With the sound of pins falling, it’s time for the Skyview High School bowling team to begin another tournament. As the team prepares for its last match before districts, there’s one thing these student-athletes can strike from their to-do lists: schoolwork.
That’s because students in grades six through 12 now have managed access to Wi-Fi while riding the bus. The district installed a network on approximately 160 routes last fall. This means 5,000 secondary students can use their one-to-one devices on a bus.
“It’s really transforming the way that our kids are studying and doing homework.”
So says Traci Chun, a teacher at Skyview High School and bowling coach. She says Internet access helps her to get her own work done when she rides with the team.
But what do students think about it?
“I don’t get enough time to do my homework at home, and that extra Wi-Fi that we have on the bus is like yes! Now I can get my homework done.”
That was Tiana Vincent, a junior at Skyview High School. Tiana uses the Internet to do research and type papers.
For those who spend even more time on the road, it’s an even bigger deal.
“I’m on like four or five different buses a day.”
Morganne Guier spends half of her day at Fort Vancouver High School in the Welding/Fabrication Technology program. The other half of her day is spent at Skyview. She’s also on the bowling team and says that being able to work on the bus has cut down on her stress.
“Because I’m on the bus so much, I lost time that I could be using for studying or for doing my homework. So because of the Wi-Fi now, I can do my homework on the bus.”
The Wi-Fi installation is part of our strategic efforts to broaden Internet access. We must reduce the “homework gap” that exists between students who have Internet at home and those who do not.
That’s why we’ve also implemented a Wi-Fi network on our mobile Family-Community Resource Center to better assist students, families and community members. It’s part of our commitment to excellence and equity for all.
Every student deserves to be prepared for post-secondary success in the high-tech economy. Future-ready graduates. And we’re helping them get there.
Take care,
