SMART Board Technology Shown to Increase Students’ Academic Performance
Saint John, NB (October 10, 2007) – Canaport LNG LP and the District Education Council of School District 8 today announced that Canaport LNG will donate 10 “SMART Boards” to 10 schools in East Saint John. Canaport LNG LP is the partnership between Repsol and Irving Oil.
The SMART Board, designed by SMART Technologies Inc., is interactive whiteboard technology that enhances classroom teaching and learning, specifically in the area of math education. According to researchers at U.K.-based Keele University, the whiteboard technology enables brighter and clearer presentation of educational material, better recall of the material by students and increased interactivity between teachers and students.
Beverly MacDonald, Director of Education for District 8, says that the introduction of SMART Boards is the latest technological advancement in the school district, as all of its teachers now have laptop computers and wireless Internet access. “We are thrilled that Canaport LNG has generously donated the SMART Boards to District 8, and we are confident that the investment will go a long way in enhancing our students’ math achievement and overall academic performance.”
“Mathematics is a fundamental part of primary and secondary education and an essential part of many professions, especially in the science and engineering fields,” said Jorge Ciacciarelli, Canaport LNG’s General Manager. “Canaport LNG wants to help develop the next generation of engineers and construction workers, who may one day be integral not only to our operations, but to a thriving local economy. We are committed to Saint John and to the people who live, work and learn here.”
The 10 donated boards, valued at $40,000, were unveiled at a presentation at 10am on October 10th at Lakewood Heights Elementary School. District 8 will distribute the boards to two high schools and eight middle schools, including:
The SMART Board connects to a computer with a USB cable, and the computer image can be projected onto the board through a digital projector connection. Using the boards, teachers can write, erase and perform mouse functions with their fingers, a pen or an eraser. They can also capture their work to SMART Board software as a screen shot that can be edited, or they can save their notes directly to several software applications, including Windows versions of Microsoft PowerPoint, Word and Excel.
This support to the 10 schools in District 8 represents Canaport LNG’s ongoing commitment to education in the Saint John region. Last year, Canaport LNG also helped launch the Get FANatical about Math Program, in partnership with the Saint John Sea Dogs. This program fosters math skills of students from kindergarten to grade eight in School Districts 6, 8 and Samuel-de-Champlain school. Canaport LNG has committed to a three-year sponsorship of the program.
Today’s announcement comes on the heels of Canaport LNG’s September 22nd fundraising event at the Lily Lake Pavilion. Canaport LNG raised $30,000 at its Celebración IBERO-AMERICANA fundraising dinner in support of the Lily Lake Pavilion’s Community Projects Initiative. All funds raised will be used to keep the pavilion’s skating and swimming programs open to the public.
About Canaport LNG
Canaport LNG Limited Partnership is a partnership between Irving Oil Limited and Repsol. Canaport LNG is to begin operation as a world-class liquefied natural gas receiving and regasification terminal in late 2008. Situated at Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, Canaport LNG will have a peak send-out capacity of 1.2-billion cubic feet of liquefied natural gas a day, destined for markets in Canada and the northeastern United States. To learn more, please visit www.canaportlng.com.
Media Contact:
Carolyn Van der Veen
Canaport LNG
506-658-6250, ext. 7112
cvanderv@canaportlng.com