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Bair Middle School Celebrates New Extended Reality Technology

by David Volz May 29, 2025

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Bair Middle School students try on the new Meta Quest devices. {David Volz}

Jakob Brooks was excited to see some of the 1969 Apollo 11 mission from Bair Middle through a Meta Quest XR headset.

“I am able to see and learn more through this headset, and I really like it,” said Brooks, an eighth grader.

Bair Middle School in Sunrise received 48 new extended reality (XR) headsets that will enhance student learning by using immersive environments. Through virtual reality, students can experience a past event or an activity that takes place outside the school. They can experience space travel, see how a sinkhole forms, and meet dinosaurs, according to Dr. Lisa V. Milenkovic, STEM+CS curriculum supervisor for Broward County Public Schools.

The school celebrated the arrival of new devices and colorful seating areas in the library with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on May 28, attended by Broward Schools Superintendent Dr. Howard Hepburn. Students, teachers, and school administrators participated.

The new XR devices and furniture are part of a multi-year grant from the College Playoff Foundation and Orange Bowl Committee, with support from the Broward Education Foundation. The grant provides approximately $500,000 in funding and donations for ten schools over five years and is coordinated through the district’s applied learning department, according to information from Broward schools.

The ribbon-cutting for new furniture and technology equipment at Bair Middle School.

Teachers and staff members at Bair are looking forward to using the new devices. “This innovative technology will take learning to a new level,” said technology coach Patrick Sipes.

Teachers will be able to bring their lessons to life, bringing historical events, science experiments, and distant cities into their classrooms, according to Dr. Hepburn. “You will love the XR devices, and they will bring your lessons to life,” he said.

During the ceremony, 8th-grade pre-algebra teacher Marqus Robinson was honored with a $1,000 check from the Orange Bowl Cares program. He said the money would be used to bring technology to his classroom.

More access to technology will benefit students, according to Bair’s principal, Dr. Keietta Givens. “I believe these new devices will be good for our kids because it will give them more access to learning,” she said.

Dr. Keietta Givens speaks during ribbon-cutting.

Jack Seiler, a senior member of the Orange Bowl Committee, thanked people who worked to make the grant possible and said it was important to support middle school education. “This is for you, and we want to help you become more successful,” he said.

After the ceremony, students had the opportunity to try on the headsets. Cayden Falk, an eighth grader, said he enjoyed seeing scenes from an Apollo mission and looked forward to using the devices.

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Author Profile

David Volz: David Volz has worked as a writer in South Florida for 35 years. He has written for the Sun-Sentinel, Hollywood Gazette, School Transportation News, South Dade News Leaders, Observer among others. He has an MA in Communications from Florida Atlantic University and a BA in Communications from Valparaiso University. Volz teaches Communications at Miami Dade College and Palm Beach State College. He lives in Coral Springs and enjoys running and participating in 5Ks and half-marathons.