Henderson elementary school in running for $100,000 tech grant

By Brian Nordli

Friday, Oct. 24, 2014 | 4:16 p.m.

With the same enthusiasm as a finalist on "Dancing with the Stars" or "American Idol," Brenda Moynihan passes out flyers admonishing people to vote for C.T. Sewell Elementary School.

In a contest that's down to the last month of voting, every person matters and there’s no time to waste. Moynihan distributes flyers at "Art in the Park," to families during "Family Movie Night," and to people at Starbucks. Moynihan, a third grade teacher at Sewell, hands the yellow flier with her school and class picture on it and tells them to, “Vote, vote, vote.”

And here's why: Her school is in the running for a $100,000 grant from Farmers Insurance’s “Dream Big Grant” contest, and as the days tick down, there's another school in first place for a prize that could transform the school.

“We have to get that sustained push,” Moynihan said. “Not just one more vote, we have to keep it going.”

Sewell, which is representing Nevada, is in second place with votes in its region and in competition with a school in Arizona and a school in California. Only five schools (one from each region) win the grant.

If Sewell wins, the grant money will be used to fund Moynihan’s proposal — to create a computer lab at the school for the students and parents in the school’s low-income Henderson community.

The lab would include 30 laptops, 30 desktop computers and 30 iPads that children and parents can use. The lab is vital for a school where many of the families don’t have access to the technology their children need to learn, Principal Holli Ratliff said.

With the Clark County School District switching to an online standardized test and online programs like Accelerated Reader and Study Island, access to technology is a necessity, Ratliff said.

“It’s a bit of a challenge that we have these programs, but with limited tech, students don’t always have that access,” Ratliff said.

Moynihan said the school has received a lot of support for her proposal. In addition to the school’s own posts on social media, CCSD has broadcasted it on its website, UNLV has posted about it and local businesses have sent out social media posts promoting it.

Moynihan’s goal is to draw support statewide and nationwide. She’s confident Sewell can win this for Nevada. She even tells Ratliff that they will win every day.

All she needs is for people to keep voting each day until Nov. 30.

“I’m feeling pretty confident,” Moynihan said. “We’ve got a lot of support behind us but we’re looking for more support to get us through final month.”

To vote, visit www.thankamillionteachers.com. The contest limits users to one vote a day.