Anonymous Donor Offers $75K for MHS Technology Upgrades

(Editor's note: This article was corrected at 2:12 p.m.—the donor spoke with MHS Principal Dan Richards after the inauguration.)

A Melrose parent whose kids recently graduated from has offered to anonymously donate $75,000 to technology upgrades in the school, as long as the city matches his donation, Mayor Rob Dolan said today.

"Never had that happen before," Dolan said. "He did well this year and thought his kids got a great education at Melrose High School, they graduated recently, and he wanted to do something to help the renovations."

The anonymous donor will write a check to the city next Tuesday, at which point it will go before the Board of Aldermen for acceptance, Dolan said.

The donor and Melrose High School Principal Dan Richards struck up a conversation after the inauguration earlier this month, Dolan said. In his inauguration speech, Dolan spoke about the city's goal of renovating Melrose High School and turning the School Resource Center into "a new Melrose Technology Center"—a 21st century library that will also serve as a center of professional development for teachers, city employees and the community.

After speaking with Richards, Dolan said he will bring to the School Committee a proposal to update two foreign language labs, creating wireless networking labs equipped with 30 iPads each.

In a press release, the mayor's office said that the iPads will allow for increased flexibility and collaboration between students and teachers, while eliminating study carrels and "clunky" desktop computers.

"Teaching our students to use 21st century tools to solve problems and improve their foreign language skills underscores the importance of technology and communication outlined in our mission statement," the mayor's press release said. "This lab represents the first step toward converting MHS into a  true 21st century learning environment impacting both teaching and learning."

The labs could also be used, the press release said, to provide a common area for research and classwork and a training area for professional development for faculty and staff, something the mayor alluded to in his inaugural address.