The Brighton Area Schools has been awarded a substantial grant as the top prize in a competition sponsored by ITC Transco.

ITC, based in Novi, is a private electric transmission company that supplies electricity to local electric distribution facilities. The ITC Transco grant program is designed to improve the learning environment for better education and improved learning success. STEAM is an acronym which stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math.

It’s a $15,000 grant, which the district hopes will be spread out for three years for a total of $45,000. Superintendent Greg Gray says the funds will keep the district on the cutting edge of technology and go toward STEAM Centers, which the district instituted into all schools this year, including the elementary level.

The grant applicant, Hilton Elementary teacher Amy Gallant, originally intended the grant just for her school, in order to increase its media center offerings. However, when she learned the district would be transforming the media centers into STEAM centers, she enlisted the help of district media specialists and Academic Enrichment Coach Kim Lewicki in order to expand the application. That was so all four Brighton elementary schools would be included if the grant was awarded. The resulting grant application won top prize and may turn into a multi-year funding stream to support the Brighton Area Schools’ STEAM Centers. (TT)