Following up on our story in July regarding the solar and computer expansion at Tchey School, we are happy to report that the windows machines are up and running at Tchey School and classes are now underway.

Students at Tchey checking out the new computers.

This expansion made possible the implementation of 10 Windows machines in the lab, which were donated by Greg and Catherine Ford, also former volunteers at Tchey.

Last year we had 40 XO machines from One Laptop per Child in operation at the lab, originally donated by Ubisoft. The students did so well with these machines that we found many of them were ready to move up to the windows platform and get some real world training that will help them as they continue their education at secondary school and beyond in the workplace. Some of these students did so well in the XO classes they are returning to their primary school to serve as teaching assistants to the younger children just starting with the XO computers.


ready to go!

ready to go!

This year we will have beginning classes with the original XO machines, intermediate classes with upgraded XO machines and now these advanced classes with the Windows computers.

The Windows classes will consist of training in the Windows environment, MS Word and Excel. In addition the teachers will be using the computers to assist in lesson planning and sharing. The computer lab does not yet have internet access as we examine how to manage it given the location of the school and keep the children safe while using it.

A big thanks for John and Nancy who gave us the power necessary to run the lab, to Greg and Catherine for donating proceeds collected for their wedding to fund the purchase of the computers and to Josh Milligan of Ubisoft for getting us started in the first place with the XO machines.

Thanks to George Harding and Brooke Heinichen for their work over the summer to prep the lab. Thanks to Dara Ly for the ingenious wiring of the room and desks and to teacher Rithy Thoeung for his tireless work to teach and direct the students in the lab. We’re looking forward to an amazing year with these students and I’m sitting here imaging the day when I can turn over the management of this website to one of them… 🙂