Kids Going Online in Inglewood

Several Inglewood schools are planning to provide Internet services for students, joining the two schools that pioneered use of the information superhighway in the district.

Monroe Magnet Middle School and Kelso Elementary School were the first of the Inglewood Unified School District’s 20 campuses to go online, and on Thursday the Internet-equipped campuses held an open house to show administrators at other schools in the district how they use the technology.

“We hope to be online as well,” said Lorraine Fong, assistant principal at Bennett Kew Elementary School. “We need to make sure our kids here have the same experiences as kids at other schools so they can have the same opportunities.”

Inglewood schools are trying to bring their students up to speed with advanced academic programs and technology.

The Internet labs are used to teach students about computers. Computer teacher Janolyn Winslow instructs the students on how to use the vast system and incorporates educational lessons to make it fun.

She gives each student a work sheet filled with questions whose answers are on the Internet.

The students, in sixth through eighth grades, search the Net for the answers to questions such as “Where was Martin Luther King Jr. born?” or “Name three accomplishments made by Jackie Robinson.” They also familiarize themselves with the Internet addresses and search engines.

Each school used money from its annual budget to make the Internet access possible and Monroe received additional help from the El Segundo-based western division of the Department of Defense’s Contract Management District, which supervises all defense projects west of Chicago. The defense agency donated 30 computers to the school, as well as technical support and tutoring.

In addition to the Internet linkup, the department has created a partnership with the school. The students will participate in monthly events sponsored by the defense agency such as job shadowing and tours of various defense-related facilities so they can see technology at work.

“It’s a super opportunity for us to give back,” said Col. Stu Johnson, commander of the West Coast division. “It will be a growing experience for all of us.”