SARPY COUNTY, Neb. (KMTV) — Facebook is committing millions of dollars in grant money to help communities where its facilities are located and that includes Sarpy County.
Music soothes the soul but it has changed over the years. Technology is now a big part of creating that magical sound.
With the stress of COVID, being able to offer kids advanced music production in the form of a music tech lab and its state-of-the-art capabilities has them all jamming in the right key — giving the students an added boost during a much-needed time.
“All the students 7-12 will get more access to this mini recording studio and music recording station. It is really exciting to offer more of these opportunities,” said Paul Ketchen, music teacher at Springfield Platteview Public Schools.
A total of 18 organizations and schools in Sarpy County received Facebook grants.
They said the money will improve the Sarpy County community and the lives and careers of these students.
“It is such a unique and vibrant place, to be able to work with them one on one. Really, to just get out of the way and let them do what they do and help them excel is the most rewarding role thing about my role in the company,” said Matt Sexton, community development regional manager with Facebook.
The school received close to $5,000 and the high-tech music lab will put the students on a more advanced career path.
“This additional access to technology hardware, recording mics, hardware...we will get more hands-on signal flow experience and a pro-level industry-standard experience,” said Ketchen.
Along with empowering technology programs, the grants are also funding STEM education projects on and offline.
This is the second year the Sarpy County Facebook Data Center has awarded the grants.
Grants for next year open up in the fall.
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