Whiting School Opens Ultimate Learning Center

Whiting Elementary School students were excited to use their new technology lab, dubbed the Ultimate Learning Center, after celebrating its opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on May 30.  The lab, funded in part by a $15,000 Model Classroom Grant from the OceanFirst Foundation, features 25 Apple iPad tablets with wireless internet connectivity as well as desktop computers and a digital projector.

Invited guests, including donors as well as volunteers and staff who worked on the project, gathered in the media center for a presentation before the ribbon cutting. 

Whiting School Principal, Dr. Frances Scudese, said the project involved many people and organizations and thanked everyone who helped.  She  extended a special thank you to grant writers Tracy Kiernan, Lindsay Yarnold and Karen Enggren for the many hours of their own time they spent writing a grant that would give the school not just a computer lab, but an Ultimate Learning Center that would be used by all of the classes in the school.  

The OceanFirst grant provided about half of the iPads for the lab, said Scudese, and the rest were donated directly or purchased through school fundraisers and donations.  She said that the grant also provided professional development for teachers.  The project will also get the community beyond Whiting School involved.  High school students from the Future Educators of America club are committed to teaching lessons and helping both students and staff in the use of the new technology and applications. There are also plans to have senior citizens from nearby senior residences visit the Ultimate Learning Center to learn how to use the new technology and work with students.

 Kathy Durante, Nina Anuario, and Cathy Rollo of OceanFirst Bank spoke about the OceanFirst Foundation and their support of not only the Whiting School project, but also of school projects throughout Ocean and Monmouth counties.  Durante praised the grant writers for their detailed and well-documented submission, saying that it was a very competitive grant process and only 15 schools out of 72 applicants were selected.

Kiernan, Yarnold, and Enggren used a PowerPoint presentation to show how the school’s old, outdated computer lab was transformed into the Ultimate Learning Center.  They thanked the volunteers, Buildings & Grounds Supervisor Dave Galvao and his staff, and Technology Coordinator Chip Conover for all their help and support.

Superintendent of Schools, David Trethaway, remarked that OceanFirst gave more than just money to the school, they gave inspiration and enthusiasm.  “We are always cutting our budget, but when you bring money in, instead of asking what we can cut, now we are asking what can we do with this money?”

Board of Education President, Donald Webster, Jr., said, “I would like to thank the OceanFirst Foundation for their generous funding and support that allowed us to create this innovative and cutting edge learning center for the benefit of our students. I believe that this center will become a focal point in the learning proccess for Whiting School as we advance through the digital age that we now live in...To all of you who helped make this dream a reality, I say thank you on behalf of our BOE, our students and their parents.”