Molly Brant Elementary School selected to receive technology grant

Molly Brant Elementary School has been selected as one of 20 schools to receive a $5,000 donation to help purchase computers and other tech-based supplies for its students.

The funds are part of the Desjardins Tech Donation Program, which began in 2020 as a response to the urgent need for digital equipment, which was exacerbated due to the pandemic, according to a release from the Desjardins Group.

Desjardins and the EdCan Network are working together to provide these funds to help students and schools across the country that need support in obtaining technology-based learning tools, according to the release. In its second year, the two organizations are giving away a total of $100,000 to 20 Canadian schools from grades K to 12.

“As schools manage the ongoing shift to remote and hybrid learning, the Desjardins Tech Donation Program addresses an evident need for technology-based supplies,” said Marilyn Horrick, Senior Vice President, Ontario Market, Desjardins. “Being there for our youth has always been a priority for Desjardins and we’re proud not only to award this year’s recipients but also to continue this program and our partnership with EdCan next year to support students’ educational growth.”

Scott Morency, principal at Molly Brant, said the school community was very excited to hear they had been chosen for this program.

“It’s a great feeling,” Morency expressed. “Lots of schools apply to these grants and it’s wonderful to have been selected. It’s great for the students that we serve at Molly, and it’s great to be able to add this to our complement of technology for our kids, for sure.”

While filling out the paperwork back in November, the school already had a good idea where the money would go, if they were fortunate enough to be selected. Chromebooks – 20 of them – top the list of items to purchase at the school now.

“With the switches that we’ve had to remote learning, one of the things that comes out of this is that, in some unforeseen circumstances, you sometimes don’t get all of the technology back in the same working order that you send out,” he continued. “The technology gets used so much by kids all day long that there’s wear and tear and there’s unforeseen damages and things, so really, this is it’s a way to replenish some of our supplies around technology that we’ve got in the school. It’s a way to just continue to build up our inventory of technology for our kids.”

Those 20 Chromebooks will support three of the 19 classrooms at Molly Brant, and provide technology opportunities to kids both at home and at school, according to Morency.

Desjardins has committed an additional $100,000 donation to continue this program for a third year and encourages all 2021 applicants to reapply once the 2022 Desjardins Tech Donation Program is relaunched later this year.

“We received tech donation applications from deserving schools across Canada, which revealed the alarming inequities faced by too many students, particularly from marginalized communities,” said EdCan Chair Anne MacPhee. “We commend Desjardins for contributing significant resources for the tools necessary for student success and we’re thrilled to continue to work with them to bridge this persistent equity gap.”

To review the entire Desjardins Tech Donation program and the list of the 2021 donation recipients, please visit: https://www.edcan.ca/awards/desjardins-tech-donation-program/.