CenturyLink Offers Teachers & Technology Grants

CenturyLink to connect teachers with technology by offering more than $100,000 in grants in Washington state

 — from Jan Kampbell, CenturyLink —

CenturyLink, Inc. is connecting teachers with technology for the classroom. The CenturyLink Clarke M. Williams Foundation’s Teachers and Technology grant program opened its application process Oct. 1 for teachers in CenturyLink’s local service areas who want to innovatively implement technology in their classrooms to increase student achievement.

Full-time PreK-12 classroom teachers in public or private schools in CenturyLink residential service areas are eligible to apply. Visit https://fsrequests.com/CenturyLinkgrant to apply for a grant. The maximum grant awarded will be $5,000, and the deadline for application is Jan. 2, 2015.

“We are very pleased to be part of providing innovative technology in the classroom that enhances the learning experience for students in these schools throughout our service area in eastern Washington,” said Tom Novotney, CenturyLink vice president and general manager for Greater Washington. “It is exciting to see teachers implement creative teaching techniques that assist students in hands-on learning.”

Last year, more than 100 teachers applied for grants throughout the state of Washington with 21 winners selected by the review committee. Six of those winners were in Western Washington. The winning teachers’ schools each received a grant to be used to purchase technology to benefit students in the classroom. For example:

Evergreen Elementary in Lakebay received $4,773 to purchase 12 HP Chromebook Laptops along with a mobile charging cart. This grant enables students to use productivity tools on the web, allowing them to access their work anytime and anywhere. Students can use the Chromebooks to work in the Cloud using Google Docs, Google Sites, Google Maps, Picasa, etc. The project was submitted by Therese Souers who teaches second and third grades.

Olalla Elementary received $5,000 to purchase nine iPad Mini’s, Otterbox Defender cases and applications. The grant enables students and teachers alike to develop an understanding of the iPad and its many applications which creatively support research, presentation, and publishing through the use of digital media. This innovative use of technology will allow students to become proficient content creators. Stephanie Darragh, who teaches first grade, and Karen Anderson, who teaches second grade, submitted the project.

CenturyLink service is neither required nor considered in the review of the applications.

The Foundation will award more than $1.4 million in grants to support technology in the classroom through its 2014-2015 Teachers and Technology grant program, offered throughout the company’s service areas in the U.S.

Grant winners will be announced between April 1 – May 15, 2015.

About the CenturyLink Foundation

CenturyLink’s vision is to improve lives, strengthen businesses and connect communities by delivering advanced technologies and solutions with honest and personal service. CenturyLink extends this vision through the CenturyLink Clarke M. Williams Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to contributing to endeavors that improve the well-being and overall quality of life for people throughout CenturyLink’s communities. Named after CenturyLink’s founder Clarke M. Williams, the Foundation is endowed by CenturyLink to support community initiatives that encourage our employees to use their time, talents and resources to strengthen the communities in which they live and work.