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It wasn’t that long ago that teachers were using chalkboards. The mess of the dust and banging the erasers to clean them off. Then came white boards and the cutting-edge technology of dry-erase markers in different colors.

Today, teachers use SMART Boards. The boards are essentially a projection of the teacher’s computer, and allow them to access curriculum quickly. They also function as touch screens, allowing teachers and students a more interactive approach to learning.

This year, Thompson Falls Elementary is getting a technology boost and outfitting additional classrooms with SMART Boards thanks to a $50,000 grant from Phillips 66.

Last week at Thompson Falls Elementary, Principal Len Dorscher and Superintendent Bill Cain accepted a check from the Phillips 66 corporation.

The company donates millions in philanthropy funds nationwide each year. Philip Williamson, Instrumentation & Electrical Supervisor for Phillips 66 in Thompson Falls, presented the check to the school district along with employee Dustin Robinson.

“The impact this money has on a small community is amazing,” Cain told Williamson.

Kindergarten teacher Emmalie Gavlak demonstrated SMART Board technology to the administrators and the Phillips 66 representatives last Wednesday, showing them how it displayed her computer screen. She opened a lesson, showing how kids are able to come to the SMART Board, drag letters and sound them out in order to spell a word.

“This is a huge time saver,” Gavlak said of the new technology.

Robinson commented that it was much different from when he attended Thompson Falls Elementary and the school was equipped only with chalkboards.

“This will help students and teachers access our new reading and math curriculum,” Dorscher said. “And it’s more interactive.”

Dorscher said he first applied for the Phillips 66 grant in 2017. When it wasn’t accepted for that cycle, he submitted another grant in 2018. Dorscher said he was thinking he should lower his standards and ask for less money when he was notified that the school received the funding. With the $50,000, Dorscher said the school will be able to put SMART Boards in every classroom, kindergarten through sixth grade.

“We are happy to help, especially in small communities where funding is minimal and the impact of a grant like this can be huge,” Williamson said.

Williamson said the grant for Thompson Falls Elementary was the biggest in the region this year. The company awards grants to projects and organizations in the areas of Education and Literacy, Environment and Sustainability, and Community Safety and Preparedness.

Last year, the company donated $10,000 to the Sanders County Sheriff’s Office to help purchase new patrol vehicles, and $50,000 to Northwest Montana fire departments (including Thompson Falls Rural and Plains/Paradise Rural) after the 2017 wildfire season. In 2018, Phillips 66 also contributed $500 to the Thompson Falls Beautification Days.