By Linda Reeves - The Florida Catholic Palm Beach

FORT LAUDERDALE | St. Anthony School, the oldest Catholic school in Broward and the first school in the Archdiocese of Miami to earn STREAM certification, has added a new distinction to its list of accolades.

“We have only known for a couple of weeks,” said principal Brenda Cummings, referring to the news that St. Anthony had been awarded the Apple Distinguished School honor. It’s one of three archdiocesan schools, all in Broward, to receive the distinction this year. (See St. Mark's story.) Immaculata-La Salle in Miami and Archbishop McCarthy High in Southwest Ranches received the distinction a few years ago.

“We are excited,” said Cummings, who was anxiously awaiting to officially release the good news to the entire school family when the Florida Catholic visited at the end of September.

Located in downtown Broward, St. Anthony serves 445 students this year in pre-K3 through eighth grade. Established in 1926, the school features a STREAM or science, technology, religion, engineering, arts, and math-based curriculum.

Four years ago, school leaders began exploring ways to integrate technology into the school’s STREAM curriculum and in all aspects of the teaching program.

“We began using Apple iPads,” said Jenna McIntosh, assistant principal. “Over the past four years we have rolled them out to all of the students,” she added. “Today, our school is fully integrated.”

With the iPads came more opportunities for students to use technology to engage more fully in learning experiences and to develop their skills and young minds in new ways.

In 2018, McIntosh attended an Apple workshop and training session in Chicago and became an Apple Learning Specialist.

“There were 24 of us from around the country,” she said.

She took what she had learned back home to Florida to share with her school leaders and faculty. “That workshop and training pushed us forward,” she said.

Today, all the teachers at St. Anthony have earned Apple Teacher Certifications and are using an array of innovative Apple tools. The school is equipped with laptop computers, televisions, printers and projectors.

The school leaders who began the integration program in 2017 had no knowledge of Apple’s Distinguished School program until they were sent an invitation to apply. Then, at the end of August, they received word that the school had been selected to join a growing but still small family of 500-plus schools across 32 countries given this recognition.

What does it mean for St. Anthony?

“The distinction shows that we are providing the best learning experience for our children through excellent teaching with the use of Apple in the classrooms,” said McIntosh. “It puts us in an incredible group of schools from across the country and around the world. We can reach out to them and share best teaching practices. It opens up development for our teachers. It will help us to continue to grow.”

As an Apple school, St. Anthony can partner with Apple Distinguished Schools around the world. The schools share information to help one another learn and grow. St. Anthony’s teachers have opportunities to participate in professional development offered through Apple to help them keep up with innovations in the ever-changing digital world.

St. Anthony Spanish teacher Gaudy Herring likes the Apple technology at school and her iPad sidekick. She said the new technology simplifies teaching tasks and helps her plan innovative and creative classes that keep students interested, engaged and learning in new ways. She likes having her iPad with her at all times.

In her sixth grade classroom, Herring was conducting a class focused on Spanish Heritage Month, which is celebrated in late September and the first half of October. 

“I love the Apple technology,” she said. “I can carry my iPad around with me from class to class. I take it everywhere with me. Apple makes my life much easier. The kids like my lessons. I can use images as part of my teaching. I have gone 100 percent paperless. It is really great.”

Sixth-grader Rocco Jean was searching and exploring his iPad during Spanish class and totally focused on his lessons. “I like using the Apple,” he said. “It is not complicated.”

But is all the technology, seminars, classes and training worth it? Is the new Apple integration in the school paying off in terms of student learning?

St. Anthony administration and faculty continue to collect and analyze data to better drive student instruction and engagement and track progress. A variety of apps and online resources help them collect and analyze data electronically.

“We have definitely seen growth and improvement over the years,” said McIntosh. “Our approach is to develop the whole child to be successful in what will be their world in the future, a very technology driven world. We want to develop thinkers, problem solvers and doers.”

As part of the Apple distinction, the school must show ongoing dedication to innovation and technology growth.

“We have 100 percent of our faculty on board,” said Cummings. “If we didn’t have the teachers’ commitment, we would not be doing the things we are doing in the classroom. They do great things in the classrooms.”