Foundation provides Dist. 200 schools with Chromebooks

As part of its goal to increase student access to new technologies, the NEW 200 Foundation has provided every school in Wheaton Warrenville Unit District 200 with two Chromebooks. The schools will integrate the Chromebooks into classroom and resource learning.

"Through community support and fundraising events like the Pizza Palooza, we are pleased that we can end the academic year by providing every school in our district with Chromebooks," said Pamela Paulsen, president of the NEW 200 Foundation.

"While we have made great strides this year, there is still more we can do to meet the demands of rapidly evolving technology and curriculum."

Principals of schools in the district have responded enthusiastically to the addition of the Chromebooks as learning resources.

"We look forward to using the Chromebooks for student collaboration," Hawthorne Elementary School Principal Danielle Moran said. "We have a handful of Chromebooks currently and the students find them motivational; they truly enjoy using them to learn."

"I cannot stress enough how thankful we are for the NEW 200 Foundation and the gift of the two Chromebooks," said Stephanie Farrelly, principal of the Jefferson Early Childhood Center. "We are thrilled and grateful for the additional opportunities provided by the NEW 200 Foundation to enrich the educational environment for our students."

Over the past five years, the foundation has raised $45,000 in grants for teachers and schools for classroom technology and projects that would not have otherwise had a funding source.

With budget cuts in educational funding at the state and district level, the NEW 200 Foundation is a not-for-profit organization that raises money to help bridge the gap between District 200 revenue limitations and the desire to expand educational opportunities for all district students.

The foundation collaborates with the district to award grants to teachers for innovative classroom teaching methods and classroom technology. NEW 200 is an acronym for Network for Educational Excellence in Wheaton-Warrenville for District 200, which serves more than 13,400 students.