WEARE, NH — November 16, 2006 — Granite State Telephone, on behalf of the Foundation for Rural Education and Development (FRED), presented John Stark Regional High School with an $8,000 technology grant on Thursday, November 16, 2006. The independent telephone company nominated the school for the funding, which is awarded nationally each year by FRED to rural public schools working to meet the growing need for innovative technology in the classroom.
John Stark Regional High School will use the grant primarily to address the computer training needs of students who plan to go directly into the workforce upon graduation (approximately 30% of the graduating class each year). Based upon the school's concern that current curriculum does not fully address the needs of these students, ten windows-based computers, related software and textbooks will be added.
Currently, the school's business computer classes are taught on twenty-four Macintosh computers with Office 97 software. New computers will replace computers that are 10 years old, and allow the school to introduce new classes for students to earn Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) certification in Word, Excel and/or Access. Acquiring these skills will help increase employment opportunities, earning potential and career advancement for workforce-bound graduates, and offer benefits to college-bound students as well. With windows-based computers so prevalent in today's world, all students need access to windows-based computer training.
"Students need to learn on the same type of computer and software that they will be tested on and then [use] in an office environment," explains Karen Swanson, Business Teacher at John Stark Regional High School. "Up-to-date software and new windows-based computers would enable students to gain authentic experiences."
"Granite State Telephone was pleased to nominate John Stark Regional High School for a FRED Technology Grant," comments William Stafford, Chief Operations Officer. "The school's
efforts to acknowledge and meet the needs of its entire student body, both workforce and college-bound, are important and necessary."
The technology grant is funded by FRED in cooperation with the Rural Telephone Finance Cooperative. FRED was established in 1989 by rural telephone companies like Granite State Telephone to address the educational and developmental needs of rural areas. The foundation raises funds to sponsor programs and activities that will further enhance the educational, social, and economic conditions of rural America.
Granite State Telephone is a locally owned and operated communications company serving
the communities of Chester, East Deering, Hillsboro Upper Village, Sandown, Washington, Weare
and Windsor with over 125 years of telecommunications experience. Affiliates include Granite
State Long Distance, providing long distance telephone service, and GSInet providing high-speed Internet access, and full-service web site hosting, development, and maintenance.
Granite State Telephone presents John Stark Regional High School with an $8,000 FRED technology grant November 16, 2006. From left to right, Tom Sutton — JSRHS Business and Consumer Science Department Coordinator, William Stafford — Chief Operations Officer for Granite State Telephone, Karen Swanson — JSRHS Business Teacher, Betts Bonito — JSRHS Business Teacher, Arthur Aaronson — JSRHS Principal. |
