SANTA ROSA, Calif.—After learning that economically disadvantaged schools in Sonoma County lacked basic resources for distance learning, North Bay Area-based Quattrocchi Kwok Architects (QKA) took immediate action to bridge the “digital divide” preventing some of the neediest students from an education during COVID. QKA has stepped up to the plate to the tune of 80 Wi-Fi hotspots for families without access, 330 reams of copier paper, and $2,500 to help feed families in need.

Co-founder and Principal Mark Quattrocchi personally reached out to schools in Sonoma and Lake Counties and took stock of what resources were most immediately needed. For some schools, it was as basic as copiers and copy paper to make take-home packets for distance learning. In other cases, it was Wi-Fi hotspots to grant kids Wi-Fi access who previously could not join their peers for digital learning.

Here is a complete list of what materials/funding were provided and where:

Two Rock School
26 hotspots with 3-month subscription plan – allows access to all cell carriers; a critical need, particularly in rural areas with limited cell coverage
3 cases or 30-reams of copier paper

Roseland Family Food Relief Fund
Donation of $2,500 used by families in need to buy groceries locally

Donation of $1,000 on behalf of QKA from Jeff Warner of Warner Mechanical Engineering (inspired by QKA’s donation)

Roseland University Prep
11 hotspots with 3-month subscription plan

Roseland Creek ES
3 hotspots with 3-month subscription plan
10 cases or 100 reams of copier paper

Roseland ES
10 cases or 100 reams of copier paper

Sheppard ES
10 cases or 100 reams of copier paper

Lake County Schools
20 Wi-Fi Hotspots

“For years, I’ve been aware of the educational inequities that exist in communities of color and economically disadvantaged schools.  When the Coronavirus struck, it shined an even brighter light on this unlevel playing field as these districts tried to implement distance learning,” said Mark Quattrocchi, QKA founding principal. “The nexus for my reaching out to rural and economically disadvantaged schools was an article published in a local North Bay paper, The Press Democrat, which specifically listed Two Rock and Kashia Schools as those struggling to overcome connectivity barriers and a lack of resources. I reached out to those as well as other local schools I was aware may be having trouble, most of which are not out clients. As we have been so fortunate to continue working and moving projects forward during this time, we feel it is our privilege to support local students who have already experienced so much upheaval.”

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A new 212,000-square-foot STEM Residence Hall will house hundreds of STEM Scholars who are members of the science, technology, engineering and math community within UConn’s undergraduate Honors Program. Construction on the $105 million facility began in November 2014 and will continue through fall 2016.

Construction on a 115,000-square-foot, high-performance building and laboratory for interdisciplinary research began in June 2015, with completion scheduled for summer 2017. The $95 million facility will accommodate student and faculty growth in fields such as bio-nano engineering and cyber-physical systems engineering.

Work began on another 115,000-square-foot facility in June 2015 as the first phase of UConn’s expansive Technology Park. The Innovation Partnership Building will house various specialized instruments, and allow UConn researchers to easily partner with professional scientists on technologies such as 3D printing and cyber security.

Major renovations to the university’s Monteith Building and Putnam Refectory will begin in September, with completion in summer 2016. The Monteith Building is undergoing a 73,000-square-foot renovation that will create a new home for the Department of Math. The $25 million upgrade will also provide flexible space for other academic programs currently housed in buildings that have yet to be renovated.

The 42,000-square-foot Putnam Refectory dining hall will undergo a $23 million renovation that will improve and increase its seating capacity and self-service buffet areas. This upgrade will provide space for new students housed in the STEM Residence Hall nearby. The project is also slated for completion in summer 2016.

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