By Krystal Smalley
ksmalley@wbcowqel.com
This year, the Colonel Crawford PTO has taken on the role of Santa’s elves and it is spreading a little holiday cheer at Hannah Crawford Elementary School.
Next Friday, Santa Claus will be arriving at the school to present a few extra special gifts to the students. Among those gifts will be a mobile computer lab complete with 30 new Lenovo ThinkPad laptops and indoor play equipment.
The Colonel Crawford PTO had been working over the past few years to raise funds for a mobile computer lab in the elementary. It wasn’t until this past year, however, when the group really pushed to acquire the funds.
“When we took over at the beginning of the year, we kind of had a goal in mind,” said PTO president Michelle Feik. “Our fundraising goal for the year was to buy a mobile computer lab because, as of right now, the elementary only has enough computers for two classes at a time to take testing. With state testing computerized, they needed a third set of computers so that one grade level could take a test on the same day at the same time.”
The PTO had not had any major projects in the works over the past few years but the idea of implementing a mobile computer lab in the elementary had been on the back burner of everyone’s minds for a while. Once the PTO looked over the books, Feik said they realized a mobile lab was very doable for this year. That was when they presented the idea to Elementary School principal Jennifer Sautter and, later, they pitched the idea to the public.
“It’s definitely been a team effort, that’s for sure,” Feik said.
Feik said between Spirit Shop sales and money raised over the past two or three years, the PTO had $16,000 to put toward a new mobile computer lab. The Colonel Crawford Board of Education contributed to the purchase by paying the balance, which came to nearly $3,000.
The mobile computer lab comes equipped with 30 laptops, a charging station, mice, and a cart.
“We have it now so we have more classrooms that can practice using them, getting used to the technology all the way from our kindergarteners all the way up to fifth grade, and then getting to utilize it during the testing,” said Sautter. “Also, with the Wi-Fi, we can do projects – all kinds of stuff – other than just the assessments.”
“It’ll be nice (to have the new lab),” said technology coordinator Greg Flannigan. “They won’t be fighting over the labs. They can just take them down to their rooms, plop them down on their desks and work on them right there.”
He didn’t know which class would be the first to use the mobile computer lab but, joked Flannigan, they could always bribe him with cookies to be at the top of the list.
“The majority of it will be used for the elementary but when it’s not utilized, we don’t want it to just sit in the cart. The high school and junior high can use it when we’re not using it,” explained Sautter.
“Especially during testing time,” added Feik. “The weeks that they have state testing mandated, it will be blocked off on the calendar and all of the grades will be able to use it.”
“It’s amazing, it is. It’s a good feeling,” Tonya Hoepf, vice president of the Colonel Crawford PTO, said about being able to accomplish such a goal. “I guess, as a parent, you always feel like you’re helping your child learn but being part of the PTO, being involved in part of the school and working close with the teachers and staff – it’s rewarding.”
“I think it’s really reflective of the community involvement and the parental involvement that we have at the school and how tremendous the support is. Not every school is as lucky and fortunate as we are,” said Jennifer Stirm, who serves as the PTO’s treasurer. “I think the other thing cool is it goes beyond just the school. You look at how the testing contributes to the grading system for the schools and when we’re trying to attract businesses to the county and they’re looking at the quality of the schools, hopefully this will enhance that.”
“We’re very blessed with parents who support the PTO and the PTO – all the hard work they do throughout the whole entire year,” said Sautter. “They do more than just fundraising . . . they make it easier on the teacher and make it to have opportunities for the parents to come in.”
The mobile computer lab will be presented to the elementary students during a special event next Friday. Feik said Santa Claus will arrive to gift the lab, and the indoor play equipment, to the students.