Press
District 7 ‘Technology in the 21st Century’ Classroom Initiative Fund Raising Continues
SCU, Bella Milano Partner For October 3 Event
EDWARDSVILLE, IL (September 10, 2013) — While the school year is under way and classrooms in District 7 have new PolyVision whiteboards, fund raising for the Technology in the 21st Century initiative is ongoing.
Scott Credit Union has pledged $25,000 and is partnering with Bella Milano to help the Edwardsville School District in its effort to increase technology in classrooms throughout the District.
Scott Credit Union and Bella Milano will host Hunt 4 Hardware – an experience to enhance education from 5:30 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, October 3 in the Tuscan Room at Bella Milano in Edwardsville. The evening will feature appetizers, beverages and a silent auction with all proceeds benefiting District 7.
Tickets are $30 per person, and reservations can be made in advance by contacting Ashleigh Deatherage at SCU by calling 381-7214 or emailing her at adeatherage@scu.org.
District 7 launched the Technology in the 21st Century Classroom Initiative last year and recently reached its goal of placing PolyVision interactive whiteboards in 370 classrooms throughout the school district before the start of this school year.
District representatives have said that the whiteboards are the first step in adding more technology in the classrooms. The District also plans to purchase ThinkPad 2 tablets for the classrooms. The tablet will allow the teacher or a student operate the board from anywhere in the classroom.
PolyVision Boards are interactive white boards that use touch screen technology to increase the effectiveness of teachers’ in-class instruction. Lessons on the PolyVision Boards can be saved for later review, and information from other sources can be downloaded and displayed.
Superintendent Ed Hightower said that the 21st Century Classroom Initiative was developed to equip classrooms with the tools teachers and students need to be successful in this increasingly digital world.
“Teachers have access to up-to-date information, photos, videos, and other resources that can be used to support all students in all subject areas. This initiative enables the District to maximize technology resources during these extremely difficult economic times,” Hightower said.
“The PolyVision Boards cost about $3,000 each and there are additional expenses for additional technology in the classrooms. This is a great way for Scott Credit Union to help the school district provide this technology for the students’ benefit,” said SCU President & CEO Frank Padak. “It is exciting for us to be a part of this project, especially at a time when the state is behind on their funding for schools, and they need our help.”
Scott Credit Union is partnering with Bella Milano owners Sam Guarino and Craig Kalogerou to plan the evening event to raise money for the Technology in the 21st Century Classroom Initiative. Bella Milano will provide the appetizers and beverages for the evening.
“Sam and Craig have been great to work with on this project. They have done similar fund-raisers in the past that have been very successful,” Padak added. “We hope that people in the community will step up and help raise the additional money needed for the District to complete its initiative.”
“Bella Milano has enjoyed the support of the community for many years and it is our pleasure to repay that patronage by engaging in many community and charitable projects,” Guarino said. “This particular endeavor allows us to partner with another business that constantly seeks to improve our city and we are excited to work with the team at Scott Credit Union. We know this event will be a great time with some great food and drink, an excellent venue and all for a great cause.”
Scott Credit Union has made giving back to its communities a major priority. The local credit union contributed about $275,000, and its employees volunteered over 2,300 hours to a variety of area civic efforts throughout the region in 2012.
“We consider Scott Credit Union an innovative organization, and we are really happy to be a part of a project to increase the level of technology used in the classrooms here in the Edwardsville School District,” Padak said. “Credit unions are really about helping people, and this is another way for us to take that even a step further. It is an honor for us to help students in our local schools.”
Bella Milano has locations in Springfield, O’Fallon and Edwardsville and operates the food service for LCCC at the N.O. Nelson Center.
Scott Credit Union is open to anyone who lives or works in an 17 county area, including Madison, St. Clair, Monroe, Randolph, Perry, Franklin, Jefferson, Washington, Clinton, Marion, Bond, Macoupin, Montgomery, Fayette, Effingham, Williamson, and Jackson counties. Anyone who lives or works in St. Louis County, Mo., also can open accounts with SCU. Additionally, any active or retired military also can have accounts with Scott Credit Union.
Scott Credit Union currently has 15 area locations: Scott Air Force Base, East Belleville, Fairview Heights, Collinsville, O’Fallon, Edwardsville, Waterloo, Highland, Caseyville, West Belleville, Millstadt, Mascoutah, Troy, Wood River and its Home Office in Edwardsville.
For details on opening accounts at Scott Credit Union, visit www.scu.org, call 1-800-888-4728, or stop by any of the credit union’s branches.