Fueling new dreams
Monarca Academy opened in 2022 with the goal of eliminating barriers to success for all students. The charter school, which serves sixth through eighth graders, focuses specifically on addressing the learning disparities for Latino and Black students. The year before Monarca launched, a report from the Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation found that Black and Hispanic students were less likely to have access to high-quality education. According to the report, 72% of Black students and 70 percent of Hispanic students attended low-performing schools.
With its focus on high academic standards and community building, Monarca is designed to fill that gap. The new digital lab helps level the playing field even further, providing students with critical tools that will allow them to explore new ways of learning and acquire digital skills necessary for many 21st century careers.
“The new STEM lab gives our students more power to explore, create, and imagine futures in science, engineering, and innovation. It’s a space where curiosity meets opportunity, and that kind of access can change lives.”
– FranciscoValdiosera, Monarca Academy’s Executive Director.
The new lab is equipped with 20 workstations, interactive SMART boards, an AI tool, 3D printer, a FIRST Robotics kit, and reliable Internet connections. Combined, the technologies will enable students to perform programming and graphic design and collaborate more effectively. The equipment represents a big upgrade from the laptops the students regularly use, which often require maintenance and are limited in the type of programs they can operate.
“It gives them the world. The impact is now they have the tools to be equal to their counterparts in other areas that already have these tools.”
– Sean Williams, Global Ed Tech Lead for Intel.
Driving future skills
While Indiana has higher connectivity rates than many parts of the world, the state still lags behind the U.S. as a whole in terms of Internet access. Purdue University estimates that 10.6% of Indiana households don’t have Internet. That compares to 9% nationally. In Marion County, where Monarca is located, 17.2% of households don’t have a desktop computer or laptop, relying on mobile devices to perform online tasks.
N50’s EdTech Initiative is committed to putting digital resources into the hands of students and teachers in underserved areas globally. To achieve that goal, companies like Intel, Arrow, ApplianSys, ASUS and SMART Technologies help N50 deploy low-cost, scalable and sustainable technology solutions in the form of a Connectivity Kit. The kits include everything a school would need for a lab and run software that enables N50 and its partners to take a single, small form factor, low-cost computing device, and configure it for multiple users.
“Spending time with students at Monarca has become a month of May tradition for me leading into race weekend. I have a lot of pride in being a Mexican role model for them, someone they can relate to. I love that Arrow is investing in the school with this technology, and I’m glad I can make an impact.”
– Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren IndyCar Team Driver.
The kits can also be customized to highlight specific skill building. For example, the lab in Monarca has a specialized coding and robotics curriculum provided by SAM Labs, Learning Upgrade and FIRST Robotics. At the lab’s opening celebration, students learned how to program robotic “cars” and race them against Arrow McLaren IndyCar Team Driver Pato O’Ward who has been visiting the school annually since it opened. Born in Mexico, O’Ward takes an interest in the students’ progress and speaks with them bilingually.
“Now they are going to learn the skills that are needed for the jobs of the future.”
– Dan Gutwein, N50 CEO and founder.
To help ensure teachers will be able to continue helping students expand their learning, SMART Technologies donated the lab’s interactive SMART boards and worked with a local vendor to provide training and long-term support. Teachers can also access interactive lessons through a free digital platform. The aim is for students to develop real-world STEM capabilities, which should serve them well as they prepare to eventually join the workforce.
“This lab will provide critical education and skills development to help prepare Monarca students for the 21st century workforce. Access to dynamic content, like learning to use AI responsibly, or coding and robotics, will enable them to explore career pathways and meaningful opportunities otherwise unavailable without these digital skills.”
– Ivey Bostrom, Arrow Electronics, corporate marketing partnerships and program manager.
How it works
