Advancing TechnologyCourtesy of MSU (June)
In May, Michigan State University (MSU) Residential College in the Arts and Humanities Academic Specialist, Vincent Delgado, and College of Engineering CoRe Experience Director, Timothy J. Hinds, traveled to Hone Creek, Costa Rica, along with three outstanding students. This trip was the culmination of the MSU Community Engaged Design course, part of the Program on Sustainability in Costa Rica. They were joined by Cata, the GFS teacher, and several members of the GFS Board of Directors, including Board President Liseth Carpio. The team spent three days at the GFS school, bringing with them 16 tablets, protective cases, sim cards and stylus pens. The MSU students programmed the tablets to optimize English training for the GFS girls. Once distributed, they coached the GFS teacher and students on how to utilize the tablets and the installed programs. The girls’ parents were then invited to the GFS school. They were taught about the benefits and responsibilities of receiving a tablet. Attendance was excellent and gratitude was abundant.
The tablets are now being used for virtual classes, for homework and for extra practice in English after class. Parental controls were added to ensure that the tablets are used exclusively for educational purposes. This is a huge step forward for the GFS school.
The MSU team also brought with them a gift of a shiny new trampoline for the girls. The trampoline was donated by the GFS Board of Directors members Vincent Delgado and Becky Shink and by Jill Ambroziak and Sharon Shink. The previous trampoline, beloved by the students, had recently succumbed to jungle deterioration. This beautiful gift added to the palpable excitement that permeated the school all month.
2nd Installment of Meet our Board of Directors:
Gina Baffa-Caputo & Steve Caputo
Gina serves as the Vice President of GFS. She retired in 2019 from a fulfilling and busy career as a pediatric cardiologist, during which she focused on educating junior doctors and caring for her amazing patients, most of whom were born with complex heart problems.
Steve is the Treasurer of GFS. He retired in 2019 from Bloomberg Financial- yes, Mayor Bloomberg’s company – where he served as a Field Service technician, helping clients throughout Delaware and Philadelphia optimize their use of Bloomberg’s state of the art computer terminals.
Steve and Gina will celebrate their 15th wedding anniversary on July 1st. They have a blended family with three wonderful adult children, Adam (35), Alex (31) and Taylor (30). Since retirement, they have been spending half of the year in Costa Rica, in a home adjacent to Samasati Nature Retreat, and half the year in Philadelphia. They are passionate about yoga, hiking, healthy plant-based cooking/eating, independent movies, life-long learning and, of course, GFS. They have a beloved Costa Rican dog, Cesar, that they share with their best local friends, Fernando and Karla.