KEKAHA — In July, St. Theresa School in Kekaha was awarded a Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act grant of $40,700 to help teachers and students make a smooth transition with distance learning by providing technology devices, proper training for the teachers and expansion of the school’s Wi-Fi bandwidth for nearby communities.
Principal Wendy Castillo said she was thrilled to receive the news the county approved her school’s proposal and Transitions to Success Program, which is spearheaded by TTSP Manager Shantel Santiago.
“It was an exhilarating feeling knowing that there was relief coming to fill some of the urgent needs that the school has identified to continue education safely, disseminate information efficiently and to help the community,” Castillo said.
St. Theresa School received the federal funds in July, and must use them by the end of the year. Castillo said the funds are to benefit teachers and the students’ educational needs.
“The funding requested will be used to prepare for effective teaching and learning during a stay-at-home order. The school will implement training for instructors, learners and parents on educational platforms (and) apps for distance learning,” said Castillo.
“The school’s bandwidth will be expanded so that the on-campus community and the nearby Kekaha community will have reliable access to network services for education (and) work purposes.”
Castillo said identified hardware will be purchased to enhance distance-learning capabilities for all, and for video conferencing in replacement of traditional congregating for school and church purposes.
“Proper training, increased bandwidth and hardware will aid in achieving a positive distance-learning experience for the end-users that will be conducive to sustained growth for learners, teachers, families and the community at large,” Castillo said.
The school’s IT team includes five people constantly working on completing purchases, implementation and training on hardware and software.
St. Theresa School plans to have one project manager working on their budget, and monthly reporting while getting hands-on training with Castillo.
Castillo said they also have one building-maintenance employee who will help with some of the hardware installations.
The goals at St. Theresa School include complete training for the staff, students and families on the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, and to teach everyone how to use the new technology and Wi-Fi connection while sharing their hybrid educational expectations and sharing their Wi-Fi bandwidth with their staff, students and outside communities.
“The St. Theresa School campus will have a stadium-like Wi-Fi accessibility. This allows for learning with technology to take place anywhere on campus during school hours,” Castillo said. “During school hours there will be a designated area where the community can drive up and connect for work or educational purposes, similar to (an) internet café.
“During out-of-school hours, learners and families may access the network on the playground for homework, work or outdoor learning fun as a family. St. Theresa Church neighbors the school that will have access for all church parishioners,” said Castillo.
Before school started, like many other schools, St. Theresa School faced its own obstacles.
Castillo said support for attaining technology and personal protective equipment needed to start the new school year safely were sparse and unaffordable.
“Our No. 1 goal was to identify what is needed to start the school year following the CDC guidelines and decrease the anxiety so that learners and families can have a positive experience during these uncertain times,” Castillo said.
“We endured lots of obstacles: not enough teachers, increased number of learners, not enough PPE, ever-changing rules by state/county, unpredictable timelines, not enough money or resources to provide a well-streamlined curriculum.”
The school has received support from outside communities, mainly from their own parents.
“St. Theresa School has created a small team of parents and teachers referred to as the IT Ad Hoc Team to spearhead recommendations for hardware purchases, planning and implementation and IT training,” Castillo said.
“Several of the members of this team are gifted in computer engineering and are contributing their talents to make this project a success.
“The total in-kind hours from this IT Ad Hoc Team totals over $19,000, which is a tremendous labor of love for our learners, school and community,” said Castillo.
According to Castillo, the parents who contribute their time and are involved volunteers include Jeff Alonge, who contributes his IT expertise to guide purchasing and installation. Teacher Kim Johnson and parent Richard Burkhart are members of the IT team, lending their experience and knowledge to the project.
Castillo said several other volunteers would be recruited to install the new system once all components are received.
“STS is blessed to have parents and staff supporting and assisting with this project,” Castillo said. “St. Theresa School is incredibly grateful for this opportunity to expand our reach, not only to our own learners but to our surrounding community.
“St. Theresa School knows that it takes a village to raise a child,” Castillo said.
“A safe environment plays a huge role in the overall development of the whole child. These enhancements to the school’s technology will play a role in creating a safe hub for the community during school instruction and non-instructional hours to access a reliable network for educational and work purposes.
“Technology will play a big role in building a bridge for our learners and teachers to transition successfully to sustain continuous education,” said Castillo.
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Stephanie Shinno, features, education, business, and community reporter, can be reached at 245-0424 or sshinno@thegardenisland.com.
