La Salle's Community TechServe Program and Ascensus Donate New Computer Lab to Visitation BVM School
Founded in 2001, Community TechServe is a year-round program that provides technology services at various educational institutions in the Philadelphia area.
JohnsonR@LSCHS.ORG
On Tuesday, February 2, 2016 ten members of La Salle College High School's Lab Manager Program completed the second phase of a two-part project of revamping the technology at Visitation BVM School in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia. La Salle students delivered and installed thirty computer workstations into the Visitation student computer lab.
The desktops were donated as part of a partnership between La Salle and Ascensus and will enable the students at Visitation to migrate from their current computer lab environment, comprised of a variety of desktop systems to one unified environment. The laptops were re-imaged and tested prior to delivery as part of La Salle's Community TechServe program.
La Salle's relationship with Visitation spans nearly a decade of collaborative partnership initiatives including a weekly after school tutoring program every Tuesday during the school year, Freshmen Branch-out Day, Urban Immersion Summer Service program, as well as the broader embrace of the entire La Salle community from the Christian Brothers to our Facilities team, all supporting the incredible work the faculty and staff perform each day for the children of Kensington.
Learn more about Visitation B.V.M. at http://www.vizobvm.org/ & view La Salle's full Mission and Ministry calendar at www.lschs.org/Service. View Photos at http://www.lschs.org/cf_media/index.cfm?g=4032.
ABOUT COMMMUNITY TECHSERVE
Founded in 2001, Community TechServe (CTS) is a year-round program for skilled student volunteers from La Salle College High School, the program provides technology services at various educational institutions in the Philadelphia area. Typically, participating students install SmartBoards, set-up computer labs, and configure networks. Previous projects have included La Salle Academy, St. Michael's Indian School in Arizona, De La Salle In Towne, Young Scholars Charter School, West Catholic, St. Ignatius School, the Gesu School and Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School in Brooklyn, New York.
CTS works because it is rooted solidly in Lasallian spirituality and good citizenship. Not only do students involved in CTS serve others, they can articulate well what the program is about. They know it is more than producing quality computer networks and delivering effective training at various inner-city schools. The experience of coming face to face with the reality of what exists in the inner city has taught them to ask complex questions about the disparities that exist in society. Seeing the product of their efforts gives them great satisfaction, but the stories that make the greatest impression on them seem to be about the people they have met in the process.
The program has even been awarded the National Association of Independent School (NAIS) Leading Edge Award in Community Relations. The Leading Edge Award Recognition Program identifies outstanding programs in pre-collegiate education and showcases these programs as models of best practice from which all schools can learn.
ABOUT LA SALLE COLLEGE HIGH SCHOOL
Founded in 1858, La Salle College High School is a Catholic, independent, college preparatory school for young men of varied backgrounds and is conducted in the tradition of Saint John Baptist de La Salle. The school is located on 84-acres in Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania and has over 1,060 students currently enrolled in grades 9 through 12.
ABOUT ASCENSUS
Ascensus is the largest independent retirement and college savings services provider in the United States, helping over 6 million Americans save for the future. With more than 30 years of experience, the firm partners with financial institutions to offer tailored solutions that meet the needs of financial professionals, employers, and individuals. Ascensus specializes in recordkeeping, administrative, and program management services, supporting over 40,000 retirement plans and 3.3 million 529 college savings accounts. It also administers more than 1.5 million IRAs and health savings accounts. For more information about Ascensus, visit www.ascensus.com
ABOUT VISITATION B.V.M. SCHOOL
Visitation B.V.M School is a beacon of hope to the families of our diverse community. Through fostering positive relationships, we bring about unity in our diversity. Through addressing the unique needs of the whole child, recognizing each as a gift from God we instill in our students a recognition not only of their giftedness but the giftedness of each person. We provide them with the tools and inspiration to be people of faith, life-long learners, and responsible global citizens. Through all of this, there are certain values that have remained the same. We honor integrity and loyalty and provide a Catholic education that brings value and dignity to our students. Today we proudly serve over 450 students in grades PreK-8. We cater to a community that is largely below the national poverty level by providing breakfast, lunch and snacks daily. We serve our bilingual families with the support of translators and teaching English as a second language. Ultimately, we act as a Beacon of Hope for the entire Kensington community.