Joe Johnson, $795

Ridgeland Elementary School 

No Bones About It!: Kenneth Fisher, $250

Royal Live Oaks Academy Charter School

Project Language Ascent: Leyla Heightland, $1,000

Geometric Concepts in Action: Jacqueline Fulton, $900

Let's Go Fly a Kite!: Sharon Moots, $320

Math Makerspace: Design, Build, Solve & Connect: Mebane Connelly, $995

Little People, Big Voices-Teaching Writing through Authorship: Amelia Tomlinson-Rucker, $1,000

Power Up! Engineering an Electrified Community: Taylor Heffern, $1,000

Ecology in Action: Connecting Classroom Concepts to the Living World: Melanie Williams, $990

MATH + Family = FUN: Angela Ocasion, $1,000

The Green Tower: Marissa Lally, $250

Future Educators Bridge Builders Grant Proposal: Jose Hernandez, $1,000

Creative Voices: Optimized Media & Vlogging Studio: Richards Fumbi, $1,000

The Classroom Courtroom: Government, Rights & Justice: Scott Wivagg, $1,000

Evidence in Action: The Community Contamination Investigation: Kasey Arch, $935

Polaris Tech Charter School

Where Curiosity Meets Literacy: Building Young Scientists Through Hands-On Scientific Inquiry: Jewerl Mabery, $900

Thomas Heyward Academy

Literature on a New Frequency: Lisa Fantacone, $1,000

Architecture As Art: Alicia Crosby, $1,000

Growing Together - Seeds to Success: Megan Papay, $1,000

Hampton County

Brunson Elementary School 

Let’s Go With LEGO: Ken Howell, $1,000

Hampton Elementary School 

Ukulele Unit: Susan Fisk, $1,000

Get With the Program: Gregg Dixon, $640

Fennell Elementary School 

Growing Minds: A STEM Agricultural Learning Lab: Renee Banks-Jackson, $1,000

Estill Elementary 

Something Good: Growing for Our Community: Kyera Hutchinson, $1,000

Patrick Henry Academy

Building Better with Math: Tiffany Hadwin, $1,000

Varnville Elementary School

“Our Abilities on Display: A Student Achievement & Innovation Gallery”: Portia Shiver, $1,000

From Egg to Eggshell: The Ultimate Life Cycle Journal: Nichole Sauls, $1,000