Crane Middle gives 300 Chromebooks to seventh-grade STEM students

More than 300 Chromebooks landed in the hands of seventh-grade students in Crane Middle School’s STEM program as the school used its Shoot for the Stars event to push students toward technology skills and bigger academic goals.

The April 9 event was not just a supply handout. Principal Ryan Tyree said the aim was to help students see what comes after middle school, then high school and college, and to understand the pathways that can open in technology if they keep building their skills. That matters in Yuma County, where schools are under pressure to connect classroom learning to real jobs and where early exposure can shape whether students stay on a college track or drift away from it.

Crane Middle’s own mission statement says the school exists to provide a safe and enriching learning environment where the whole student is nurtured and developed. The Chromebook giveaway fit that message, but it also went further by putting tools directly into the hands of seventh graders in the STEM program, a move that can narrow digital-access gaps while reinforcing daily use of devices for schoolwork, research and long-term learning.

Dr. Kristina Diaz of Onvida Health served as keynote speaker, linking the event to one of the region’s clearest career pipelines. Onvida Health has already been active in student outreach, including a healthcare career camp that drew 40 high school and college students. The health system is also partnering with the University of Arizona College of Medicine - Phoenix on Arizona’s first rural regional medical school branch in Yuma, a program expected to admit up to 15 students a year in its first three years and cover full tuition with scholarships funded by Onvida Health.

That broader workforce picture gives Crane’s event added weight. For seventh graders, the Chromebooks are not just a reward for showing up to a school event. They are a signal that Yuma institutions are trying to build a local pipeline in technology, health care and college readiness before students reach high school. In a county where employers need trained workers and families need opportunities close to home, that kind of early investment can shape what students imagine for themselves long before graduation.