Filling the need for devices during distance learning

District alumni and the community around New Kensington-Arnold School District have pitched in to help students engage during remote learning. According to an article in the Tribune-Review, Stephanie Sakoian, a French teacher at Valley High School, started a GoFundMe crowdfunding campaign, with the approval of district administrators, to raise funds to buy Google Chromebooks for students who had to share devices because they did not have their own. She and other teachers were inspired to take action after watching their students struggle during distance learning caused by the pandemic. Sakoian hoped that providing the additional laptops would further facilitate learning. The goal was to raise $1,000 but the Viking community raised over $25,000! As of January 12, the teachers had purchased 157 laptops for students, documented on the campaign’s webpage.