Helix is the only school in Louisiana participating in the nationwide program this year.

BATON ROUGE (Sept. 18, 2024) On Wednesday, Sept. 18, Helix Community Schools will celebrate joining Verizon Innovative Learning—Verizon’s award-winning education initiative which addresses barriers to digital inclusion and helps drive digital equity within education for some of the most vulnerable populations across the country—with a kickoff event at Helix Mentorship  Academy in which students from Helix Mentorship Academy  and Helix Legal Academy will receive their own tablets.

The event will take place from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. 

 In partnership with Digital Promise, the Verizon Innovative Learning Schools program works side-by-side with schools and districts to get internet-connected devices into the hands of students and to enhance how teachers use technology in the classroom. Being part of the program will keep students connected, helping to facilitate learning wherever it’s taking place. In addition to reliable access for every student and teacher, Verizon Innovative Learning Schools also equips each school with a technology coach and provides robust professional development support for teachers to effectively integrate technology into the classroom. Teachers in the program have reported that the initiative allows for more individualized instruction, helps them explore new ways of teaching, and elevates student engagement.

Helix Aviation Academy, Helix Legal Academy, and Helix Mentorship Academy are among 34 schools joining Verizon Innovative Learning Schools for the 2024-25 school year, bringing the program’s impact to 626 schools nationwide. Helix is the only school in Louisiana participating in the program this year. It is receiving 1089 devices with free data plans. The market value of Verizon Innovative Learning’s investment is on average more than $2.3 million per school. 

“We are thrilled to be part of this wonderful program to help close the digital divide and give our students and teachers the technological tools they need to succeed now and in the future,” said Charita Sellers, founding principal and executive director of Helix Aviation Academy. Sellers also serves as the district  lead for the Verizon Innovative Learning program.  

“On behalf of Verizon, I’d like to welcome Helix Community Schools to the Verizon Innovative Learning Schools program,” said Tandra LeMay, Verizon’s state government affairs director.  “This program provides critical resources and technology which not only helps to foster educational equity for students, but supports teachers in using technology in the classroom in innovative ways.”

Wednesday’s kickoff event at Helix Mentorship Academy will feature students receiving their own tablets as well as: 

• Remarks from Helix school leaders and elected officials on why hands-on learning experiences using technology—particularly in middle and high school—are so important to academic achievement and lifelong success.

• Demonstrations by teachers and students on how this technology will be used in classrooms this year.
• Parental involvement—parents will get a firsthand look at how the technology will be used as well as learn more about their roles and responsibilities.
• We’ll also raffle some iPads.    

For more information, go to helixcommunityschools.org.

About Helix Community Schools

Helix Community Schools is a homegrown charter school network headquartered in Baton Rouge, Louisiana which includes Helix Mentorship Academy, Helix Aviation Academy, and Helix Legal Academy. Helix is set to open Helix Artificial Intelligence & Medical Academy in Opelousas, Louisiana in August 2025 and Helix Energy and Agriculture Academy.  At Helix, we are committed to exposing students to innovative college and career pathways in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts & Math (STEAM), and the law. For more information, go to helixcommunityschools.org

About Verizon Innovative Learning
Verizon Innovative Learning, Verizon’s award-winning education initiative, is celebrating over a decade of commitment to addressing barriers to digital inclusion for students and teachers. Since 2012, the program has committed $1 billion in market value to support digital equity, reaching over 7 million students. Verizon Innovative Learning provides free technology, internet access, and emerging technology-infused learning programs to students in under-resourced communities—enabling students to develop the skills, knowledge, and confidence needed to build an innovative workforce of the future. In 2021, Verizon launched Verizon Innovative Learning HQ, a next-gen online education portal that provides free access to immersive extended reality (XR) educational experiences to all educators, including K–12 teachers, nationwide. A key program under Citizen Verizon, the company’s responsible business plan for economic, environmental, and social advancement, Verizon Innovative Learning is helping to drive the company’s commitment to provide 10 million youths with digital skills training by 2030. Learn more at citizenverizon.com.