Troy 30-C Gifts Chromebooks To Graduating 8th Graders

This year’s Troy Middle School 8th grade graduating class received gifts from their school district. For the first time at the school, the students will be able to keep their school-issued Chromebooks when they graduate.

The computers will become their property to use for their own needs.

“This is a gift to our 8th graders,” said Troy Superintendent Dr. Todd Koehl, “that they’ve earned the right to keep their Chromebooks.”

The “graduation gifts” are part of a computer replacement plan approved by the Troy Community School District 30-C school board this spring.

Troy Executive Director of Information Services Ron Sarver said the computers have 11.6-inch screens with 4 GB of Ram and the usual multi-media tools made available by Google.

Assistant Superintendent of Instruction Jenna Woodland said the devices are used in several ways in Troy classrooms, such as writing, especially in social studies and English language arts; science practice through STEMscopes; math practice; collaborations with peers; receiving assignments; and receiving immediate feedback from teachers.

Woodland said the district’s software programs are still available to the students.

This was the first year students at Troy Middle School and William B. Orenic Intermediate School were issued the Chromebooks on a 1:1 students:device ratio.

“This is our first year of full implementation of 1:1 at our 5-8 campus level in which procedures were put into place to allow students to take their devices home,” Woodland said. “It has been a wonderful transition for Troy 30-C, and we are happy to be giving them the computers to use for their needs this summer and in the future.”

The Troy school district is also allowing its other students to keep their school-issued computers with them at home over the summer.