Charter School in Chuuk Receives Donations with Joy, Enthusiasm and Gratitude 

In the village of Penia on the island of Weno in Chuuk, there is tuition free charter school accredited by the Chuuk State Department of Education.  It is the Akoyikoyi school which is kindergarten through eighth grade.  The parents are required to be involved and stay informed about their children’s education.  The children enjoy learning in the type of environment that the school provides. 

After months of collaborative efforts, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints donated 1 R.A.C.H.E.L (Remote Area Community Hotspot for Education and Learning) unit with two chargers, along with 40 laptops and 70 tablets.  The Internet is not always reliable in the outer islands.  This unit will allow students to do research papers as well as other learning programs without using the internet.  The teachers will also be able to download their lesson plans onto the units for their students to use making it a “game changer” for the teachers there. The unit was developed by a non-profit organization in California called ‘World Possible’.  When a RACHEL server is turned on, it emits a WiFi signal that will only provide access to the copies of websites directly stored on it.  Any device with a web browser such as a laptop, desktop, table, or smart phone, can connect to the RACHEL’s WiFi signal.  This allows RACHEL to go anywhere in the world and wirelessly deliver free digital educational content with no internet or data plans required.  Currently it is being used in the Philippines and Guatemala. (Most of the schools in these areas have zero internet, most being in farming communities.) 

For the donation ceremony, the students danced and sang for Bill Davis (Church Welfare & Self-Reliance Manager), Elder Allan and Sister Dana McMakin (Church humanitarian missionaries), and Elder Kim and Sister Cyndi Burtenshaw (Church communication missionaries).  They were also given handmade mwarmwars made of fresh flowers and leaves.  They were also presented with fresh coconuts in gratitude for the donations.  Bill Davis showed several of the staff how to use the device.  Lawson Duke, who teaches 1st grade and 6th grade, was able to connect it to his cell phone. He became really excited for the possibilities this will be for his students.  The other teachers and the principal were also looking forward to the way this will change the teaching and learning of their school.  After the donation ceremony and pictures were taken, some of the students took it upon themselves to write “thank you” notes in gratitude of the donations.  Early evaluation reports have found that “teachers are thirsty for digital education tools, and learners become so much more engaged with modern teaching techniques.”