Tech secretary visits Porter school

Virginia Secretary of Technology Aneesh Chopra recently visited Porter Traditional School, where a team of students from Forest Park High School came over to teach selected eighth-graders how to set up and prepare refurbished computers as part of the Virginia Student Training and Refurbishment (STAR) program.

As part of the program, students gain hands-on learning experiences and workforce-readiness skills by refurbishing computers, donating these computers to other students in need, and then by teaching them how to set up and use them.

Students gain technical skills, develop computer set-up training brochures in English and Spanish, track donated inventory and experience the joy of giving back to the community where they live.

Prince William County Schools students and this student-learning project are at the center of the Virginia STAR program's success. Several staff members have also played critical roles in making this success story possible.

Jim Hite, school district director of information technology, provides storage space for program equipment and has been responsible for educating the school technology specialists about the network requirement needs of the donated computers.

Eric Brent, principal; Chuck Drake, information technology specialty program coordinator; and Brian Hackett, instructional technologist, at Forest Park High School, have provided the leadership and vision to develop and support the school's "Bridging the Gap" program, which served as part of the model for the Virginia STAR program that places technology in schools and with families that really need it.

Prince William County Public Schools Education President David Hish; Amy Harris, vice president; and Sharon Henry, executive director, have also been instrumental in supporting this and other innovative programs serving the school division community.

Following the visit to Porter, Chopra met with school board members prior to its public meeting.

"By having students in Information Technology Essentials classes refurbish donated computers, and eventually having some of those same computers refresh outdated machines on our network, we are saving critically needed budget dollars," said School Board Chairman At-Large Milton C. Johns.

"I see this as a win, win, win situation," said Superintendent Steven L. Walts. "Everyone benefits by keeping perfectly good computers out of the landfill and placing them in the hands of students to do schoolwork, do research and to communicate."

President Obama recently named Chopra as the nation's first Federal Chief Technology Officer.

-- Prince William County Schools