Teacher uses inheritance to buy computers for students

WHITE BEAR LAKE, Minn., Oct. 3 (UPI) -- An elementary school teacher in Minnesota says she used money she inherited to buy her students new computers.

Tracy Gripentrog, a teacher at Willow Lane Elementary, inherited $4,000 from her parents and spent the money to buy 15 Chromebooks for her class, KSMP-TV, Minneapolis/St. Paul, reported Wednesday.

Gripentrog, who has been teaching for 30 years, said she decided to buy the computers because she believes technology is an important part of the classroom.

"A lot of people have hobbies," she explained. "My hobby is teaching."

She said she knows her parents would have been pleased with her decision.

"I knew they would support this and say, 'Go for this. Get the computers,'" Gripentrog said.

"I think that was pretty special because it's kind of like a present to us that we can use brand new computers," student Makayla Speed said.