The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians recently delivered laptop computers and mobile charging carts to two Santa Barbara County schools as part of its Technology in Schools Program.
The Santa Ynez Valley Christian Academy and Cabrillo High School each received 35 Google Chromebooks and a mobile charging cart, which were wheeled into class by members of the tribe's technology services division and volunteers from Team Chumash, according to a Chumash press release.
"These were two schools that wanted to improve their students' access to devices and online curriculum, and we're proud to be able to help with these Chromebooks," Tribal Chairman Kenneth Kahn said in the release.
Jennifer Moreno, who teaches English and language development classes at Cabrillo High, said her students will use the Chromebooks for research, individual and collaborative writing projects, presentations, and to access digital textbooks online.
"For the last few years, we have been sharing carts of Chromebooks between departments," Moreno said in the release. "It is hard to start projects online when we have no guarantee of continuous access to the computers to finish the work."
Scott Carleton, principal of Santa Ynez Valley Christian Academy, echoed that sentiment, and said in the release that technology is a vital part of education.
The Technology in Schools Program was created by the Chumash to help fulfill high-tech needs in Santa Barbara County classrooms through donations of funds or equipment. Other schools that have benefited from the program include La Honda STEAM Academy in Lompoc and Santa Barbara Community Academy.
