Grade 8 student Shaune Frank connecting with classmates on their new Chromebook
When the boxes arrived, Iris Frank knew they were the answer to a big problem facing her students when BC communities and schools went into lock down in March 2020.
“The majority of our students didn’t have access to adequate tools,” says Iris, Tla‑o‑qui‑aht First Nation Education Manager.
“Students were forced to do assignments from their cellphones. The few who had tablets found they were either outdated or too slow, and didn’t support the software they needed.”
Creative Salmon provided $20,000 in COVID assistance to the Tla‑o‑qui‑aht First Nation, which went toward new Chromebook laptops to enable students to keep studying through the pandemic, including Microsoft Teams compatibility for attending class virtually.
The Chromebooks have arrived!
The Chromebooks (including 50 more donated by Creative in the fall of 2020) will continue to be used by the students for remote learning, accessing online resources, and connecting directly with youth workers.
“The relief I saw in the students and parents when the Chromebooks arrived can’t be measured in words,” Iris says. “There was such a beam of happiness. So much gratitude for the gift to their households, and peace-of-mind knowing their children’s education would continue during a difficult time.”
