The Park Hill School District Department of Technology has identified an opportunity to directly help students in need in our district.

The digital divide, or the gap between those that can benefit from the digital age and those who cannot, is not something you just hear about on the news. It is happening right now in our district. There are students in our district that do not have the same learning opportunities as other students, due to insufficient access to high-speed internet. Much of our curriculum demands access to high-speed internet to complete assignments from home. It has been particularly critical during the COVID-19 pandemic, as we have many students that are completely virtual and have had several periods of whole-district distance learning – where all students learn from home. Now, more than ever, these students need our help.

Currently, the Department of Technology offers free wireless hotspots to students with low or no internet access at home. This has helped reduce the digital divide in our district but has not been able to meet all the needs of distance learning. These hotspots have data restrictions and rely on a cellular signal, like a smartphone. This is great for basic web browsing but can be a challenge for video conferencing and using some more data-heavy software/applications. In addition, we find many times this free hotspot is the only internet access an entire family may have. If multiple family members are using the hotspot, it can cause the data to be used too quickly. The district regularly identifies students who have reached their maximum data allowed by the hotspot before the usage period is up. In these situations, students are unable to effectively complete their schoolwork.

Luckily, there is a solution. In partnership with AT&T, we can provide wireless routers to students in need, which would provide the entire household high-speed internet access at a greatly reduced cost. During the initial phase, we estimate 100 households and 250 students would be impacted by this program for about $100 per household/six months. The district will work directly with each family and AT&T to enroll eligible students.

Not only will this program provide internet access to our students, but it will also help parents have a more active role in their child’s education. For fear of running out of data, parents have avoided accessing essential district tools to monitor their child’s assignments, grades, and communication from teachers. This program will give parents the opportunity to connect with their child’s school and learning, using tools provided by the district.

For less than $20 a month you can provide a Park Hill family with an essential educational tool and directly impact our students’ lives. Please invest in our children – our future.

Thank you in advance for your support.

Hello, all!

We are the Park Hill High School FIRST Robotics team; team 5013, the Trobots! We're a team of about 40 hardworking high school students with a passion for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math). We work together to build a robot for a game, the nature of which changes each year. We then travel to compete with other high school robotics teams to see whose robot best meets the challenge.

The Trobots have been steadily improving with each robotics season, with a win in Iowa in 2019 and a quarterfinal appearance in Arkansas in March of 2020 before the rest of our season was derailed by COVID. We look forward to getting back on the winning track with the upcoming game for the 2022 season, Rapid React.

We strive to spread STEM values to our diverse student and community body. We have no barrier or entry fee to join the club; we try very hard to have all of our materials and travel paid for through fundraising and donations. There are numerous costs associated with building the robot (robot parts, tools, access to technology) and traveling to compete (busing fees, hotel accommodations, enough food for a team of hungry teenagers).

When our students complete this program, they have the opportunity to apply for a wide variety of scholarships through FIRST Robotics. Most of our graduated students are now studying engineering or other STEM professions at a variety of colleges across the country.

Thank you for taking the time to read our fundraiser information. ANY donation helps us meet our goals and the needs of our students!

Dear Union Chapel Parents,

We’re excited to host our very own One School, One Book program this year! It won’t take place until February, but OSOB takes some planning, and you can help.

The book we’ve chosen will be kept top secret until it is announced to our students just prior to the start of the program.

We will give a copy of the book to every student and staff member so everyone in our school can enjoy the special experience of being One School reading One Book together! With 621 students and 71 staff members, we will need 692 copies of the book. By donating to this campaign you will help us to provide each child with a book and resources for this memorable reading experience.  

Thank you so much for the support!

Mrs. Robin Graves         Dr. Steve Archer             Dr. Laura Tyler

Reading Specialist                 Principal                 Assistant Principal