$800 – Computer Lab: Engaging Students
During this year’s Youth Philanthropy Program, participating Teton High School Seniors readily signed on to help the students enrolled in ABC by fully funding their ask for a computer lab. ABC – Above and Beyond the Classroom in Teton Valley provides academic, enrichment and wellness programs in a safe and supportive environment for at-risk children after school and for 8-weeks during the summer months.
While students will be moving to the new Driggs Elementary building, complete with a new computer lab, this Spring, ABC’s programming will remain at the current Driggs Elementary school that will eventually be converted to district administration offices. As a result, ABC will lose access to their current computer lab.
A large component of ABC’s programming is focused on academic support. They accomplish this through homework support; through volunteers who arrive daily to provide literacy intervention for children with high needs; and by allowing children time at the computer lab to work on platforms such as Prodigy (Math), Imagine Learning (Literacy), Spelling City (Spelling/Vocabulary), and do other work from their regular classroom assignments. ABC relies on the computer lab for academics. The platforms students typically work on are educational core areas that are critical for their success as they move into RUES, TMS, and THS.
Five out of six Teton School District #401 schools have a Title I status. Title I status means that over 40% of the school student body come from families whose earnings are at or below low-income or poverty standards. It is well documented that hunger and poverty have a detrimental impact on student achievement. At Driggs Elementary, where ABC programming is housed, 53% of the children participate in free or reduced lunch.
Technology is becoming a requirement for academic learning and success. However, many of our ABC children lack access to technology at home. When there are students that have access to technology, and others who do not, it creates an inequitable learning environment. By providing our ABC children with access to technology, it levels the playing field.
Teton Seniors appreciated that our community needs to have children with strong technical skills and capabilities and that a computer lab promotes what students are learning in the classroom and provides a benefit that may not otherwise be possible. Youth Philanthropists readily applied an $800 award that will help ABC purchase a computer lab for the ABC after school and summer school programs. The project includes 30 Chromebooks, 30 software licenses, and a charging station with the Teton School District to provide installation and ongoing tech support. ABC plans to look for a matching grant and more from the Teton Springs Foundation and to raise the remaining $2,000 in funding from community members and ABC supporters.
To add your support to this project, contact Diane Temple.