The laptop that student is using in the classroom could be because of your birdie.
Or your par.
Or your bogey.
It doesn’t matter how well you golf, it just matters that you play.
The third annual Tee It Up for Classroom Technology will be Aug. 1 at Stone Oak Country Club in Holland. Everyone is welcome to participate as long as registration is completed by July 18.
Springfield Schools Foundation is hosting the outing with sign-in and lunch at 11:30 a.m. and a shotgun start at 1 p.m.
Team entry is $600 for the four-person scramble. This year’s corporate sponsor is Health Management Solutions, which handles Springfield’s workers’ compensation program. Sponsorships are still available at $150 per hole or $1,000 for a cart, lunch or awards dinner sponsorship.
“The whole mission with the golf outing is to help provide funds for technology within the district and we have seen the result of that already through the $41,000 the foundation is going to give for the Google Chrome laptop carts,” said board member Scott Walsh.
Walsh said technology is always changing, and the school system needs to help students get at a level to compete in today’s world.
Last year, 14 teams played; the goal for this year is 18.
“Just going from the first year to the second, essentially every team came back. It is a nice day and Stone Oak does a great job and we try to make everyone feel welcome,” Walsh said. “I think there is something to be said for people getting the chance to play at a private club.”
Walsh said Stone Oak is the only golf course within the Springfield City School District and it has been supportive of the foundation’s mission. The $600 entry fee includes golf for four, lunch, cart and appetizers afterward.
“We will recognize first, second and third place and we do door prizes. There is also a nice tee gift for the teams that enter,” he said.
Board member Judy Gorun is in charge of the gift bags for every participant. In the past, she has given out a combination of golf tees, letter openers, notepads, cooler bags and other goodies.
“One year we even had someone donate a bottle of glittery nail polish for each bag. What fun that was,” she said.
Mike Bilik from Buckeye TeleSystem will be on the greens at Stone Oak on Aug. 1.
“I had people go in my place last year because I couldn’t be there, but we plan to come back. We are part of the community and it makes sense for us to play,” he said.
Walsh said the golf outing is starting to gain momentum and he hopes to raise another $14,000, as they did last year. The first year, it raised nearly $13,000. All the money will go toward the purchase of four carts with 30 laptops each for testing, Walsh said. Without fundraisers like the golf outing these types of purchases would not be possible, he said.
To register a team, visit springfieldschoolsfoundation.org.
Editor’s note: Brandi Barhite is a board member of the Springfield Schools Foundation.
