The district has enrollment of about 38,000 students, and some of those students don’t have internet access or computers in their homes. The school district provided chromebooks to students without technology, and the foundation is working to connect to those computers.
“If you think about it, if you don’t have internet access at home, you might have a cell phone or a smartphone, but you can’t do homework on a phone,” said Anoka-Hennepin Educational Foundation executive director Tess DeGeest.
Schools are also distributing paper materials, especially for the younger students. But for the foundation, internet access remained important.
“Its not just about the material and the wealth of information, it’s the connectivity to your teacher,” said DeGeest. “The connectivity is as much about learning as it is relationship.”
So, the foundation is getting wireless hot spots for students.
“That’s one very tangible need, but we know there are other needs that we haven’t even necessarily identified yet,” said DeGeest.
As classrooms remain empty, the foundation expects the needs will continue to evolve. The foundation has raised about $40,000 to meet these changing needs through individual and corporate gifts.
“I feel so fortunate to be a part of a community that is so quick to give and to care about students and education,” said DeGeest.
