Carol Shelton
Ivanhoe Elementary School, LAUSD, and Spencer SooHoo, Cedar Sinai Hospital
Ivanhoe Elementary is a Phase I LEARN school. From its initial school vision and planning meetings, our stakeholder community made technology a priority.
A committee of savvy parents and teachers inventoried existing equipment and teacher expertise, analyzed projected curriculum changes involving technology, and made recommendations that would bring our school and its 380 students into the national telecommunications mainstream.
The plan included the acquisition of at least two computers per classroom, teacher training, and Internet access for the whole school.
Our LEARN council and the entire community heartily endorsed the plan and, by November '95, we were ready to wire the school for the Internet. Then Netday '96 was announced for March, businesses were encouraged to contribute materials and expertise to schools such as ours and, with national and district blessings, many donations were suddenly available.
LAUSD, though, was caught off guard. Maintenance and Operations was uneasy about encountering asbestos and threatened to cancel our entire operation.
Ruben Zacharias interceded and, suddenly, M&O went beyond the call of duty, especially Oscar Saldana, a maintenance supervisor, who volunteered an entire Saturday, on his own time, to singlehandedly wire the attics.
Yet even with a plan and materials in place, there were an astounding number of checkpoints to be "okayed," and we came very close to losing all of our donations. Fortunately, our cries for help were heeded.
An extremely disappointing loss was avoided because of our stakeholders' problem-solving attitude, a refusal to take "no" for an answer, and a "mother bear" tenacity that kicks in when it comes to our children.
We were so close to our dream for our kids, and we were not about to let go. Thankfully, people like Mike Roos, Ruben Zacharias, and Warren Dale shared that dream and opened many doors for us.
March 9, 1996
8:00 a.m.
We start Netday '96 with a dozen volunteers. By noon, we have 23. I pinch myself. I still can't believe this is really happening. Our goal is to install 22 connections in the main building and 12 in the 6 classrooms out back.
8:30 a.m. Donated coffee and doughnuts arrive. Oscar appears in his "moon suit" to wire the attic. Volunteers divide into two teams, lay cable. Ethernet cards are installed by corporate volunteers and King Middle School students.
11:00 a.m. Work in the main building under way, but running out of cable. Other team needs its own spool to be most effective. We purchase more.
12:00 p.m. Lunch (donated by parents and local eateries).
12:30 p.m. Back to work. Problems getting into attics. Wire is being punched down into the jack. Faceplates are checked. Roberto, a student from King Middle School, saves the day - crawls under the classroom with cable wire. Adults are too big to fit, so Roberto becomes the designated "mole." We thank Warren Dale for training such efficient, helpful experts.
2:00 p.m. Main building nearly finished. We even get a 10-base T hub installed and equip 12 computers with Ethernet cards, ready to connect to the network. Unbelievable, when there were so many hurdles to clear. "Public folders" installed on computers so files can be shared. Team 2 runs into problems in the bungalows; wire not quite long enough to reach the hub. We decide to move the hub!
4:00 p.m. Main building finished. Cable tester indicates everything is within specifications. Last jacks punched down.
5:00 p.m. Cleanup.
6:00 p.m. We all go home, tired but satisfied. Ivanhoe is well on its way onto the information highway.
