Taking Learning Home

For children whose families don’t have a computer or internet access at home, continuing learning after school hours can be a challenge. That’s why took advantage of the Virginia STAR program to provide 24 families in the school with home computers.

The families picked up their computers Wednesday evening at the school, where students from Forest Park High School’s Information Technology specialty program taught them the basics of how to use the computers. 

Christina Files, a kindergarten teacher at Minnieville, learned about the program and came to Principal Nathaniel Provencio to ask if he would support it. “Of course I support it,” Provencio told her.

Files contacted the STAR program’s coordinator, Chuck Drake of Forest Park High School, who happens to be the father of a close friend of Files.

The school sent technology surveys home with all kindergarten and first-grade students to find out what families needed a computer at home. The 24 families that responded saying they did not have a home computer or internet access were selected to receive a computer through the STAR program.

“I feel it can make a huge difference because technology is such a big thing right now,” Files said. “It’s really important to have that home-school connection.”

Provencio said that schools in such a diverse area as Dale City can have a much larger impact on students than just teaching math or reading. For the many students for whom English is a second language and students from low-income families, there are extra challenges both inside and outside of the classroom. 

Provencio said that taking advantage of the STAR program was one way that the school is leveraging resources to impact students’ learning. “It’s not just about the computers,” he said. “The next step is how we’re going to use this to improve instruction.”

STAR stands for Student Training and Refurbishment. The program takes donated used computers and refurbishes them to be capable of running Windows XP and internet-ready. The families who receive the computers are also given information on how to apply for a special program through Comcast that provides affordable home internet access. 

Students in Forest Park’s Information Technology program run the program, from refurbishing the used computers to providing support for the families who receive them. Drake said the program not only helps the families who get the computers, but gives the students running the program a leg up in the technology world. 

And while they’re earning service hours in technology, they’re also learning about giving back to the community.

Files said that the computers allow children to take their learning home with them and participate in programs they otherwise wouldn’t be able to.

“We really need to bridge the gap in technology,” Files said.