Small township school is first in Northern New England to achieve coveted title
CALGARY, Alberta --- November 29, 2007 --- SMART Technologies announces that Saint Johnsbury School in Vermont has been added to the growing list of SMART Showcase Schools across North America. Showcase Schools and Districts are leaders in the adoption and use of technology that improves student learning outcomes and teacher effectiveness. There are over 70 SMART Showcase Schools across the United States and Canada, but Saint Johnsbury School is the first SMART Showcase School in Vermont and Northern New England. The Governor of the state of Vermont, the Honorable James Douglas, and a crowd of over 70 people, including two state senators, the school superintendent, the principal, the town board of education members, parents, students and teachers, all gathered at the school to recognize the exemplary model that Saint Johnsbury School has become.
The school is located in a township which boasts a modest population of 7,500. The small town has not previously been recognized as a technology leader, but that has changed with the SMART Showcase School announcement. In addition to a formal ceremony, elementary students demonstrated to the audience how they use the SMART Board™ interactive whiteboard and Senteo™ interactive response system on a daily basis. Some students also shared essays about how technology in the classroom has changed the way they learn. Over the course of the coming months and years Saint Johnsbury School will be hosting tours and regional SMART Board interactive whiteboard seminars for teachers and administrators from around the state and New England to learn how SMART products can be used to enhance teaching and learning.
“We set out two years ago with a plan to introduce SMART products into our classrooms and complement the installation with summer training and ongoing professional development for our teachers,” says Rick Mallon, technology coordinator for Saint Johnsbury School. “We are very proud to now be recognized as a SMART Showcase School and to demonstrate that even schools from relatively small communities can be seen as leaders in the adoption of technology.”
SMART Showcase Schools were established to recognize schools for their creativity and commitment to the effective implementation of technology in the classroom,” says Nancy Knowlton, SMART’s CEO. “Saint Johnsbury School is a leader in this regard and a shining example of the fact that any school, regardless of the size of community, can make a significant contribution to other educators’ understanding of technology use in classrooms.”
About SMART Showcase Schools
SMART Showcase Schools are schools that use classroom technology in outstanding ways. The teachers at Showcase Schools recognize the benefits of using SMART products and services to create an engaging learning environment and are excited about sharing their results with the education community. Showcase Schools act as host sites for other schools or district stakeholders interested in learning how to apply technology in their classrooms. Participation in the program is by invitation only. SMART hand selects schools with demonstrated commitment to creating 21st-century learning environments. Visitors to a Showcase School will see how SMART products are being used to engage students and enhance lessons every day. SMART Showcase Schools are currently found in the United States and Canada, but plans are in place to expand to other countries in the near future.
About SMART
SMART Technologies is an industry pioneer and global education market segment leader in user-friendly ICT products and group collaboration tools. The award-winning line of SMART Board interactive whiteboards is the most widely installed in the world because of its unsurpassed product quality, versatility and ease of use. The SMART Board interactive whiteboard is used to teach over 18 million students in more than 600,000 classrooms in more than 100 countries around the world.
SMART is a private company founded in 1987. Employing more than 1,000 people, SMART is headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, with assembly facilities in Kanata, Ontario and offices in Bonn, Paris, Tokyo, Shanghai, New York City, Chicago and Washington, DC. SMART has been issued and maintains a broad portfolio of patents with numerous U.S., Canadian and other patents pending. In 1992 SMART formed a strategic alliance with Intel® Corporation that resulted in Intel’s equity ownership in the company. SMART products are sold through dealers across North America and distributors worldwide. To learn more about SMART visit www.smarttech.com.
