Spotsylvania County Schools says sPower and other community partners have funded 16 mobile hotspots for this school year. In July, sPower issued a challenge grant to fund five mobile hotspots and worked to raise funds for an additional five. Akamai Technologies, Inc., Etsy, and Kimley-Horn, three of sPower’s partners in the Spotsylvania Solar Energy Center, have supported the effort. Other Spotsylvania County Public Schools’ community partners that have joined this important initiative include the Spotsylvania Education Foundation, who has donated funds for one mobile hotspot, and Atlantic Builders, who donated funds for five mobile hotspots. Additionally, since July individual donors have contributed over $1,000 toward this effort.
“We greatly appreciate the support of our community partners and especially thank sPower and Atlantic Builders who have taken the lead in this initiative by supporting five mobile hotspots each,” said Spotsylvania School Superintendent Dr. Scott Baker.
Spotsylvania officials say they continue to assess the needs of students throughout the school division. Based on current data, the division estimates that approximately 21 percent of students have connectivity needs and additional support may be needed to help ensure students have access to wifi for distance learning.
“Too many homes in Spotsylvania County are without internet and we are happy to do our part to help close that gap for the upcoming school year,” said Tom Schoedel, president of Atlantic Builders.
“Excellence in mathematics, education, and innovation has always been – and continues to be – at the heart of Akamai’s mission.” said Mike Mattera, Director of Corporate Sustainability at Akamai Technologies, Inc. “As a partner of sPower’s in the Spotsylvania Solar Energy Center, we are proud to join this effort to help close the digital divide for students in Spotsylvania County and helping them to have internet access during this unprecedented time.”
“The creative entrepreneurs on Etsy rely on the internet to engage in the digital economy every day, so we know how important equitable internet access is, especially for students during this unprecedented time.” said Chelsea Mozen, Director of Sustainability and Impact Engagement at Etsy.
“We are proud to be a part of the Spotsylvania community, and do our part to help students in the county effectively learn virtually this fall,” said Sean Millot, Project Manager for Kimley-Horn.
In addition to the signage on the mobile hotspot itself, all donors will be recognized on the Spotsylvania Education Foundation’s website.
“Our top priority is ensuring success for all students in Spotsylvania County,” said Angie Sullivan, executive director of the Spotsylvania Education Foundation. “One of the biggest issues facing some of our students this fall is the ability to access the Internet and this is one way to make sure that barrier is reduced.”
