The school began with a desire to create a community of learners that would thrive in a safe and inclusive environment. It was also our belief that technology should be one of the major tools of this new school. 

Collectively our skills and experiences both conventional and creative combined with a youthful desire to integrate technology into our daily repertoire, have paid great dividends.

Our first uses of technology included basic tape recordings, over the counter software to support basic skills and story writing, as well as student level graphics programs.  Within our first year we began making picture slide shows. 

We spent the next few years creating various videos and stop action short films.  In this process the students worked in groups to create story lines, write and illustrate.  The creative experience enables all students to work cooperatively. 

The next logical step for us was intervention of basic skills.  We started to use a systematic reading fluency (speed) and comprehension program that used tape recorders or computers. 

We later piloted some reading comprehension software that utilizes video clips to model skills and reinforce student responses.  With ample computers available to the student population, the students were not only able to use the computers for research and report writing, but they were also entered into a simulated stock market competition.  

Each team was given an online page with a budget of $100,000.00.  The students competed against other schools in the Bay Area.  In our first year one of our teams placed in the top three and was invited to the regional awards ceremony.  As of October 2007 we currently hold first place in the Elementary and the Middle School divisions.

In 2007 we began to use voice technology to facilitate communication for nonverbal students. The immediate result was a heightened desire for the students to socialize in the classroom which then led to a greater focus on the academic curriculum.  We then began to use various keyboard technologies to enable some students to produce work in a more fluent and organized manner. 

As our Middle School program began to grow, we added the use of laptop computers.  We taught typing skills, how to build databases, and made slideshow presentations of their reports.

The results have been inspiring both for our typical students as well as our students with special needs.  One of our students has been published in Chicken Soup for the Soul:  Children with Special Needs.   Another has had a speaking engagement with parents of nonverbal students. 

Technology has played a vital role in the motivation and progress of our students.