Ellicott City, Maryland ~ Our Lady of Perpetual Help School received an outright grant of $36,000 for 120 Chromebooks from The Marion I. & Henry J. Knott Foundation. The Ellicott City Pre-K through grade 8 Catholic school will provide each student in grades 4 to 8 with their own Chromebook laptop, known as a 1:1 device program.
This initiative is part of a multi-year technology plan for the school. OLPH Principal, Victor Pellechia, shared, “Our new 1:1 Chromebook program is part of our commitment to giving our students the very best that technology and education have to offer in a 21st century learning environment. The collaborative and cloud-based opportunities, mixed with the imaginations and innovation of our students and teachers, will open up a whole new educational experience.” Teachers use Google Classroom and Google Apps for Education for assignments in core subjects, also, digital textbooks are quickly replacing a backpack full of printed materials.
Middle school science teacher, Matt Malone cites many benefits of a digital rich learning environment, stating, “The 1:1 program will dramatically impact the daily operation of our class. With immediate access to research-based websites and a world of information at their fingertips, students can more efficiently search, share, and store information, as well as collaborate more effectively on group projects.”
OLPH School has made significant upgrades to their technology program over the past few years. In 2013, they constructed a $330,000 interactive learning center, which serves as a digital hub for the school, housing a computer lab and library. Deploying a 1:1 Chromebook program is the next step in their technology plan. In the past year, the school upgraded their wireless infrastructure and installed whiteboards equipped with interactive projectors in every classroom.
Fourth grade teacher, Mary Gregorini expressed her gratitude to The Knott Foundation for “equipping our digital-learners with the tools to nurture critical thinking and problem solving. Providing each student with a Chromebook is also an opportunity to teach responsibility, cyber citizenship, and most importantly, how to be prudent consumers of technology.” In language arts, she sees Chromebooks playing an important role in the creative writing process, stating, “Research sparks creativity. Students can instantly connect with the world of the past, examine actions and ideas of the present, and discover what might affect them in the future. This all motivates critical thinking and awakens their curiosity to learn. Thanks to The Knott Foundation’s generous gift, writing education at OLPH has been given a digital face-lift!”
Founded in 1977, the Marion I. & Henry J. Knott Foundation is a Catholic family foundation committed to honoring its founders’ legacy of generosity to strengthen the community within the Archdiocese of Baltimore. For more information:www.knottfoundation.org.
