Educators will receive a $15,000 cash prize to expand their global, tech-inspired idea
(Sept. 19, 2018) Denver, Colo. – Two educators from Colorado Springs District 11 won The Succeeds Prize 2018 for Excellence in Technology Enabled Learning during a celebration honoring Colorado public schools and educators. The $15,000 prize, presented by Arrow Electronics, was awarded to Sean Wybrant, Colorado’s 2017 Teacher of the Year and teacher at William J. Palmer High School and Scott Fuller, next generation learning coordinator for District 11, to fund their idea to partner with students in Saipan to create augmented and virtual reality learning experiences.
The Succeeds Prize—a partnership between 9NEWS, Colorado Succeeds and mindSpark Learning— recognizes and rewards Colorado’s transformational public schools and educators who are driving strong student success. It also seeks to provide forward-thinking educators with seed funding to bring their big ideas to fruition. Last night, the Succeeds Prize awarded schools across six categories with a total of $150,000 in cash prizes.
“Colorado educators are hungry for opportunities to use technology to transform their students’ experience, accelerate learning and help their student learn how to be innovators,” said Joe Verrengia, global director of corporate social responsibility at Arrow Electronics. “We are committed to working with schools and teachers to support better and more inspired uses of technology tools. We are also excited to watch global learning partnerships with Palmer High School grow. Congratulations to Sean and Scott on this tremendous honor.”
Sean and Scott’s idea was selected by a panel of experts across business, technology and education through the use of a multi-step process, including a live shark tank-style pitch.
“Colorado’s students are capable of having a tremendous impact on the world, if we give them the opportunity,” said Sean Wybrant, teacher at Palmer High School. “We are honored to receive The Succeeds Prize for Technology Enabled Learning, which will allow us to expand our student-to-student collaboration with kids in Saipan and provide learning opportunities they wouldn’t otherwise have. Thank you to The Succeeds Prize and to Arrow for investing in our work to pioneer learning experiences across the globe.”
The Technology Enabled Learning Award from The Succeeds Prize will allow Sean to expand augmented and virtual reality experiences for his students, as well as for learners in Saipan. The award money will support students with creating 3D models from East Carolina University's Maritime Studies department, the Smithsonian and students from Kagman High School in Saipan to teach others about the Saipan Maritime Heritage Trail and Battle of Saipan. The funding will also help students to share their work on a broader scale, including via podcasts.
In addition to receiving the cash prize, the school will also receive customized professional training from mindSpark Learning, a non-profit dedicated to re-engineering education through educators with unique professional learning experiences for both the school leader and teacher.
About The Succeeds Prize
The Succeeds Prize is the most prestigious awards and recognition event for Colorado’s public schools and educators. It honors the transformational impact Colorado’s public schools and educators are leading across the state. It also serves as a year-long opportunity to share and scale successful practices while elevating innovative educators so every student in Colorado can benefit.
The Succeeds Prize is sponsored by the business community in partnership with 9NEWS, Colorado Succeeds, and mindSpark Learning. Learn more at TheSucceedsPrize.org.
About Arrow Electronics
Arrow Electronics guides innovation forward for over 150,000 of the world’s leading manufacturers of technology used in homes, business and daily life. With 2017 sales of $26.6 billion, Arrow aggregates electronics and enterprise computing solutions for customers and suppliers in industrial and commercial markets. The company maintains a network of more than 345 locations serving over 80 countries. Learn more at FiveYearsOut.com.
###