Thank you again for your incredible donation. My students have jumped head first into exploring the incredible world of virtual reality games, experiences, and design. Virtual Reality has given my students a new way to interact with history, art, science, and more. From Airborne 1944, where students are jumping out of a DC-47 on D-Day, to Google Tilt Brush, where students can paint and sculpt in 3D, my students have had the opportunity to explore incredible worlds, solve puzzles and murder mysteries, to traveling the globe, and create works of art. One incredible experience required students to use team work to diffuse a bomb before time ran out. While one student held a manual and read instructions, the second student was in the virtual world turning the bomb over and trying to defuse it. It was incredible to watch the students come together and work as a team.

Having the opportunity to be transported to unfamiliar places without having to physically leave the classroom is the most exciting prospect to my students. Additionally, having the opportunity to explore the more the practical applications virtual reality has in engineering, space exploration, and the creation of art. My students have had the opportunity to work in a virtual recreation of the International Space Station, completing missions using scientific instruments. This was a dream come true for at least one of my students. Another student relished the idea of going into the countryside to solve a murder mystery. He had to explore an old house and avoid a confronting the murder before he had solved the case. Yet others had the opportunity to race cars around some incredible tracks located in various places in the world. 

Several of my students had the opportunity to begin building their very own virtual reality game: Shoot Hoops. This is a simple game where you have a series of basketballs and three hoops to shoot them into. This was a huge inspiration to my students and has encouraged them to move on into advanced computer science classes, game design, animation, and 3D modeling. Even more, they were excited to go tell their friends about the incredible technology they have access to, causing our computer science program to more than double in size for the next school year. 

Dear donors, your donation is changing kid's lives every day. Thank you so much. We are eternally grateful.

With gratitude,
Mr. Holt