Emily Sims is a reporter for The Talon, Los Altos High School’s student newspaper. The following article was published in the paper’s online edition. For more Talon stories, visit www.lahstalon.org.
The MVLA High School Foundation received a $250,000 grant from Microsoft April 19 at the opening ceremony of the new Microsoft Store at Stanford Shopping Center.
Dan’l Lewin, corporate vice president of Microsoft in Silicon Valley, introduced the MVLA Foundation to a crowd of more than 1,000 people, many of whom waited in line overnight to receive free Maroon 5 concert tickets. The first 200 people were given meet-and-greet passes to the April 21 concert, and the next 800 received free general admission tickets.
Three additional education organizations received technology grants. The executive director from each organization as well as Carlos Ramos, secretary for California’s Technology Agency, and Palo Alto Mayor Yiaway Yeh spoke before the ribbon cutting.
“This technology grant will greatly benefit the schools and the district by allowing them to upgrade to the latest and greatest,” MVLA Executive Director Laura Roberts said.
The foundation plans to use the grant to support the district by delivering services to students and teachers, as well as providing them with newer and more efficient desktop applications, which will help support student learning in computer labs, the Tutorial Center, the library and the classroom.
Roberts said it would also help close the digital divide by providing access for low-income students who don’t have technology at home. Currently, 16 percent of MVLA students qualify for free or reduced lunches.
“I think our students are fortunate that the foundation and district make it a priority to ensure that all students have opportunities,” Roberts said.
