Datacentrix supports Athlone High School’s future vision

Hybrid IT systems integrator and managed services provider Datacentrix has set up a partnership with Athlone High School, assisting the school in kitting out its computer room, as well as providing training moving forward. The school was founded in 1947 and has a rich history of academic excellence, cultural firsts and sporting successes.

Based in Athlone, a suburb of Cape Town in the Western Cape, and located to the east of the city centre on the Cape Flats, Athlone High School’s principal, V Hendricks, reached out to Datacentrix, requesting assistance specifically for the institute’s computer lab, which had been broken into and was standing unused.

Says Friedall Swarts, Datacentrix’s Head of Sales for the Western Cape region: “Datacentrix is firmly pro-education and is willing to help previously disadvantaged South Africans to further themselves. In line with this ethos, and our ongoing dedication to community development, we donated hardware to Athlone High School, including printers for the school’s library, as well as for the principal’s office, and printers, copiers, laptops, desktops and monitors for the computer room.

“The fact that the school has recognised the importance of ICT and is proactively trying to gear up its students to embrace technology was a major factor in our decision to provide Athlone High with ongoing support. This includes upskilling both students and teachers at the school, which also complements the provincial government of the Western Cape’s initiative to drive equal education through ICT.

“It is critical that the users at Athlone High School understand how to use the equipment to its full extent, and Datacentrix has been holding high-level discussions with the teaching staff at this stage not only on how to use the devices themselves, but also on the importance of ICT for South Africa’s economic growth,” Swarts continues. “Students from grades eight to matric will receive Datacentrix skills development participation certifications as they master various achievement levels, and Datacentrix will work hand-in-hand with the learners to assist.”

Gearing learners for the future, Athlone High School’s staff stays abreast of the latest trends in the workplace, placing a strong focus on skills, including sense-making, novel and adaptive thinking, social intelligence, cross-cultural competency, computational thinking, trans-disciplinary, new-media literacy, design mindset, cognitive load management and virtual collaboration.

Athlone High principal Hendricks states the timing of the donation was perfect, as both the school management team and its children had desperately needed an injection of technology resources to help with e-learning and preparing learners for the workplace.

“Two of my main focus areas as leader are literacy and e-learning, and our library and computer lab are two significant spaces for the improvement of reading skills and e-learning,” Hendricks explains. “We will utilise the technology infrastructure optimally so that Athlone High can achieve its vision of good administration and sound academic results.

“The description that comes to mind with regards to our partnership with Datacentrix is ineffable; I'm at a loss for words! We thank the entire Datacentrix team for the donation. We will always, with gratitude, remember the generosity that Datacentrix has shown and the demonstration of the company’s ongoing commitment to social upliftment.”