Grants Add New Technology at SRA

Saint Raphael Academy recently received two grants that will enhance technology at the Academy and will further support STEAM curriculum for years to come.

The Academy was awarded a grant of $50,490 from The Champlin Foundation to upgrade the arts technology lab. The grant will be used to purchase 20 Lenovo desktop computers that will mainly be used in fine arts classes, but also become a resource for STEAM-centered blended learning in other subjects.

Saint Raphael Academy is the first and only high school in Rhode Island to receive the STEAM Academy certification from Roger Williams University’s School of Continuing Education.

Barbara Larned, SRA fine arts department chair and a STEAM coordinator, said, “The updated equipment will enable art classes to sketch, paint, design, write, and edit their work in a way that will bring their creativity to a new level of development. Students with a wide range of abilities and learning styles will be able to learn basic to advanced digital art concepts that connect to real world skills.”

“The Champlin Foundation is pleased to provide grant funding to Saint Raphael Academy to help this important institution advance its vital mission. Champlin Foundation grants are awarded on a competitive basis and our grant to Saint Raphael Academy is a reflection of our confidence in the organization’s ability to improve the lives of Rhode Islanders in significant ways,” the foundation noted in a statement.

Saint Raphael Academy also received $9,925 from the Rhode Island Health and Educational Building Corporation WIN Grant program to purchase an additional network server that will provide increased stability and consistency for virtual learning during the pandemic. The grants were offered as part of the RIHEBC grant program to assist institutions with unforeseen COVID-related expenses.