“It takes a village and it takes a leader”

Elliot:  Some folks always manage to figure out a way to do what they want to do.
Cathie: You are being your usual enigmatic self; what are you saying?
Elliot: Well, public schools are always in need of funds to carry out new initiatives.
Cathie: There’s that keen sense for the obvious again…
Elliot: Ok , ok  all the schools have the same problem but, some school district people figure out how to raise the money.
Cathie: You are talking about Kyle Menchhofer, right?
Elliot: Why do you always know what I’m thinking???
Cathie: <smiles enigmatically>
Elliot: Yes, Kyle has figured out how to raise funds for the district’s 1:1, cellphone computer initiative.
Cathie: St Marys, a small town in north-western Ohio, where Kyle is the school district’s Director of  Technology, doesn’t have a growing tax base and isn’t raising bond money.
Elliot: But, St Marys leads the nation in the use of cellphone computers in the classroom! Kyle has managed to find funding to support for over over 600 mobile learning devices in the classroom. 
Cathie: His superintendent, Mary Riepenhoff,  is totally supportive of putting mobile learning devices in the hands of each and every student in St. Marys.
Elliot: And Kyle has asked for funds from everyone. Recently he wrangled over $3,000 from the St. Marys VFW Post 9289 and he convinced the town’s East and West PTO’s to contribute about $3,000 each and building principals have donated $2,000 each from their principals’ funds.
Cathie: Rotary Club, Eagles Club, and American Legion – get out your checkbooks!  It’s really wonderful to see people pitching in to help educate all the children in their city. 
Elliot: I am glad we’re in education; what we do matters.
Cathie: And, I am glad we know people like Kyle because he is closing the digital divide for lots of students in rural Ohio. What he does, matters.