Jan 18, 2024
PPL Foundation awards grants to recognize outstanding STEM teachers
Four Pennsylvania educators receive funds to further student interest
in science, technology, engineering and math
ALLENTOWN, Pa. (January 18, 2023) — Tomorrow’s engineers and mathematicians need only a spark to get their imaginations – and their careers – headed in the right direction. PPL Foundation is awarding four outstanding STEM educators who provide that spark for their students.
Four teachers in eastern and central Pennsylvania were selected as recipients of the PPL Foundation’s 2023 STEM Educator Awards, which recognize teachers who have demonstrated success in designing and facilitating STEM learning that engages the next generation of innovative thinkers.
One outstanding classroom science teacher (K-12) will receive $2,500 for classroom supplies and professional development. Three teachers, one from each level – elementary school, middle school and high school – will receive $1,500 for classroom supplies. The PPL Foundation has awarded $500,000 in grants through this program since 2003.
“As an energy company, PPL understands that a strong foundation in education and STEM fields is critical to the success of today’s students and helps to create the highly skilled workforce of the future,” said Lissette Santana, president of the PPL Foundation. “The outstanding teachers selected for the PPL Foundation’s STEM Educator Awards are helping their students become the problem solvers and innovators that will create a brighter future.”
This year’s award recipients are:
- Brett Wandler, technology education teacher at William Allen High School in Allentown. Wandler was selected as the outstanding classroom teacher for 2023, receiving an award of $2,500.
- Jacob Atherly, a chemistry teacher at Tamaqua Area High School.
- Olivia Grenter, a seventh-grade science teacher at Manheim Township Middle School.
- Tara Miller, STEM teacher for 2nd-5th grades and gifted education teacher K-3 at Kelly Elementary/Linntown Intermediate in Lewisburg, Pa.
About the PPL Foundation
Through strategic partnerships, the PPL Foundation supports nonprofit organizations that are engaged in innovative and groundbreaking work to create vibrant, sustainable communities; advance diversity, equity and inclusion; and support children’s success from cradle to career in both Pennsylvania and Rhode Island. To learn more, visit pplcares.com.
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Editor’s Note: For more information on the grant program, please visit pplempoweringeducators.com.
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