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  • Velma-Alma Superintendent Jerry Garrett receives a $50,000 check from Sarah Rayford, Operations Supervisor for Chevron's state operations Thursday afternoon in the elementary library. Joshua Kellogg

    Velma-Alma Superintendent Jerry Garrett receives a $50,000 check from Sarah Rayford, Operations Supervisor for Chevron's state operations Thursday afternoon in the elementary library.

  • Velma-Alma student Olivia McGuire, left, demonstrates how a Promethean Co. interactive board works as Shayn Neille, Morgan Williams and Librarian Leslie Gothard watch on. Joshua Kellogg

    Velma-Alma student Olivia McGuire, left, demonstrates how a Promethean Co. interactive board works as Shayn Neille, Morgan Williams and Librarian Leslie Gothard watch on.
February 10, 2012

V-A gets late Christmas gift from Chevron

Joshua Kellogg The Duncan Banner

VELMA — Christmas is nearly two months passed, but many in the Velma-Alma Public Schools system felt like they were revisiting Dec. 25 Thursday afternoon.

Faculty and students from all around the system met in the Elementary Library unwrap a special gift — a $50,000 donation from the Chevron Oil Company that will help transform the learning experience for every student in the district.

The donation will help the school district stay ahead of the technology curve by installing electronic interactive displays (Smart Boards) from Promethean Co. in 30 classrooms which currently don’t have an the equipment.

“We are beyond excited for this year’s donation,” Superintendent Jerry Garrett Sr. said. “It will enable us to equip all of our teachers with the latest technology tools to educate our students.”

The boards measure more than 6 feet in width, and allow students and teachers to interact with the lesson plan by using a pen to touch the board.

They can draw or write answers to questions prompted by the lesson and audio cues from the installed speakers, opening to the door to more in-depth educational opportunities.

Chevron had previously donated more than $21,000 to the V-A library and other programs in the school district since 2006.

But it was this donation of advanced technology that caught the eye of Sarah Rayford, the company’s operations supervisor for Oklahoma.

“What excites me the most is seeing the children’s excitement and seeing how motivated they are and engaged they are playing the games,” Rayford said. “Seeing them do math problems up at the front of the class and the friendly competition and that drive to learn is really exciting.”

Before handing an oversized check to the school district, Garrett and Rayford explained how the donation came to be.

On a tour with Community Affairs Coordinator Dolores Vick, Garrett had set up an impromptu session to display how Velma-Alma teachers were using electronic interactive displays in the classroom.

“When Dolores and Sarah came back to my office, they were excited,” Garrett said. “The things we are trying to do here, this is just heaven sent, in our books.”

Garrett believes the interactive boards will be crucial in educating students, having seen the levels on engagement increase in rooms where the boards were previously installed.

Citing advances in technology that have happened since he was a student, Garrett said the school is keeping abreast as the student’s methods of engagement have changed as interactive technology has advanced.

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