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Free computers to help students get better grades!

December 14, 2012 Editorial Staff
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Sixth graders from I.S 228, David A. Boody, most of who don’t have computers, took home a free new broadband-ready desktop computer loaded with educational software, free access to additional online subscription software via PowerMyLearning.com, and free 24/7 bilingual help desk support.

“This is the third year that we’re a part of this program,” said Dominick D’Angelo, principal of the middle school. “We’re extending digital learning beyond the classroom so that our students can go online at home and supplement instruction at school.”

D’Angelo said that 80 percent of the students at Boody are eligible for “free lunch,” based on their family income, and continued explaining , “For many students, it’s their first computer.

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“Siblings can use it,” he continued. “We’re fortunate to have it.”

Students and their parents/guardians could be spotted on Saturday, December 8, at a Family Learning Workshop where together they learned about a wide range of digital educational activities including games, videos and simulations covering subjects such as math, English, science and social studies.

“We’re teaching each other,” said Sarnia, mother of a sixth-grader, Kumar Skipping, who was in the room. Volunteers of CFY guided them step-by-step. CFY is a national educational nonprofit that was launched in New York City in 1999. Its mission is to help students in low-income communities improve educational outcomes.

In the case of Monty Sharp, 12, another sixth-grader taking home a fresh new computer, the computer, his mother said, will help him get better grades. Sharp does not have a personal computer at home, besides the one his mother owns, which was provided by work and which he cannot use.

“He needs a computer,” his mom Ebonie Towns said. “It’s a great program and we save money; now all we have to do is buy a printer; we really appreciate it.”

Since its founding, CFY has served more than 50,000 families from more than 100 schools across the country. This year, CFY will partner with more than 70 schools and serve nearly 9,000 families in New York City alone.

Fayzullo Nigmatullayev, Shahvaiz Shah, and Mohamed Ibrahim, now seventh graders, said the free computers they received last year helped them obtain better grades, especially in science. They’re part of Math Squad, an after-school program that trains them to be certified technicians. Tina Krekoukis, their teacher, said it’s interesting to see the kids all around the school helping others.

The three boys exclaimed that they love technology, their reason for being at school on a Saturday, adding that their school “is the best,” with its great teachers and principal.


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