“Can you send Connie to our school,” one of the visiting Rwandan teachers had asked after a Google doc presentation Connie had made during one of the break out training sessions in the Spring. Connie Coker, M.Ed., is the Director of Technology and School Strategic Initiatives at St. Mary’s School in Annapolis, MD. She is also on the board of directors at Connect Rwanda. Her unique technology in an educational environment skillset made her the leading candidate for this Summer’s trip. Connie is no stranger to Rwanda either as she visited the Institute of Women’s Excellence in Rwamagana, in 2009 as an ambassador for Charlotte Latin School. She was instrumental in securing funding for a new science and technology lab at the Rwandan school and connecting the two cultures. Her background in educational leadership, technology integration, and Rwandan-U.S. relations is now helping to advise and support Connect Rwanda.
Another request by our visiting Rwandan teachers was to help them with their ESL curriculum and teaching methodologies. Rwanda switched their official language from French to English in 2008. Ellen Smith is a dynamite Spanish instructor and Foreign Language Department Chair at St. Mary’s High School. She has an ESL background, coordinates student volunteers for the ESL program at St. Mary’s, and is a technology leader at the school. She also helped to tour the APACOPE teachers around St. Mary’s when they were here in April.
Connie and Ellen are looking for more donated laptops, projectors, tablets (iPads), and smartphones to take to Rwanda. Do you have items to donate? Let us know: shays@connectrwanda.org