Transforming technology

St. William the Abbot School raises $94K for mobile devices

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Although the academic year is winding down, Roberta Ryan, St. William the Abbot School’s director of technology, said that she is already looking forward to 2017-18. She explained that she is excited to buy dozens of new iPads and Chromebooks for students at the Seaford Catholic school — and grateful to students’ families, friends and local business owners who raised more than $94,000 to expand technology programs. 

“There are endless possibilities when students have these devices,” Ryan said. “We have to prepare them for jobs that we don’t even know exist. By not only utilizing technology, but [also by] making sure that students have devices in their hands during school and at home, they are going to be better prepared for the future.” 

For the first time in five years and the fourth time in school history, SWS hosted a large-scale fundraiser, called the Race for Education, to benefit the technology department. Created in 1984 by a former principal from Pennsylvania named Jim Cole, Race for Education-style fundraisers call for students to seek sponsors for a jog-a-thon, raising “a significant amount of money for a school’s critical educational needs,” Cole said on his website.

Loren Dempsey, a Massapequa resident whose sons — Ryan, Brendan and Aidan — are all graduates of or students at the Catholic school, coordinated the first SWS Race for Education in 2006. She said that the community quickly rallied behind the cause, raising enough money to purchase 43 computers. In subsequent fundraisers, SWS families and supporters have funded the purchase of Smartboards, 66 iPads and 43 more computers.

As of June 9, corporate sponsors and residents of the 16 communities that SWS draws from — Seaford, Wantagh, Massapequa, Massapequa Park, Amityville, Bellmore, Bethpage, Copiague, East Meadow, Farmingdale, Freeport, Levittown, Lindenhurst, Melville, Merrick and West Babylon — and countries around the globe donated $94,480 to the campaign. Dempsey said she was amazed by the community’s support, noting that hundreds of people sent small donations, averaging $22. 

When the campaign kicked off in February, Dempsey said that the student and parent organizers’ goal was to update current mobile devices and expand the school’s “1:1 initiative” by buying enough iPads for children in grades three, four and five and Google Chromebooks for students in grades six, seven and eight. 

Ryan said that school officials are now able to purchase Chromebooks for all students in fourth through eighth grade. Third-graders will be able to take new iPads home with them as well, and Ryan said she also hopes to buy enough of these tablets so that student in prekindergarten to second grade can use them in their classrooms. She also hoped to buy computer programs and apps, including one focused on typing skills. 

Principal Elizabeth Bricker said that technology is integral to the education of SWS students. She said that it is one of about 150 schools in New York using computer-based testing for the English Language Arts and mathematics state assessments for fourth- and sixth-graders.

Bricker said that Ryan works closely with classroom teachers to integrate digital programs and supplements into lessons. Mobile devices such as iPads and Chromebooks allow students to take lessons outside the building, she added, because children would be allowed to bring them home to work on projects.

“This way, anything they’re working on at school extends wherever they go,” she explained. “This is a marketplace where they are going to have to use technology, know it and be comfortable with it. We are preparing the future leaders of our local communities.”

Ryan said that students in every grade come to her computer lab once a week, which houses a 3D printer. They may also join the technology club. 

Ryan’s goal is to integrate technology seamlessly into all SWS classrooms. Access to Chromebooks would allow technology to become part of everyday life,” she said, because students would be able to contact their teachers and access lesson materials through Google Drive and Google Classroom. She noted that interactive apps and programs, like Kahoot, also help her achieve her goal. 

“Kids today learn in a different way  — they need to have that interactivity,” she said of Kahoot, a quiz app that teachers have already incorporated into lessons. “They need to feel that they are beating something or achieving something. Technology will give that to them.” 

School Board President James Cantanno said that fundraisers for “big-ticket items” like mobile devices are critical to parochial and private schools because they do not receive the financial support from the state government that public schools do. He added that the generosity of the Race for Education donors — who he said understand how special the school community is — would allow students to thrive in 21st century academic and professional environments.

The Race for Education officially began at an I love St. William School rally on Feb. 14. At the event, Dempsey said, a student committee, made up largely of seventh-graders, presented the initiative to their peers with videos and slideshows that they created. Teachers then gave students in every grade packets with more information to take home to their parents, and taught lessons focused on letter writing. On April 5, students wrote their notes to potential sponsors. 

Children of all ages gathered at the Race for Education culminating celebration, a jog-a-thon, on May 18. Youngsters ran under an archway made of maroon and white balloons, and were greeted by cheerleaders at the finish line. 

Dempsey said that the jog-a-thon brought the community together. She said that she was blown away when she noticed that younger students made signs designed to encourage runners.  

“I am just so humbled by how many people believe in this school,” Dempsey said. “Everything was so inspiring. We couldn’t possibly complete this initiative without community’s help, and I am humbled and thrilled by the generosity of our families.”