Thanks to a entry submission from Debby Lewis, a technology specialists at S.S. Dixon Primary School in Pace, her school will now have an additional $5,000 to use for their technology lab.
On Wednesday afternoon, Lewis was presented with two $2,500 checks from this year’s Great American School Spectacular Contest. In the contest, which is sponsored by the Great American Insurance Group, Lewis submitted an entry promoting the school’s Collaborative Innovate and Assimilate or C.I.A. Lab. Lewis’s entry was among 450 school entries in the nationwide contest.
Steve Neperud, a regional vice president for the insurance company, said Lewis’s submission was selected among the top ten finalists by the company.
“From those ten, (the entries) put on the website and voted on nationally,” Neperud said. “Out of 50,000 votes this school came in second.”
According to a press release from the insurance company, S.S. Dixon was awarded a total of $5,000.
Lewis was more than happy to received the award on the school’s behalf.
“It’s exciting to be able to utilize it,” she said. “It’s going to be utilized for six touch screen laptops and a charging cart.” Lewis said the school already has 14 touch screen laptops on order.
The laptops will be used in the school’s C.I.A. lab, which already features an Mimio interactive system, a SMART Table and ports for electronic devices and laptops. Once the C.I.A. lab is fully operational, it will be used by all students in order “to gain a deeper understanding of the core curriculum” Lewis wrote in her entry synopsis.
“This is only going to benefit (students) because at home most of them are on devices on a personal level,” Lewis said. “This will put it in an educational level.”
Nancy Haupt, the school’s principal, anticipates the lab will soon offer more economical solutions to students.
“We are hoping to reach outside of Pace,” Haupt said. “With the economy and the timing, we can’t go to Australia or Washington D.C. but now with virtual field trips…we can bring them to us.”
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: S.S. Dixon Primary teacher helps school win $5,000 for technology lab