Wednesday, Nov. 04, 2009

O'Fallon students using MacBook laptops at school and at home in pilot program

Apple's 1:1 Initiative puts technology in students' hands

Students at Joseph Arthur Middle School in O'Fallon are using MacBook laptops this year to learn at school and at home as part of a $140,000 pilot program called the Apple 1:1 Initiative.

"It's important the students have a sense of ownership in this program," Principal Pat Anderson said. "It's not only their work that will be showcased by these computers but, in a way, these are their computers to have."

While students will be able to access the laptops at school throughout the school year, they will also be taking them home for nine-week periods, allowing them to access school projects, homework and software programs from their homes.

Tami Hanks, technology coordinator, said the laptops are also an advantage to disadvantaged students.

"Central (School District 104) has approximately 50 percent of the student population that is economically disadvantaged," Hanks said. "So the possibility of using a MacBook at home for an entire quarter and throughout the school day will give the students and invaluable learning tool."

District administrators are expecting the program to help students learn by creating projects, solving problems and accessing research sources with the laptops.

"The Macs help the students by giving them a modern way to present the curriculum and also allow the students to take an active role in creating projects to show their knowledge," math teacher Kristen Marsaglia said. ...

Thomas Fields, an eighth grader at Cathedral Grade School in Belleville, won Amulet Books' Diary of a Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Comic Contest. "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" author Jeff Kinney, who will visit Cathedral on Thursday, selected Thomas as the winner out of more than 4,000 applicants. ...

The Belleville East High School music department will present "An Evening of Jazz" at 7 p.m. Nov. 10. Admission will be $3 and the event will feature the school's Jazz Band, Jazz Ensemble Too, Concert Jazz Orchestra and a guest performance by the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Concert Jazz Band. ...

Several Southwestern Illinois College students recently received scholarships. They include: Katie Curtis, of Fairview Heights, H.J. Haberaecker Memorial Scholarship; Micki Evansco, of Belleville, Carol Sue Betty Lehr Memorial Scholarship; April DuClos, of Belleville, SWIC Mathematics Faculty Scholarship; Elizabeth Brem, of Belleville, William Howard Davis Memorial Scholarship; Robert Burch, of Belleville, Belleville Rotary Scholarship; De'Von Hill, of Shiloh, Belleville Rotary Scholarship; Nick Lombardo, of Belleville, Jeremy Chambers Memorial Fire Science Scholarship; Holly Parke, of Smithton, Belleville Rotary Tom Dickerson Transfer Scholarship; Vanessa Hofmeister, of Smithton, Marilyn Casey Scholarship. ...

The Belleville West High School Marching Maroons were named Grand Champion Parade Band at the 2009 Oktoberfest Parade and Field Show Competition in Quincy. The Maroons competed against 23 high school marching bands from Illinois and Missouri, winning the Outstanding Large School Band, Outstanding Field Show Soloist and Drum Majors awards and placing fourth in the Field Show Band. ...

Delaney Loving, a second-grade student from Westhaven Elementary in Belleville, won the Dierbergs Be Healthy Writing Contest, earning her a chance to participate in a Channel 2 broadcast with Fredbird and St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Kyle McClellan at an all-school assembly last week. ...

McKendree University received a $17,236 recycling grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, allowing the school to expand its recycling collection to all office buildings and student residences as part of its Project Green initiative. ...