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Lori Anne DiMarco-Evanko feels like a lottery winner.
The principal of Sacred Heart School in New Windsor was part of a ceremony to unveil donated technology equipment with staff, students and representatives from Kiewit-Shea Constructors AJV Feb. 1.
Kiewit-Shea Constructors, two construction companies working together in a joint venture, donated 60 iPads, 60 Chromebook laptops, 60 headphones, five power carts, two Lockcharge Joey Carts and three Lenovo ThinkPad Laptops. The companies also purchased two years of technical support for the equipment.
The 157-student school now has a nearly 1:1 student to electronic device ratio.
“It is like we have won the lottery,” Ms. DiMarco-Evanko told CNY. “This is a dream come true. The students have access to real-time information. Even though the teachers do differentiate instruction, this will allow us to go well beyond what can be manually done.”
This is not the first donation Kiewit-Shea Constructors has made to the school, which moved to its current location last year after its building in Newburgh had heating and structural issues.
The company paid for the materials and labor for a new boiler, ceilings and lights, ceiling fans in the classrooms, kitchen freezer, playground, benches, front walkway and paths, roof repair, air conditioning repair in the gymnasium, public address system and painting. The school is awaiting the installation of new front and side doors, a video buzzer system and new floors this summer.
“God was with us,” Ms. DiMarco-Evanko said.
Kiewit Corp. is based in Nebraska and J.F. Shea Co. is in California. The two companies are building a bypass tunnel under the Hudson River in the Newburgh area to channel a water supply to New York City, and they were seeking to assist a Catholic school in the Newburgh area.
“I’m very impressed with everyone in the school,” said Jim Marquardt, area manager for J.F. Shea. “The teachers and principal are very dedicated and work very hard to make this work well for the students. We’re very happy to be a part of this. It’s a great school.”
