NetDay97 Around Country

Cisco Systems Press Release -- Chelmsford, Mass.


Kick-Start NetDay97 with Wiring Workshop

While Chelmsford students are preparing for spring vacation, their parents and teachers are heading back to school. It's all part of Mass NetDay97, a state-wide initiative to connect Massachusetts K-12 schools to the Internet.

The Chelmsford School District has joined forces with Cisco Systems, a leading global supplier of internetworking solutions, to make Mass NetDay a success.

About 40 parents, teachers and community volunteers from Chelmsford, Westford and Boxborough got a head start on NetDay with a crash course on the rudiments of networking, hosted by Cisco at its New England offices in Chelmsford.

These volunteers will bring their new-found wiring expertise to six Chelmsford public schools on Mass NetDay on April 5, laying more than 26 miles of cable throughout the schools. Their efforts will create 300 Internet connections and bring 125 more classrooms into the information age.

Mark Tabor, a data communications specialist and wiring instructor with Panduit, led the workshop, giving a hands-on lesson in wiring and terminations to prepare NetDay volunteers. Cisco Systems Chairman John Morgridge joined the workshop and announced a donation of technology, training and network design to Chelmsford public schools.

NetDay: A nation-wide effort

NetDay originated in California in 1996 when Cisco Systems and Sun Microsystems "adopted" a local school for Internet wiring. The program has since grown to include a majority of states nationwide, hundreds of businesses and millions of dollars in discounted and donated technology, service and volunteer time. Locally, the MassNetworks Education Partnership is coordinating efforts to connect Massachusetts schools to the Internet. To date, more than 700 schools have joined the effort since the first Mass NetDay on October 26 of last year.

"By the year 2010, 60 percent of the jobs in this country will require the skills that 20 percent of the population now has. Chief among these are computer skills," said Steve Miller, executive director of MassNetworks. "Mass NetDay is all about making this technology more accessible in our schools so we can teach children those skills."

Chelmsford: A Wired Community

Because of Cisco and other volunteer efforts, the Chelmsford public schools have shaved one year off their five-year technology plan. Bernard DiNatale, director of education technology for the school district, is leading the efforts to connect Chelmsford classrooms to the Internet.

"With the help of Cisco, we are making this NetDay a `NetYear.' More than 3,000 students were connected to the Internet on NetDay96 last October, and this April we will bring that number to 5,500," said DiNatale. "We're one step closer to linking our community in a web of shared resources."

Cisco is doing its part through a volunteer program called Cisco Citizens. The initiative encourages employees to volunteer in Chelmsford or in their own home towns to wire schools, design networks, and help teachers integrate the Internet into their lesson plans.

"Whatever their talents, Cisco Citizens will help deliver on the promise of the Internet and the abundance of new technology in the classroom," said Morgridge. "The network is changing education just as it has changed business, putting the power of information and communication right where people want it, into their hands."

The Net Result

For Chelmsford students, the volunteer efforts are paying off. Since Mass NetDay96 last October, classrooms, libraries and computer labs have all been wired to the Internet. Teachers and students at Chelmsford schools are already getting a head start with the new technology.

At McCarthy Middle School, fifth grade teacher Bernie Reddy is using the Internet to teach his class and communicate with children in Chelmsford, England. Likewise, in Dick O'Donnell's class high school students are learning about the legislative process and debating issues with students from all over the country through a program called Virtual Congress. In Pat Masiti's science class, students are using the Internet to study meteorology, using real-time data on current weather conditions to learn about cloud formation and temperature changes.

"The Net's real value is exploring the world beyond the classroom," said Masiti. "Because my students can talk to experts, exchange ideas and tap into real-time information, I know the Internet has advanced their learning and my teaching."

Editor's Notes:

CISCO SYSTEMS
Cisco Systems (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet. News and information are available at the company's web site .
Cisco's Educational Archives (CEARCH) also offers a wealth of on-line education-related resources.

MASSNETWORKS
MassNetworks Education Partnership, Inc., is a volunteer, non-partisan organization of people from education, business, government, and labor working together to bring the Internet into Massachusetts schools. Its mission is to help give teachers the tools so they can give students the skills needed for success in the 21st century. MassNetworks' home page is www.massnetworks.org.


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