Sarasota High receives $50,000 tech boost

Philanthropists Dr. Malouf and Therese Abraham, along with the Gulf Coast Community Foundation, presented a $50,000 donation to Sarasota High School Wednesday, April 25.

The donation, part of the Gulf Coast Community Foundation’s STEMsmart initiative, will equip five classrooms with Texas Instruments’ TI-Nspire wireless graphing calculators, with the goal of further engaging students in learning.

The Abrahams, who hail from Texas, focus most of their work on historic and artistic preservation in their home state, but they were looking for a way to make a difference in Sarasota, where they reside for four months out of the year.

Gulf Coast Community Foundation representative Veronica Brady said this donation embodies the foundation’s mission of working with donors to give back to the local community.

These new wireless, handheld devices allow students to link the device with both the classroom’s interactive white board and textbooks, which will provide teachers with instant feedback on student comprehension. Students can complete problems directly on the device, and teachers can pull up the results anonymously to make sure everyone is on the same page.

“Teachers can immediately see if the students are getting the concepts,” said Chris Pfahler, director of community investment for the Gulf Coast Community Foundation. “It forces everyone to be engaged, and the kids love the technology — it’s native to them.”

Brady expects the devices to make learning more fun and exciting for the students.

“We hope that this gift will inspire other donors to help bring this technology to other Sarasota high schools,” she added.

Sarasota High School principal Jeff Hradek is excited for the impact that this donation will have on the school.

“We’re always looking for any way to help engage students in active learning,” he said. “This gift from the Abrahams and the Gulf Coast Community Foundation does just that. These kids already come in ahead of the technological curve, but this will help take them to the next level.”