Cambridge Elementary receives $15K technology grant from Best Buy
Best Buy presented Cambridge Elementary with a $15,000 cheque on Feb. 28, 2024. (Image: Surrey Schools)
Students at Surrey’s Cambridge Elementary will have greater access to more learning devices such as tablets, thanks to a new technology grant from Best Buy Canada.
As part of the tech retailer’s School Tech Grants program, Cambridge Elementary will receive $15,000 for new school devices that will provide students with more opportunities to explore lessons in STEM and digital literacy. Last year two Surrey Schools received the same grant.
While the program typically awards up to $10,000 per school, the figure was increased to $15,000 this year to mark the program’s 15th anniversary.
Representatives from the company attended a special assembly at the school on Wednesday (Feb. 28), to present a cheque to Cambridge Elementary staff.
“We’re so thankful for this grant,” said Cambridge teacher-librarian Karen Sandhu-Birring, who applied for the grant alongside teacher Miguel Pascual and the district’s Advancement Office.
Sandhu-Birring said with Cambridge having one of the largest student populations in the district, the availability of technology has sometimes been a struggle at the school.
“We have a mix of laptops and iPads that are shared between classes, but with some of the devices being quite old and having so many students, we simply need more,” she said.
Pascual, who manages much of the school’s technology, noted that device are spread so thin that students are only able to check them out twice a week, equating to just a few hours of learning time with a device per week.
“That means student time is limited for things like learning to type, exploring digital literacy and using some of the district’s online learning resources,” he said. “And we need to restart some of our laptops every session, so they’re pretty much at the end of their life.”
Sandhu-Birring and Pascual said they’re looking at purchasing a set of iPads with keyboards, giving students the best of both worlds when it comes to touchscreens and keyboard inputs.
“We’re not sure how many we can get yet with that, but we’re happy to have more devices on the way for our students,” said Sandhu-Birring.
“We were thrilled to award Cambridge Elementary with a tech grant this year,” said Jen Knight, Social Impact Manager at Best Buy Canada. “We could really see the impact this would make on all of the students, and the passion that the staff have to ensure everyone has the right tools to empower their education.”
To learn more about the Best Buy School Tech Grant program, click here.
