An old African proverb states, "It takes an entire village to raise a child." Community volunteers took that lesson to heart as they completed the second phase of a computer network wiring project at Fisher Grade School. This monumental project brought Internet access to students "in the middle of a corn field." The wiring took place on Make a Difference Day which also coincided with NetDay'96 and also on the weekend of November 9 and 10.
The project actually began two years ago when a core community group volunteered hundreds of manpower hours and expertise to begin the first phase of installing a local area network. A grant was applied for and funded.
Educators had dreams of wonderful communication projects, matching kids from Fisher with those from other locales in the state and around the world. Although they had the projects in mind, the actual "nuts and bolts" of installing the network left them puzzle and perplexed. "What does this mean?" "How should we do this?" "Why do we need this?" These and many more questions were coming from these educators. Deanna Alexander, technology coordinator for the district, knew
something had to be done.
Fisher teachers didn't have to wait long for their answers. Local resident and network specialist, Russ
Fletcher, came to the rescue forming COB--Community on Board. A small number of community members, including some parents of grade school students joined the group and a series of meetings were held to determine the best infrastructure for the needs of the school. Through the efforts of this group, led by Fletcher, a 100+year-old building was retrofitted for a local network. This group often had to drill through brick walls 12 inches thick. This would be enough to make many people "give up the ship." But these tireless volunteers gladly completed the project. Fisher Grade School now had the beginnings of the basic network infrastructure. In some rooms, that is.
Subsquent grants have yielded monies to assist the school in their ability to provide equal access to technology for every child at Fisher Grade School.
Throughout these two past years, Russ Fletcher has remained faithful to helping all these dreams become reality. He has been joined by Tom Lea, husband of a district teacher, and an educator himself to command the completion of the network wiring project.
Volunteers comprised of knowledgeable community members, faculty, administration, friends, and relatives, a small group of about 20, have donated hundreds of hours just holding wires, installing connectors, necessary software, etc., working basically for food. Doughnuts, Pizza, and Diet Pepsi seem to be the favorite "compensation."
The Fisher School district truly owes a debt of graditude to these selfless individuals for lending their helping hands, creating a close partnership with the school, and helping to "raise the child" in the proverb. They have truly made a difference in the lives of each and every student and faculty member, expanding the horizons of knowledge, enhancing communication, and providing teachers with innovative and interesting ways to facilitate student learning.
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