A few headlines from a recent internet search on K-12 relief funding in schools include “What Congressional Covid Funding Means for K-12 Schools,” “States Scramble to Disburse K-12 Relief Funds Ahead of Deadline,” and “States are Waffling Over Billions in K-12 Federal Relief. Schools Are Getting Antsy.” Clearly, educators want clear-cut information on funding including how much, ways to use it, and when to expect it.

Monte Vista Primary School (Cape Town, Johannesburg, ZA) is built on five mission statements that include building a foundation so that learners are able to meet life’s challenges now and in the future, and providing an excellent education wherein all work together to allow progress and adaptation to change. With these two goals in mind, Monte Vista educators sought to implement Clevertouch interactive touchscreen displays over three years. That plan quickly became a one-year capital project after teachers and students experienced the cutting-edge features and user-friendly interface.

Since the shift to remote learning due to pandemic-related school closures, the focus on science has suffered in comparison to the focus on core subjects such as math and language arts. While some students benefited from the increased flexibility of remote learning, others needed more hands-on investigations. As more schools are opening to in-person learning, the need to incorporate STEM is essential. Why? Research has shown that the call for STEM-related jobs has grown much faster, as much as three times more, than the call for other jobs. The investment of time and resources in STEM instruction now is an investment in the STEM workforce.

Bennington Public Schools (Bennington, NE) is a quickly growing district that has gone from one K-12 school in 2005 to six schools today, including a new elementary school that opened two years ago. Bennington expects to open two more elementary schools, and another middle school and high school within the next 10 years. According to the district website, their mission is “to provide educational opportunities in a safe, caring environment that will prepare all students to meet the challenges of the future.”

More and more schools are opening up to in-person learning, even as we get closer to the end of the school year. Regardless of if they have two months or two weeks left in the year, the excitement of being in their classrooms with their classmates and teacher can be overwhelming. We celebrate in-person learning and the effort it took to ensure everyone’s health and safety but after the initial frenzy of first day, first week, first recess, what can be done to get students focused and ready to learn?

The Boxlight team sends out a huge congratulations to Trox and Tierney on coming together to form one powerhouse of a business across the USA and Canada. Trox is our number one partner for Mimio, our K-12 division, and Tierney our number one Clevertouch customer and exclusive partner in the USA. This new super business will bring untold benefits to their customers as well as the Boxlight brands Mimio and Clevertouch.

The British Computer Society (BCS, U.K.) was faced with the immense challenge of relocating 260 staff members with a focus on creating a digital-first environment. Says Hazel Reason, Senior Facilities Manager at BCS, “The transition from office-to-office made me realize we only had a few video screens and some old projectors. One of our key principles for this new project was to make sure we were ‘digital first’ by investing in technology which improves communication and collaboration.”

Earth Day is on April 22 and this year’s theme is "Restore Our Earth" which emphasizes natural processes, emerging green technologies, and innovative thinking to help restore the world’s ecosystems. Since its inception in 1970, the intent of Earth Day is to care about the natural world through proactive preservation measures and actions. Clearly there is more work to do but there are fun and easy activities to start with in the classroom. Here are seven of our favorite, and fun, Earth Day activities: