96-01-12 Honors Adopt-A-School Gets Grant

OSU ADOPT-A-SCHOOL PROGRAM RECEIVES GRANT FOR INTERNET ACCESS

	COLUMBUS -- An "adopted" student happily lugs a guitar 
case to school in anticipation of music lessons from one of 74 
Ohio State University Honors student volunteers. Another listens 
intently as a math major explains geometry, while another student 
learns to sing in French.  These lessons are part of Ohio State 
University Honors Center's Adopt-A-School partnership with 
Indianola Middle School.

	"This program has opened up a new world that our students 
are rarely exposed to," said Sharon Prentice, principal of 
Indianola.  "It is a tremendous boost.  It gives our students 
insight into general college life."

	Now in its second year, the adopt-a-school project, in which 
Ohio State honors students volunteer one hour per week to tutor 
and teach middle school students, was awarded a $500 Portz Fund 
Grant from the National Collegiate Honors Council, a national 
association of university honors programs.  The grant will be 
used to work with the students to access the Internet.

	David Strauss, program assistant for the University Honors 
Center, said providing the students access to the Internet will 
build student pride and increase self-esteem.

	"It will give the students an 'I can do it,' feeling, and 
let them be a part of the cutting edge of technology," Strauss 
said.

	The grant provides funding to buy books about the Internet 
and the World Wide Web, and to teach the students about 
cyberspace.  Ohio State students will help the students develop a 
school web home-page.

	Compuserve has provided the school with an on-line 
membership so the students can "surf" the Internet from the 
computers in the school's library.

	"The students feel at ease because they view us as peers," 
said Damon Gupta, a sophomore from North Olmsted majoring in 
genetics and a program volunteer.  "It feels good to know I am 
making a difference."

	The volunteers work throughout the school with a number of 
the children tutoring math, spelling, reading and helping prepare 
the students for proficiency tests.

                             #

Contact: David Strauss, program assistant, University Honors 
Center, (614) 292-3135. 
Written by Tracy Turner.


[Submitted by: Von Reid-Vargas (ereid@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu)
               
Fri, 12 Jan 1996 15:10:02 -0500]
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