By JOYANNA LOVE/Senior Staff Writer

Technology for Chilton County Schools received a welcome boost from the Clanton First United Methodist Church on March 22 with the presentation of a donation.

Clanton First United Methodist Missions directors Tom Cuthbert and Nancy Bentley presented a check for $14,915 for Chromebooks during the Chilton County Board of Education meeting.

“This past year for Advent, we wanted to do something to help the community and we came and talked to Mr. [superintendent Tommy] Glasscock and he suggested we raise money to buy Chromebooks for the students,” Tom Cuthbert said.

The church collects an annual Advent (Christmas) offering in December.

Glasscock thanked the church and everyone who donated.

“I hope this is a seed that is planted in our community. With close to 100 churches in our community, you can imagine if they stepped up anywhere close to this we could almost reach our one-to-one initiative in six months,” Glasscock said.

Chilton County Schools has been steadily increasing the number of Chromebooks available to students in an effort to provide every middle and high school student with one. In the past, devices have been purchased through technology funding, grants and occasionally from PTA donations.

Chromebooks carts, holding 30 devices each, had been purchased for math classrooms in 2015. The devices were then integrated into day-to day classwork. The plan is to eventually do this for each of the core subject classes.

In addition to adding devices, the school system has also upgraded its wireless access in the schools through Alabama Ahead Act and E-Rate funding.