In April of 2024, trip leader and educator, Aimee Lowe brought a vibrant group of high school students from St. Thomas Aquinas in Ft. Lauderdale to the Roatán Institute for Marine Sciences through Green Edventures Educational Student Tour for a marine science education trip in Roatán. But they brought more than just their enthusiasm for the ocean!
Before the tour, Aimee asked her students to donate their used Chromebook laptop computers at the end of the school year, and she collected over 70 of them. Their school tech department deemed 56 of them to be in very good condition, and they wiped, cleaned, and reset them to function “as new.” Luckily, they were able bring all 56 of them to Roatán (in 6 large, checked bags), and get them into the country with the help of a very specific donation letter from PIER (Partners in Education Roatán).
PIER had them bring 25 of the laptops to the high school on the “less developed” side of Roatán to donate to the school for all the students to use in their new “computer lab”. Aimee’s students also donated $585 to the school to pay for a year of Wifi for them.
They visited the school during their island educational student tour to drop off the computers. The reception they had was incredible! Aimee’s group was met by their school band playing songs, a big group of students, the head of PIER, the principal of the school, and a representative from the Roatán Department of Education.
It was truly overwhelming, and many of Aimee’s students cried.
PIER asked for another donation of 15 of the Chromebooks to 15 teachers who work in very, very underprivileged preschools in Roatán. The Department of Education only pays these teachers $40 a month.
The teachers, along with the Minister of the Department of Education, 3 other members of the Department of Education, and the head of PIER, met them in the RIMS classroom where Aimee’s students were staying, so that the students could give them the Chromebooks directly. Many of the teachers spoke (in Spanish with a translator) to thank them, and this time they were crying.
Aimee and her students were not prepared for the emotional outpouring of gratitude from the teachers and students in Roatán for their generous gifts. All they could do is take it all in and allow their tears to fall to express what words could not and know what a huge impact this has made for the students and teachers they visited in Roatán.
On the last day of their educational student tour, the students of St. Thomas brought the last 16 computers to SOL to donate to the kids at the community center. Most of the children there do not have electricity, let alone Internet, so the computers will stay at SOL so they’ll be able to use them for their schoolwork, etc.
In a touching gesture of generosity, they transported 55 Chromebooks donated by their graduating seniors to support Roatán’s local communities. Partnering with Partners in Education Roatán – PIER, 25 of these computers found a new home at a high school in Jonesville, helping to establish its very first computer lab. Another 15 were gifted to dedicated volunteer teachers across the island, aiding preschool education efforts. The remaining 15 were welcomed by the SOL International Foundation in Sandy Bay.
A big thank you to Aimee and her amazing students for their thoughtful and impactful contributions. You’ve truly made a difference! We are proud to have such generosity associated with the name, Green Edventures!
If you’re interested in organizing an educational student tour for your students in Roatan, click on the link below to see what destinations are available.
Educational Tours