The OIEF funded the very first computers for the school in 1983, when I was in eighth grade. Those Apple IIe computers had less processor power than today’s average smartphone but at the time they were state-of-the-art. OIEF support provided access to technology that would have been out of reach of the school district at the time.

Thanks to the OIEF, we had the opportunity to learn computing basics and simple programming in school. That exposure helped me later when I went off to college and found I had as much or more computer skills as my classmates who had attended private or larger public high schools. Now I am building a company in the international solar energy industry and work with computers every day. Many thanks to the OIEF for 30 years of support for education and educational technology for Orcas students!