THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, December 4, 1994 TAG: 9412020252
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 20 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY HOLLY WESTER, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 94 lines
TAKING COMPUTERS OFF school property is no crime at Seatack Elementary School.
Through the take-home computer program, first- through fifth-grade students involved in the school's Chapter 1 program can borrow Apple Computers at no cost. Every six weeks, eight students take home a monitor, keyboard, disk drive, voice box and 50 disks in black vinyl carrying cases.
``This is one way we can send school home,'' said Chapter 1 teacher Nancy Garbis. ``It's great for working parents.''
Chapter 1 is the largest federally funded program for elementary and secondary schools in the country. Schools are selected based on the number of children from low-income families, but students do not have to be from these families to receive educational help.
Smaller classes, extra instruction and a variety of teaching methods and materials are some of the benefits offered to Chapter 1 students. The computers are just one example.
The take-home computer program, in its fifth year, was designed to facilitate daily learning at home, through math, reading and enrichment computer programs. ``It reinforces basic skills,'' Garbis said. ``It also involves parents, which is one of our primary goals.''
Besides parents, the take-home computers involve any siblings the student may have. Seatack has disks for kindergarten through fifth-grade.
When this program first came to the city, five schools were involved. For the first two years, the Chapter 1 program, in conjunction with Josten's, funded the purchasing and upkeep. Representatives visited the schools to service the units.
Three years ago, funding was cut and Josten's was no longer involved. Without money, some schools had to give up the program.
But Garbis and Priscilla Circelli, the other Chapter 1 teacher, did not want to pull out. So, as Garbis put it, ``We took it over.
``The children need the reinforcement,'' she added. ``We felt it was important to keep it.''
Garbis and Circelli host parent workshops, where parents of interested students come to school and see how to hook up the computers and how to use the different levels of disks. The students are invited to assist their parents.
``Some parents are a little afraid of the computers, but the kids know how to use them,'' Garbis said. ``Children really like showing their parents what they know. It's a neat interaction.
``You can see the parents smile when they see that their children know how to use a computer,'' she added.
Parents are given an instruction booklet to take home, complete with diagrams of the software, hookup instructions, safety tips and operation basics. They have the option of calling the teachers if they have any questions or problems.
``It really is pretty easy to do,'' Garbis added.
The computers are a hot fad among students at Seatack - everybody wants one. The students who are borrowing them now say they don't want to give them back.
``It's going to be boring,'' said Brandon Wilson, a fifth-grader.
Brandon's little brother, third-grader Tyrell, agreed: ``I'm gonna be mad because I have fun on the computer.''
Fifth-grader Tanisha Crenshaw is another student who will miss working with the software at her bedroom desk. ``It's fun,'' she said. ``My mom always plays it.'' She added that the computer beats television.
The students' favorite game is ``Where in the U.S.A. is Carmen Sandiego?,'' a mystery game that teaches them state names and capitals. ``We really stay on top of the kids to see what they like,'' Circelli said.
Each year, more than 30 families get to take the computers home. The teachers said they haven't had any damage or problems getting all the parts back. When the students' six weeks are up, the parents come in for another meeting, where they share their thoughts about the program.
``It's been great,'' Garbis said. ``The students have been very responsible.'' The teachers estimate the software's worth at ``well over $1,500.''
According to the teachers, the program keeps paying off every time a new set of students takes home the computers. ``The students like showing off their computer savvy and the parents like to see it,'' Garbis added. ``Everybody benefits from it.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photos by HOLLY WESTER
Fifth-grader Tanisha Crenshaw is another student who will miss
working with the software at her bedroom desk. ``It's fun,'' she
said. ``My mom always plays it.'' She added that the computer beats
television.
Chapter 1 teacher Nancy Garbis helps the Wilson brothers, Tyrell, a
third-grader, and Brandon, a fifth-grader, on the computer. The
students, who are borrowing them, now say they don't want to give
them back. ``It's going to be boring (without it),'' said Brandon.
by CNB