News Releases

ALLENTOWN, Pa. (Nov. 19, 2019) — Imagine inner-city teens studying the environmental impact of sustainable urban farming, a  kindergarten class building basic robots, or fourth graders having the freedom to invent and problem-solve at their own pace in a school-wide innovation lab.

These projects and more will be possible, in part, thanks to PPL Foundation’s Empowering Educators grants to support science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) activities.

Fifty teachers throughout eastern and central Pennsylvania were selected as recipients of 2019 Empowering Educators grants from PPL. Each teacher receives a grant of $1,000 to spend on equipment and materials for projects.

“There’s no shortage of innovative ideas from teachers who are working to use hands-on learning opportunities to bring STEM subjects to life for their students,” said Lissette Santana, chief operating officer of the PPL Foundation. “The PPL Foundation is excited to support the efforts of inspiring educators to bring their ideas to life.”

Since the grant program’s inception in 2003, PPL, and now The PPL Foundation, have awarded more than $250,000 to 215 teachers.

For a complete list of 2019 grant recipients, please visit www.pplempoweringeducators.com.

Examples of the winning projects include:

• Cynthia Dyson, Mount Rock Elementary School, Newville, to develop the Tinker Tuesday Science Club to allow students to use their creativity and critical thinking skills while exploring design, coding and technology at their own pace in the school’s innovation lab.
• Greg Zahm, Liberty High School, Bethlehem, to lead students in the exploration of sustainable urban farming methods.
• Shannon Fettermen, Shamokin Elementary School, Shamokin, for the supplies needed to lead  kindergarten students in basic coding and robotics.
• Catherine Tombasco, Drums Elementary/Middle School, Drums, to introduce the Internet of Things concept to students by having them design and build wearable technology devices.

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About the PPL Foundation
Through strategic partnerships, the PPL Foundation supports organizations that are doing innovative and groundbreaking work to create vital, sustainable communities and are empowering each citizen to fulfill her or his potential. The PPL Foundation contributes more than $3 million annually to a wide variety of nonprofit organizations in eastern and central Pennsylvania. To learn more, visit pplweb.com.