Central High School English teacher and newspaper advisor Veronica Daehn Harvey no longer has to use the old desktop computer speakers she purchased at Goodwill to help students hear the lessons she prepares. Thanks to the 21st Century Digital Classroom award her class received, there are now new speakers installed in the ceiling which project audio loud enough for every student to hear.

Harvey’s students also benefit from a new smart board that serves as a second computer monitor that she uses to impart lessons with the touch of her finger. Plus, new microphones that hook up to the new speaker system ensure that hard-of-hearing students can always hear her voice.

In April, the D51 Foundation, a nonprofit that supports local public schools by providing private support for key education initiatives, donated $35,000 to outfit 10 schools in the Grand Valley with a 21st Century Digital Classroom to help prioritize technology and innovation.

“It’s amazing that the D51 Foundation supports teachers through technology grants such as this,” Harvey says. “I feel very lucky that my classroom was chosen. It really has positively affected the experience in my classroom.”

Items that can be included in 21st Century Digital Classrooms include a teacher computer, pre-wired electrical raceway, an Aquos (smart) Board, document camera, instructional audio system and an interactive video camera.

Other D51 Foundation priorities include funding professional learning for staff, and promoting student and staff wellness, says Angela Christensen, D51 Foundation executive director.

Central High School teacher Veronica Daehn Harvey appreciates the new technology tools she was given by the D51 Foundation. *Photo by Charlotte Douglas.*

“We seek input from teachers and principals to determine where the funding is most needed,” Christensen says. “Different classrooms receive different equipment. The foundation has supported 35 classrooms with 21st Century Digital technology since the D51 Foundation was founded by community leaders in 2010.”

R-5 High School, an alternative public school with nine classrooms of mixed grades, received an Aquos Board which will replace an old projector with dim lighting. The school also gained a ceiling speaker system and a document camera, which allows students to easily share their work live in the classroom.

The new equipment is used every day, mentions R-5 principal Nick Steinmetz. “The teacher is thrilled,” Steinmetz says. “Our teachers rotate classrooms so the technology is available to multiple teachers and all students.”

The technology and innovation gifts were paid for via money raised from D51 Foundation’s White Iced Celebration, an annual fundraiser held in February.

Last fall, the foundation gave more than $7,500 to District 51 staff for technology and innovation needs in the classroom. The nonprofit organization distributes various other grants throughout the year, too.

Other Mesa County schools who received the 21st Century Digital Classroom award include Fruita Middle School, Mount Garfield Middle School, West Middle School, Grand Mesa Middle School, Bookcliff Middle School, Redlands Middle School, Fruita Monument High School and Palisade High School.

Originally published in the summer 2025 issue of Spoke+Blossom.

Nonprofit Foundation Helps Grand Valley Schools With Updated Technology