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The Gift that Keeps on Giving
Fremont High gets $35,000 tech-training donation from Pac Bell
By Daniel Hindin
The Fremont Union High School District (FUHSD) received $35,000 for its Students as Technology Trainers program Oct. 12 as part of the $500,000 Pacific Bell Bay Area Teacher Development Program.
The Campbell Union High School District, Santa Clara County Office of Education and Joint Venture Silicon Valley received grants for their different programs, as well. Pacific Bell General Manager Mark Walker cited problems in teacher recruitment, retention and training as the motivating factors for Pacific Bell's new program.
The Students as Technology Trainers program, according to Digital High School Coordinator and Cupertino High School teacher Laura Dominguez-Yon, is aimed at preparing 20 students to be effective technology trainers for teachers. She said FUHSD teachers have a great deal of respect for the technological knowledge and energy of their students. The teachers look forward to gaining improved perspectives and understanding of each other and the relevance of learning, effective communication, ethical living and integrating technology throughout the curriculum.
Walker also acknowledged these needs. "As the largest private employer in the state of California," he said, "we feel that it is our duty to help to not only meet today's needs but the needs of the future. We at Pacific Bell try to invest our resources in programs that will lead to systemic change."
According to Walker, Pacific Bell began conducting research on the needs of this area's schools in April 1999. "We asked local leaders in the fields of education, government and business about what they thought this area's schools needed," he said. He added the four programs were chosen out of a pool of over 100 applications, making it a very competitive process.
State Sen. John Vasconcellos and Assemblyman Jim Cuneen presented the monetary awards to the four winners.
Vasconcellos, who takes his position as chairman of the Senate Education Committee next session, said, "I want to make California into the 'Learning State.' I support programs that create teachers who not only instruct but also inspire. We need to push every child to become a self-sustained learner."
Cuneen, who is a member of the Assembly Education Committee, added, "We need to make education a nonpartisan issue. During the golden age of California education in the 1960s, education was bipartisan. We were all willing to tax for better education. We've begun to turn things around with programs like these, but we need more companies to follow Pacific Bell's lead."
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Sunnyvale, California Since 1994
