A new grant will ensure students at Faith Christian Academy have access to the latest technology and equipment for the upcoming school year.
Last week, the school received word from H-E-B that they were awarded a $20,000 technology grant. John Taylor, the 2019-2020 school year consultant and acting administrator for Faith Christian Academy, said the students, staff and faculty were surprised and happy to be receiving the much-needed funding.
“This will help immensely,” Taylor said. “I’m very surprised, actually.”
Toward the end of 2019, Faith Christian Academy received donations to go toward revamping their computer systems, which were dated. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, they had planned to raise an additional $20,000 for desktop computers – but once it hit, things changed.
“We were doing well – March 1, the board was making very strong plans for next year,” Taylor said. “Everything was going well, but then on the 13th, at the start of our Spring Break, that’s when things got really tough.”
Taylor noted that despite the challenges ending the school year, financially they came out pretty well.
“Our teachers worked so hard for distance learning,” Taylor said. “We have a good curriculum for doing that, so parents were pretty happy.”
FCA had enough funds to rebuild computer infrastructure, but not enough to replace aging desktops with durable, reliable laptops that could also serve as loaners for students having to shelter-at-home.
“We especially needed the laptops because of the pandemic,” Taylor said. “We’re changing the direction we’re going for more flexibility.”
Faith Christian Academy applied for a grant with H-E-B, asking for their assistance in “reinventing FCA into an Exemplary Twenty-First Century Christian School.” They plan to use the money to invest in enterprise-level laptops to ensure they last a long time.
“We ask our parents to continue to pray,” Taylor said. “Usually, companies get so big they forget the customer – but I’ve been very impressed with H-E-B.”
Taylor, who resides in Ohio, was thoroughly impressed with the service offered at H-E-Bs across the Valley.
“They dominate the market, yet they offer quality, they offer good prices, their employees are unbelievably friendly and helpful,” Taylor said. “They have this great community investment program.”
Taylor said FCA was grateful to H-E-B for their dedication to serving the community.
“We [at FCA], in order to move forward rather than backwards, knew we needed to get more into community partnerships,” Taylor said. “Where we could serve side-by-side with businesses.”
Taylor noted that for FCA, it’s about more than money – it’s about continuing an education rooted in the Christian faith.
“We still have some struggles, unequivocally,” Taylor said, noting the technology boost for their students needs to happen. “COVID-19 made it – we had to go fast with technology to be relevant, now we have to go fast with technology for our kids to learn.”
Those wishing to donate to the FCA educational model moving forward, can call (956) 581-7777, or check out their website https://www.fcaknight.org.
