Tomorrow’s engineers and mathematicians need only a spark to get their imaginations – and their careers – headed in the right direction. Each year, the PPL Foundation honors outstanding STEM educators who provide that spark for their students.
Four teachers in eastern and central Pennsylvania were recently selected as recipients of the PPL Foundation’s 2023 STEM Educator Awards. This grant program recognizes teachers who have demonstrated success in designing and facilitating STEM learning that engages the next generation of innovative thinkers. 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.”
Brett Wandler, a technology education teacher at William Allen High School in Allentown, was selected as the outstanding classroom teacher (K-12) for 2023, receiving an award of $2,500.
Tara Miller, STEM teacher for 2nd-5th grades and gifted education teacher K-3 at Kelly Elementary/Linntown Intermediate in Lewisburg, Pa., was selected as the elementary school winner and will receive a $1,500 award for classroom supplies.
Olivia Grenter, a seventh-grade science teacher at Manheim Township Middle School, and Jacob Atherly, a chemistry teacher at Tamaqua Area High School, were selected as the middle school and high school winners, respectively. Each will receive a $1,500 award for supplies.
Be sure to nominate your favorite teacher this fall for the 2024 STEM Educator Awards, and learn more about this grant program by visiting pplempoweringeducators.com
