Bishop Ward High School’s Academy of Finance program from Kansas City, Kan., is receiving 80 Samsung Galaxy Tablets, for AOF students to use in enhancing their academy experience.
NAF corporate partner, JPMorgan Chase Foundation, donated 750 tablets to select NAF academies across the country.
Bishop Ward’s AOF program demonstrated how students will use the technology to complete projects that will improve their College and Career Readiness skills, according to a spokesman. The NAF College and Career Readiness Skills are embedded in the NAF curriculum and work-based learning resources.
Among the projects, students will complete a time management project focusing on the outcome categories of collaboration and teamwork: including communication, initiative and self-direction, according to the spokesman. The purpose is to provide students options for learning practical work skills by using a device as a tool for time management and on-line exploration and study.
The project will culminate with small-group presentations in both English and Spanish, according to the spokesman. The students will use the tablets to access online educational content and research materials related to collaboration and diversity in the workplace.
“We are grateful to NAF and JP Morgan Chase for providing the tablets for student use to our AOF program,” stated Lori Dowd, director of Bishop Ward’s Academy of Finance program. “These tablets will give us an opportunity to reduce the digital divide and provide the hardware and personal guidance to our students to become college, career and future ready. The tablet projects will teach students necessary skills to build effective collaborative working relationships with colleagues, to effectively work in diverse teams, to improve listening and communication skills and manage their time effectively.”
The Bishop Ward Academy of Finance program began in the fall of 2006 with the first AOF graduating class in 2009. The Bishop Ward High School Academy of Finance seeks to prepare students for college, work, and citizenship through rigorous and engaging projects that connect to real issues in business and finance, according to the spokesman.
There are currently 81 BWHS students participating in the Academy of Finance and three AOF instructors in the program: Jeff Nesselhuf, Kevin O’Brien and Chris Sinclair. Lori Dowd is the director of the AOF program. Lori taught for 31 years in the business department here at Bishop Ward and was an instructor at the inception of the program.
– Story from Maggie Mohrfeld, Bishop Ward director of development