MONROE, La., May 16, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- With the goal of equipping students across the country to succeed in today's digital economy, CenturyLink, Inc. (NYSE: CTL) is awarding over $750,000 to fund nearly 200 classroom projects as part of the CenturyLink Clarke M. Williams Foundation's 2018-2019 Teachers and Technology grant program.
Calusa Park Elementary School in Naples, Florida used their CenturyLink Teachers and Technology grant to purchase small, programmable robots along with iPads for students to program them.
iPads funded by CenturyLink are helping students at Meadowlark Elementary in Billings, Montana become “better digital citizens,” in addition to improving their reading, writing and math skills.
The $5,000 CenturyLink grant awarded to Pell City (Alabama) High School will be used in a project titled “Accessing Digital Learning with Chromebooks.” Accepting the grant check are (from left) Brent Beal, Christy Gunn, winning teacher Amy Beck, Jackie Wyche, Windy Jones, Kelly Smith and Alabama State Representative Randy Wood.
West Monroe High School in West Monroe, Louisiana, used its CenturyLink grant to purchase Chromebooks for social studies learning activities. From left are West Monroe teacher Mitzi Murray and principal Shelby Ainsworth.
View a complete list of the 2018-19 CenturyLink Teachers and Technology grants here.
The Teachers and Technology program, which is designed to improve how classrooms leverage technology and innovation, has awarded more than $11 million since its inception. The program awards grants of up to $5,000 per project to schools in CenturyLink's local service and corporate locations on behalf of pre-K through 12th grade teachers who have developed plans to innovatively implement technology in their classrooms.
"CenturyLink recognizes the importance of introducing young people to science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM," said Sondra Smith, CenturyLink director of corporate social responsibility (CSR). "STEM competencies help students think more creatively, view the world through a different lens and search for new possibilities."
Grants funded through the 2018-19 program will provide a range of equipment to classrooms, including robotics, drones, virtual reality mechanisms, laptops, microscopes and more. This equipment will enable students to learn about and embrace newer technologies, which will help ready them for future jobs across the nation and the world.
Key Facts
Across the United States, more than 1,300 grant applications were submitted to the grants program and 180 were awarded based on how they will benefit students in the classroom and the overall innovation of the project.
The CenturyLink Teachers and Technology program, which began in 2008, has awarded more than $11 million to fund technology-based learning projects to date.
CenturyLink service is neither required nor considered in the review of applications.
About the CenturyLink Foundation The CenturyLink Clarke M. Williams Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to contributing to endeavors that improve the well-being and overall quality of life for people throughout CenturyLink's communities. Named after CenturyLink's founder, Clarke M. Williams, the Foundation is endowed by CenturyLink to support K-12 STEM education and other initiatives that encourage our employees to use their time, talents and treasure to strengthen their communities.
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