The Great Technology Giveaway distributed $18,000 to 23 participating Catholic schools. Three schools were awarded top prizes of $1,000 each for creating winning videos:
- “The Ten Commandments,” by St. Andrew School in Elk River;
- “Four Caring Kids,” a project of St. Mary of Mount Carmel School in Long Prairie; and
- “Lily’s School Promo,” by All Saints Academy, St. Cloud campus.
A first-grade class at St. Mary, Help of Christians School in St. Augusta earned an honorable mention of $750 and an iPad for “The Good Samaritan.”
All other schools received checks of $750 to purchase the technology they need, such as iPads and Chromebooks. To participate in the contest, schools were asked to submit student-created entries using technology that shared a story of faith, promoted their school or told a story about Pope Francis or a saint.
Fifty-eight projects were entered into the giveaway. Donations were received from 64 businesses and organizations.
The Great Technology Giveaway was an offshoot of the Catholic Foundation for the Diocese of St. Cloud’s program from 2013 to 2016 to distribute iPads to schools. This year, the program was organized by a retired Catholic school principal who headed a committee of retired Catholic school teachers.
“We are so grateful to have the assistance when it comes to improving and updating our technology,” School Sister of Notre Dame Sharon Waldoch, principal at St. Boniface School in Cold Spring, wrote in a thank-you note to the foundation. “Without help from others, it becomes a challenge to be competitive.”