DE PERE, Wis. (WBAY) - Students with long-term medical conditions are beaming into classes in the De Pere School District.
Kai Wynkoop attends classes in De Pere via Beam Bot. (WBAY Photo)
The district has purchased two Beam Bots. Beam Bots are robots that are controlled remotely and allow students who cannot leave their homes to attend classes through video.
The district has been using the robots for a little over a month.
“Those social skills that you’re building by having a debate with your peer or by working with a partner through a project, so we feel that this gives them more opportunities,” says Renee Jaydin-Rice, Assistant Principal.
Fifteen-year-old Kai Wynkoop is one of those students. He has a serious and rare form of Muscular dystrophy.
Kai was diagnosed at age two.
“Mostly pain. I get a lot of pain, so that can make it difficult to sit through class or even get out of bed in the morning,” says Kai.
Kai suffers from pain and fatigue that prevent him from attending in person on a regular basis. The Beam Bot allows him to attend classes virtually.
“I was very happy because I’m the rare teenager who enjoys high school. I like being there. I like being able to socialize with my friends,” says Kai.
“Even though I’m not actually there, it’s like I’m there.”
Right now, Kai is studying “Julius Caesar” in English class.
English teacher Stefanie Enderby says, “He’s still a kid. I mean, it’s important to have those connections with people. The students really like having him in the room, too.”
Kai hopes to be able to return to class in the future.
Beam Bots cost about $8,000. The district purchased their Beam Bots with money raised from last fall’s Redbird Rally.
“We saw the number of home-bound students we had and we wanted them to be able to connect back to the school, even if they couldn’t physically be here,” says Jaydin-Rice.
The technology is thrilling for Kai’s fellow students.
“The students light up in the hallway. They’re like, ‘oh my god what is this?’ Waving to him, talking to the other students,” says Jaydin-Rice.
Green Bay and Appleton school districts use similar technology.