SANTA YNEZ CHUMASH DONATE IPADS, LAPTOPS TO LOMPOC ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Veronica V. Sandoval
vsandoval@sychumashfoundation.org
SANTA YNEZ, CA – June 17, 2019 – Before the end of the school year, the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians wrapped up its Technology in Schools Program donations with deliveries to two Lompoc-area schools – iPads for Clarence Ruth Elementary and Google Chromebooks for Buena Vista Elementary.
A shipment of 24 iPads, with protective cases, (valued at $8,650) will be used by kindergarteners at Clarence Ruth Elementary, which features a “Kinder Coder” program in its three classrooms. Buena Vista Elementary received 40 Google Chromebooks ($11,198) for use throughout its kindergarten-through-sixth-grade school, which is making a push to have a device for every student.
The tribe also granted Carpinteria Unified School District’s request for $3,300 to pay for Lexia Reading Core 5 software, which will be implemented in its afterschool program for 90 students in kindergarten through second grade.
These gifts, along with $13,438 in Google Chromebooks delivered to Jonata Middle School in Buellton, bring the total donations issued through the Technology in Schools Program’s 2018-2019 grant cycle to more than $36,500.
“As part of our Technology in Schools Program, we rely on the expertise of the Chumash enterprise’s technology services department to make sure schools that submit grant requests get the best equipment available,” said Kenneth Kahn, Tribal Chairman for the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians. “Our technology services team members even enjoy taking part in the delivery to the schools because they get to see the reactions on the students’ faces.”
Francine Martinez, a kindergarten teacher at Clarence Ruth Elementary, said the tribe’s donation will boost the school’s Kinder Coder program, which introduces the young students to computer programing.
“We’ve been trying to get iPads with our budget for the past couple years, but it just never worked out,” Martinez said. “Our school district sent out a flyer informing us about the Chumash tribe’s program, so we thought we’d apply and give it a shot.”
“This will change our program so much,” she added. “Right now, we’re working with antiquated computers. We have maybe four laptops or desktops in the classroom at one time, and they’re maybe five or six years old. This really gives our students an opportunity to have that one-to-one access to technology. It helps us feel like we can possibly keep up with the changing times.”
Buena Vista Elementary School Principal Dr. Agnes Asiedu-Kume said the donation of 40 laptops will bring her school closer to ensuring that three students don’t have to share just one Chromebook in the classroom.
“In the classroom, technology helps make the curriculum more accessible to the students,” she said. “There are applications like Google Classroom – kids can go in there, do their assignments and present their assignments. And now, of course, testing is on Chromebooks. For our upper-grade students, this will be a great asset.”
The tribe’s Technology in Schools Program allows school administrators and faculty to apply for technology grant dollars to fund specific projects. With schools struggling to keep their equipment and software up to date, finding additional resources to pay for new technology can be difficult for local schools.
In 2015, the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians donated the proceeds from its annual charity golf tournament to four local schools in the form of technology grants. Inspired by the success of those grants, the tribe’s leadership has created the Technology in Schools Program through its foundation to help fulfill the high-tech needs of classrooms in Santa Barbara County.
The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians has donated more than $25 million to hundreds of groups, organizations and schools in the community and across the nation as part of the tribe’s long-standing tradition of giving.