Kennebunk Savings Bank donates $1000 for classroom computers

Post date: May 01, 2013 12:27:30 PM

Realizing the need for new computers for student use, but with limited resources to make such an expensive purchase, Wells Elementary School third grade teacher Marty Cryer recently turned to DonorsChoose.org, an online organization that makes it possible to make donations directly to schools and classrooms for educational needs.

One of the things Cryer did in her fundraising campaign was to ask Kennebunk Savings Bank to help publicize her DonorsChoose fundraising project. However, the bank went one big step further and donated $1,000 to go towards the laptop purchase.

With money received from DonorsChoose and Kennebunk Savings Bank, Cryer was able to purchase seven laptops known as ‘Chromebooks’ and a microphone for use with Skype and recordings. The Chromebooks retail for approximately $250 each and employ web-based programs such as Google Docs. Essentially, Chromebooks require little or no extra program software purchases.

On April 9^th, Kennebunk Savings Bank Vice-Presidents and Branch Managers Dena Tufts-White and Karyn Scharf Morin visited Cryer’s classroom to meet with students and teacher and see the new machines in use.

“This is just another great example of Kennebunk Savings being able to contribute back into the community,” observed Scharf Morin who added “…this is great use of the money for sure.”

“It speaks to the passion of the teacher to go out and actually look for that opportunity to help her students,” said Tufts-White. “And I have a great history with Marty Cryer and think the world of her as a person and as a teacher.”

According to Cryer, students are using the new laptops daily for class work such as becoming familiar with the graphical tool know as ‘concept mapping’. According to Scharf-Morin, employees at Kennebunk Savings Bank have also learned to work with concept mapping.

Cryer was excited to learn of that fact “because (concept mapping) is a real-world business skill” that her students are becoming familiar with at just 8 years of age.

For almost twenty years, Kennebunk Savings Bank has donated 10% of its yearly earnings to nonprofits in local communities. As of 2012, Kennebunk Savings has donated $8,000,000 to this program.

The addition of the new laptops in Cryer’s classroom allows two students to share a computer. Cryer has a goal to narrow that ratio so that someday each student can be assigned a computer for individual use. Cryer has worked with DonorsChoose.org before and is very appreciative of all donations including one from Littlefield Concrete in Wells and, especially one from a student who donated his weekly allowance.

Caption: In the photo are (left to right) Nicole Perkins (sitting), Dena Tufts-White, Karyn Scharf Morin, Jack Kaszubinski (standing), Zac Carpenter (sitting), Pierce George, Kira Littlefield (sitting), and Marty Cryer.