GAC to equip 1,200 students with new MacBooks

By D. Aileen Dodd

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Greater Atlanta Christian Schools on Thursday announced the launch of a massive Apple technology initiative that will put new laptops in the hands of more than 1,200 students and place higher tuition bills in the mailboxes of parents.

Starting in August, the Norcross private school will equip every student in grades six through 12 with a new MacBook loaded with GAC software. It will be one of Apple's largest school technology rollouts in the nation. The laptops will be paired as a learning tool with another essential many tech-savvy students already have, an iPod.

Talk of the multimillion-dollar upgrade was greeted by cheers Thursday at an assembly held to announce the iLearn technology initiative, which is being funded in part by GAC’s endowment, its magazine fund-raiser and tuition increases.

GAC President David Fincher sent e-mails to parents to inform them about the initiative. “Learning at Greater Atlanta Christian … is about to take a mighty leap forward,” Fincher wrote.

As a personal thank-you, next week John Couch, Apple’s vice president of education, will visit GAC to talk about technology in classrooms.

GAC MacBooks will even be provided to students who already have laptops at home. The laptops will carry insurance and tech support. Students, however, must provide their own iPod Touch devices.

The upgrade will mean that tuition for elementary school students will jump from $12,150 to $13,100, a 7.8 percent increase. Older students will see a 13.8 percent increase, with their bills rising from $12,645 to $14,400. The prices will still be lower than those at most private schools. Median tuition at private schools in Georgia ranged from about $15,000 for elementary schools to $19,700 for high schools last year, according to the National Association of Independent Schools.

“We are all very excited,’’ said eighth-grader Sam Weyen, who uses his parents' laptop at home. “We are not going to have to fight over the computer anymore.”