American Electric Power has awarded more than $48,000 in grants to teachers, schools and robotics clubs across West Virginia, Virginia and Tennessee.

Nearly $6,000 in Teacher Vision Grants went to educators for classroom projects. Another $42,000 went to schools and clubs for use with the FIRST robotics program.

Appalachian Power President and COO Chris Beam said the company has a strong commitment to education, especially STEM-based programs.

“Education is the key to a brighter future for our children,” Beam said. “We are committed to supporting our talented educators with our Teacher Vision Grants, and FIRST Robotics Grants, which enable students to gain experience in science and technology.”

The American Electric Power Teacher Vision Grant program provides aid ranging from $100 to $500 to classroom teachers in the company’s service territory. Projects that have an academic focus and a goal of improving student achievement are eligible for consideration.

2021 Teacher Vision Grant Recipients

West Virginia
Ballard Christian School$430
Beale Elementary School$500
Corpus Christi School$500
Hometown Elementary School$500
Kimball Elementary School$500
Milton Middle School$500
Washington Lands Elementary School$999
Virginia 
Honaker Elementary School$500
Honaker High School$500
Marion High School$500
Tazewell Elementary School$500

This year, through the FIRST robotics initiative, American Electric Power provided 27 grants to schools and robotics clubs. Based on the club level, grants were provided from $250 to $6,000. 

2021 FIRST Robotics Grant Recipients

West Virginia
Clover STEMS, Winfield$500
Eastbrook Elementary School$250
Winfield High School$6,000
Virginia
Blacksburg High School$3,000
Carroll County Middle School$500
Carroll County High School$2,000
Fancy Gap Elementary School$500
Gladesboro Elementary School$500
Gladeville Elementary School$250
Hillsville Elementary School$500
Laurel Elementary School$500
New College Institute$4,450
New River Robotics Association, Christiansburg$2,750
Oakland Elementary School$500
PC Rocket Robotics, Inc., Stuart$2,000
Ridgeview High School$2,000
St. Paul School$250
Southwest Virginia Community College$6,000
Tennessee
Andrew Jackson Elementary School$500
Andrew Johnson Elementary School$500
Dobyns-Bennett High School$6,000
George Washington Elementary School$500
Jefferson Elementary School$500
John F. Kennedy Elementary School$500
Lincoln Elementary School$250
Robinson Middle School$500
Roosevelt Elementary School$500

Appalachian Power has 1 million customers in Virginia, West Virginia and Tennessee (as AEP Appalachian Power). It is part of American Electric Power, which is focused on building a smarter energy infrastructure and delivering new technologies and custom energy solutions. AEP’s approximately 17,400 employees operate and maintain the nation’s largest electricity transmission system and more than 221,000 miles of distribution lines to efficiently deliver safe, reliable power to nearly 5.4 million customers in 11 states. AEP is also one of the nation’s largest electricity producers with approximately 31,000 megawatts of diverse generating capacity, including 5,200 megawatts of renewable energy.