Michael Howerton

May 6, 2002

STAMFORD -- Last week, 14 Springdale Elementary School students took computers home from school.

The donated computers are part of the district's promise to make sure every fourth-grader has a computer. About 15 percent of students do not have computers at home. They are at a considerable academic disadvantage, school officials said.

"I like to play on the computer," said Danielle Frangione, 9. "Now I don't have to go to school to play on one."

Danielle's grandmother and guardian, Rose O'Donnell, 79, said the computer will be a great addition to the house once they get it set up and learn how to use it.

"I don't know anything about it, but I'm looking forward to learning," she said. "I'll learn a lot from Danielle. She knows about computers from school. We are so, so happy."

O'Donnell and her husband Harold, 79, both retired, could not afford to buy a computer, she said. The companies that donated the computers did a wonderful thing for families, O'Donnell said.

When city school officials announced the Techcycle Program in December, they planned to distribute computers to Springdale students by February. The program took a few months longer than expected, but last week the computers were delivered.

Techcycle, a joint program between the Stamford School District and the Stamford Chamber of Commerce, gives students continuity between class lessons and homework. Parents and students must attend a series of training sessions to learn about the computers.

Shadae Taylor, 10, brought her computer home last week.

Her mother, Natasha Taylor, 29, said the computer, which is on the kitchen table, will take awhile to get used to. Natasha said it will take time to master the machine but is glad her daughter will be able to do her homework on it every night.

Shadae came home from school Friday afternoon and immediately sat down in front of the computer. She played games, but her mother said she was confident it will be used frequently for homework assignments.

"She knows more than I do about computers," Taylor said. "It's wonderful to have one now. It's hard to get to the library every time we need to type something."

The computers, donated by corporations and individuals, have been refurbished by students at Stamford's Academy of Information Technology and J.M. Wright Technical School. Every desktop personal computer has a modem and is loaded with Microsoft Office.

"For someone in a home not exposed to new technology, this program makes a huge difference," said Michael Hyman, liaison between the schools and the chamber. "It's one thing to have 20 minutes on a computer in class, and another to have one in your home where you can really think about the concepts and use it anytime."

Springdale was the first school to receive computers. School officials have pledged that every fourth-grader in the district's 11 other elementary schools will have a computer at home by the end of the year.

"It certainly helps bridge the digital divide," said Hyman, president of the Stamford chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. "We do have a divide that is based in economics. This program helps create a level playing field in a small but very tangible way."

Roshelley Woodson, Springdale assistant principal, said many of the families who do not own a computer also do not own encyclopedias or other reference books. The computers will help the students research school assignments, she said.

"Some of these kids never thought they would be able to have a computer at home," Woodson said. "This is really a big thing for them. We have some kids where everyone in their family has their own computer and other kids with no computers in the home."

Copyright © 2002, Southern Connecticut Newspapers, Inc.