It’s T.I.M.E. for Marquette 5th-graders to catch up with technology

It’s about T.I.M.E. that Marquette schools got caught up with technology. T.I.M.E. is actually an acronym that means Technology In Marquette Education. The T.I.M.E. initiative will bring laptops to all Marquette public school fifth grade students this year.

The first installment was presented today to current school Superintendent in the amount of $50,000. A think tank was put together, and through its research, it concluded that fifth graders were the sweet spot to introduce digital learning to through the school system.

“This is the lifeline to their future, everything they do and are getting ready to do is going to go through a computer. It’s the pencil, the paper, the encyclopedia, it’s everything they are going to need and we want to get them into their hands as fast as we can,” T.I.M.E. Committee chairwoman Judy Vonck said.

An additional $50,000 is still needed to accommodate all of the nine classes of fifth graders, which consists of about 270 students. Committee members say if the first round of donations is any indication they are hoping the second round will go fairly smooth as well.

“Alumni, foundations, the community has been very supportive, some foundations have bought classrooms, individuals giving $20, $30, $50 dollars, it all adds up. People say “it’s just my small contribution but a dollar here, a dollar there and after a little while it’s real money,” Marquette Public Schools Foundation chairman Tom Baldini said.

“It just energizes them, they are so happy, their letters are so cute! One wrote, ‘I was so nervous about going into the fifth grade this year, but now that we are going to have Chrome Books, I feel really great about it’,” continued Vonck.

With classes starting in September, T.I.M.E committee members are hoping the additional fundraising will be complete in August.