Additional two high schools awarded $20,000 in technology thanks to Samsung Hope for Children Smart School Grants
Announcement Highlights:
- Future Shop is excited to reveal the 12 schools sharing nearly $250,000 in Future Generation Tech Lab grants.
- Since 2008, the Future Generation Tech Lab program has awarded 48 secondary schools with the resources needed to update classroom technology necessary to inspire, motivate and empower today's students.
- As an added bonus, two additional Samsung Hope for Children Smart School Grants, each valued at $10,000.
BURNABY, BC, Feb. 13, 2013 /CNW/ - After reviewing more than 150 applications from schools seeking upgrades to their technology, Future Shop, Canada's largest retailer and etailer of consumer electronics, is pleased to announce grant recipients for this year's Future Generation Tech Lab program. The 2013 program is gifting nearly $250,000 in total grants to the 12 deserving schools across Canada for classes and programs focused on students in Grade 9-12. These schools submitted applications in November and December 2012 and were judged based on the impact of the technology on student learning potential.
"We know access to the latest technology fuels inspiration and creativity in high school students and we are excited to see the results this technology will bring to these 12 deserving schools," said Andrea Farnell, Community Relations Manager, Future Shop. "Some of the schools are already running amazing courses and the additional tech will allow them take it to the next level, while other schools are in desperate need of technology just to meet the basic needs of their students."
The following 12 schools are recipients of a Future Generation Tech Lab grant:
Britannia Secondary School, Vancouver, BC. Britannia's unique location in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside means a large portion of the school budget is earmarked to subsidize the "basics": school fees, supplies, team uniforms, field trips and food, leaving their technology seriously out of date. Students researching projects in the library are directed to old editions of Encyclopedia Britannica because the computers are broken. With their $25,000 grant, Britannia will upgrade technology for their library, Fine Arts program and Resource Centre.
Clearwater Secondary School, Clearwater, BC. This rural school's small size means their essential senior level courses are not offered every year making it difficult for students to meet competitive university entrance requirements. Recently, the school piloted a project where, through web-based instruction, one teacher could teach two or three courses in the same room allowing Clearwater students to have access to every class they need to meet their post-secondary requirements. The $22,000 grant will allow Clearwater to purchase tablets to assist students taking the expanded course offerings to access course materials.
New Westminster Secondary School, New Westminster, BC. With a school the size of six city blocks, student access to computers is a very real issue for New Westminster Secondary. Serving 2,500 students, the library's class set of 30 ten-year old computers are not adequately meeting the needs of the student population. Thanks to their $16,000 grant, the school will replace the aged computers and purchase additional units to expand the library's tech offerings.
Alternative High School, Calgary, AB. At Alternative High School, students work on alternative educational programs in an environment where democratic living, learning and respect are paramount. Students have the freedom to learn in a personalized manner and instruction is conducted in small groups or individual tutorials and independent learning/personal projects, where the use of technology would greatly benefit the students. With their $25,000 Tech Lab grant, Alternative will purchase a variety of technology to expand the learning opportunities of all their students.
Parkview Secondary School, Hamilton, ON. Parkview students are enrolled based on their specific educational needs; 95 per cent of the student population is on an Individual Education Plan and every student has some form of learning disability. The school is looking to improve the technology supporting their literacy and numeracy skill programs. Their $23,000 grant will be used to build a Literacy and Numeracy Lab where assistive technology like tablets, headphones and a Smartboard will give their students the help they need to develop these fundamental skills.
Clarke Road Secondary School, London, ON. With mismatched, donated and recycled equipment, the persevering Communications teacher and students at Clarke Road have been producing a weekly radio talk show on a local college station and broadcasting their own daily radio and TV programs at their school. It will be exciting to see what they will be able to accomplish with the new technology they'll be purchasing with their $17,000 Tech Lab grant.
École secondaire de L'île, Gatineau, QC. Computer labs at École secondaire de l'île are always booked full of students doing research or word processing, leaving many classes without a way to incorporate technology into their studies. With the purchase of tablets thanks to their $25,000 grant, students in art, music and other classes will be able to access technology and enhance their learning opportunities.
École secondaire des Hauts-Sommets, Saint-Jérôme, QC. École secondaire des Hauts-Sommet offers students in the "Focus on Information Technology" or FIT program, a chance to learn specialized training and vocational certifications from the Cisco Networking Academy. A goal of this program is to integrate technology into every aspect of the student's learning, a challenge due to the school's limited resources. With their $22,000 Tech Lab grant, students in the FIT program will have an influx of technology to expand their expertise and better prepare them for future careers in IT.
Kennebecasis Valley High School, Rothesay, NB. The Student Center is a hub of activity for many students who attend KVHS as well as a place where they go for specific support for their academic needs. KVHS will use its $18,000 grant to purchase assistive technology including laptops, tablets and large screen monitors, which will level the playing field allowing student with exceptionalities to succeed right alongside their peers.
Blackville School, Blackville, NB. Approximately 70 per cent of high school students at Blackville take Journalism and Media Studies courses, learning practical applications including podcasting, video production, online publishing, photography, interview skills and writing. Using their $15,000 grant to purchase new, faster computers, software, and cameras the school aims to create a greater "work-like" atmosphere where students will have all the technology they need to excel in their studies.
Lockview High School, Fall River, NS. Lockview, striving to keep 1,250 students engaged and motivated while acknowledging a large variety of learning styles, piloted the use of interactive whiteboard technology with great success in the Math and Science Departments two years ago and is eager to bring this program to other areas of study. With a $25,000 Tech Lab grant to purchase more interactive whiteboards, tablets, document cameras and projectors, Lockview will bring this technology to other classes and continue to engage students of all learning styles and needs.
Bluefield High School, Hampshire, PEI. For students struggling with reading, access to technology is a key element of their potential for success in high school. The Bluefield resource centre teachers recognize this need but so far have been unable to provide their students with the right devices. With their $14,000 grant, Bluefield will be able to provide these students with the additional support they require improve their literacy skills.
Founded in 2008, the Future Shop Future Generation Tech Lab program has awarded more than $1.5 million in monetary grants to 48 schools seeking resources to update the classroom technology necessary to inspire, motivate and empower today's students. The goal of the program is reducing the digital and economic divide for youth by providing them with modern technology to stay inspired as they move into post-secondary education and into the workforce.
Two additional schools receiving Samsung Hope for Children Smart School Grants totaling $20,000
Accessing from the same applications pool as the Future Shop Future Generation Tech Lab, thanks to Samsung Hope for Children, two more schools are awarded with new Smart School technology. Samsung Hope for Children and Future Shop are thrilled to name William Roper Hull School in Calgary, AB and York Humber High School in Toronto, ON as Samsung Hope for Children Smart School Grant recipients. Both schools will receive $10,000 each in Samsung technology for their classrooms.
"We believe that technology can make all the difference in the classroom to help advance a student's education, so we're proud to award two deserving schools with Samsung Hope for Children Smart School Grants," said James Politeski, President of Samsung Electronics Canada. "We look forward to equipping this year's winning schools with the right Samsung technologies to help take their learning to higher levels."
William Roper Hull School, Calgary, AB. This special education school supports students with complex social, emotional, behavioural and educational needs. Teachers at the school have found that technology motivated their students academically, allowing them to better express their knowledge and feelings using creative formats. Their $10,000 Samsung Hope for Children Smart School Grant will be used towards Samsung laptops and monitors to help teach the students employability skills.
York Humber High School, Toronto, ON. York Humber is a small special needs secondary school dedicated to providing essential business, technical and employability/life skills for students planning to pursue careers in the skilled trades, apprenticeships, and community businesses. The Samsung Hope for Children Smart School Grant of $10,000 will help equip a classroom with Samsung laptops and monitors.
For more information, visit www.futureshop.ca/techlab.
About Future Shop
With 140 stores across the country and the nation's premier web store (www.futureshop.ca), Burnaby, BC-based Future Shop is Canada's largest retailer and e-tailer of consumer electronics. The company employs 10,000 technology enthusiasts, has enabled its website, Futureshop.ca, to deliver unparalleled content about the products it sells. Futureshop.ca also hosts an online community forum and tech blog called Tech Yeah for technology beginners and tech-savvy experts to exchange ideas, reviews, tips and other consumer electronics information (www.futureshop.ca/techyeah). As a proud corporate citizen, Future Shop has developed solutions to recycle used electronics and is committed to employee volunteerism and supporting non-profit organizations dedicated to transforming local youth into Future Leaders (see www.futureshop.ca/futuregeneration).
About Samsung Hope for Children
Since our founding in 1969, Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. has worked with passion and purpose to actively serve as a generous and ethical corporate citizen everywhere we operate. The Samsung Hope for Children program was launched globally to bring attention to the worldwide need for childhood education, health, and environmental sustainability. It is one of the ways in which Samsung uses our innovation to create a better world. Follow Samsung Canada on facebook.com/SamsungCanada or on twitter @SamsungCanada. For more information, please visit www.samsung.com.
SOURCE: Future Shop
Media contacts
Future Shop:
Elliott Chun │[email protected] │604.412.1764
Press room: www.futureshop.ca/media
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Samsung:
Nicole Grant │[email protected] │416-419-6577
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