Johnston High School, Johnston Middle School, and Summit Middle School named Apple Distinguished Schools

From left, JHS principal Ryan Woods, JCSD Instructional Technology Coordinator Ann Wiley, JMS principal Brent Riessen, and SMS principal Chris Billings accept Apple Distinguished School awards for their 1:1 iPad programs.

From left, JHS principal Ryan Woods, JCSD Instructional Technology Coordinator Ann Wiley, JMS principal Brent Riessen, and SMS principal Chris Billings accept Apple Distinguished School awards for their 1:1 iPad programs.

Johnston, IA – December 1, 2018 – The Johnston Community School District is pleased to announce that three of its schools have been recognized as Apple Distinguished Schools. Johnston High School, Johnston Middle School, and Summit Middle School have earned this recognition for their 1:1 iPad® program for all students grades 6-12.

Apple Distinguished Schools are centers of innovation, leadership, and educational excellence that use Apple products to inspire creativity, collaboration, and critical thinking. They showcase state-of-the-art technology in learning, teaching, and the school environment and have documented results of academic accomplishment.

“The selection of our three secondary schools – JHS, JMS, and Summit – as Apple Distinguished Schools highlights our success in creating forward-thinking and compelling learning environments that engage students and provide tangible evidence of academic accomplishment,” said Ann Wiley, JCSD Instructional Technology Coordinator. “Use of the iPads has been incorporated into every classroom, from vocal music to biology. Students have found multiple, ingenious ways to use their device to take control of their own learning experience.”

Since launching the 1:1 iPad® program at JHS in 2013, the district’s technology team has rolled out individual devices to different grade levels each year. Most recently, students in grades 4 and 5 received their 1:1 devices. Johnston High School received the Apple Distinguished School designation in 2013 as part of their 1:1 efforts.

About the Johnston Community School District

Photo of a teacher and two male students.

Students and teachers at Johnston High School have been 1:1 with iPads since January 2013.

The Johnston Community School District is located in Johnston, Iowa – a thriving suburb north of Iowa’s capital city of Des Moines. The district educates 7,400 students from preschool through 12th grade and employs approximately 1,000 teachers and staff members.

The district is comprised of an early learning center (preschool), five elementary schools, two middle schools, a high school, an administrative resource center, a community education center and a transportation/building and grounds facility. JCSD covers 40 square miles and serves the community of Johnston as well as parts of Urbandale, Des Moines, Grimes, and Granger.

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Media Contact: Laura Sprague, APR | JCSD Director of Communications

PH: 515-770-6206 | Email: laura.sprague@johnston.k12.ia.us