2005 Computerworld Honors Program

	Mount Rainier Technology Camp Trinity Technology Redmond, WA USA Year: 2000 Status: Laureate Category: Education & Academia Nominating Company: Macromedia
	Intensive wilderness experience followed by equally intensive computer training helps at-risk students to absorb both important values and marketable skills in a field where verbal communications is not the primary determinant of success
	The wilderness formed many of mankind's values including honesty, trust, individual responsibility, teamwork, and more. All were survival skills for our recent forefathers who interfaced directly with the wilderness. These skills eventually became values, which eventually became the archetypes of humanity. Today most children, especially at-risk children, have little contact with the wilderness. Their parents and their neighborhoods teach their values. Unfortunately these values are not always positive. The Mount Rainier Technology Camp takes at-risk students to meet this aboriginal teacher whose rules cannot be challenged. It then uses these newfound skills to train the students in computer technology, a field where verbal communications (often the weakest skill of an at-risk child) are not the determinants of success. Their success in both elements provides them with the confidence needed to better perform in school and professional life. The Mount Rainier Technology Camp is presented by Trinity Tech, the Washington State School System, Microsoft, and the US Department of Energy, as a major project for the Centennial Celebration of Mount Rainier National Park. All are united by their desire to increase access to technology for disadvantaged communities, improve education through technology, and change the lives of at-risk youth. Our model applies technology in project-based experiential-education where students gain real-life professional skills while they produce a marketable product whose revenues sustain the program. The program took 100 at-risk students from thirty-two Washington school districts on wilderness backpacking trips during the summer of 1999. This was followed by four intensive days of computer training. Students built computers, learned Macromedia Director, and produced a wilderness preservation CD-ROM for Mount RainierÍs Centennial. After completing the summer program, students serve in a one-year technology support internship at their school district. This provides real professional experience while giving the school districts desperately needed computer support personnel free of charge. During their internship, students must also use their newfound Macromedia Director skills to author and sell a CD-ROM title to a local organization. Upon completing their internship, students receive a free computer with software, and their school receives a free computer lab with software. The project began in late 1997 when the Superintendent of Mount Rainier National Park selected the project for the ParkÍs Centennial Celebration. This was based on his direct experience in previous years with smaller projects run by Trinity Technology at Mount Rainier and Olympic National Parks. Since no program had ever been conducted in the State of Washington that combined students from multiple school districts on a single project, and no school-sponsored programs had ever taken at-risk students on overnight trips in the wilderness, a pilot program was essential. Thus, during the summer of 1998, a smaller project involving 18 students from five school districts was conducted. Based upon the success of this pilot project, all agreed to proceed with the Centennial Project. The Centennial Project began by determining the product the students would produce using technology. Previous projects used Macromedia Director to produce a CD-ROM. Since students are captivated by multimedia, a CD-ROM would be produced. The content of the CD-ROM had to be related to Mount Rainier. Yet an informational CD-ROM already existed on the geology, biology, and history of the Park. However, no CD-ROM existed on the topic of wilderness preservation. Since Mount Rainier National Park is a 100-year-old federally preserved wilderness area, they had extensive information on the topic. Ultimately all agreed to have the students produce a wilderness preservation CD-ROM for Mount RainierÍs Centennial. In late 1998 the Environmental School at the University of Washington created a detailed outline on the topic of wilderness preservation. This outline was then divided into 32 categories. In early 1999, applications were put out on the Internet for 32 impoverished school districts to participate in the program. These districts typically have high enrollment in free and reduced lunch programs and contain high Native American, Mexican American, and African American populations. In order to participate in the summer program, each school selected was required to research an assigned sub-topic on wilderness preservation, and transport three students and one volunteer teacher to Mount Rainier three times. Then during the following school year, they were required to create and operate a student-based technology support internship program at their school. They also had to use the skills they obtained during the summer program to produce and sell a CD-ROM title to a non-school organization in their local community. In return, each school would receive a free computer lab (12 systems), a suite of software for each computer (Microsoft Office 2000, Windows Í98, and Encarta), and an advanced CD-ROM production system. Nearly 100 school districts completed the lengthy application. Only 32 were selected. These represented a geographic, ethnic, racial, and cultural cross section of Washington State. Each school then selected three students fitting the profile: * 8th-11th grade boys & girls having difficulty learning in a classroom (alternative schools, etc). * Physically fit and fairly intelligent, as the backpacking and computer training are rigorous. * Ideally from single parent households, as these students rarely get to hike/camp outdoors. * Financially deprived. This is very important. Students must not have a computer at home. * Not friends prior to the program. This reinforces preexisting destructive behavior patterns. Once the students were selected, the project coordinator visited each school and discussed the program requirements to parents, teachers, and students. The school was then assigned its wilderness-preservation subtopic. Each student was informed of available resources to perform the required background research on this topic during their spring 1999 semester. These resources included: * Connie Myers, Executive Director, Arthur Carhart National Wilderness Center * Chuck Burgess, Director of Wilderness.net, University of Montana * Interpretive personnel, Mount Rainier National Park * Numerous web sites * A bibliography of printed materials In the late spring of 1999, each student took part in a one day wilderness survival and R.O.P.E.S. Class. It covered the teamwork and backcountry skills necessary to safely complete a wilderness expedition. Each student also went on a 2-hour hike with full backpacks. This was used to determine if a participant had an insurmountable emotional or physical problem thereby requiring the selection of an alternate. Finally, teachers were trained in "back-country curriculum", showing them how to identify and discuss with the students the various ecosystems, geology, and biology they would be encountering on the trip. WILDERNESS SECTION Each student went on a three day / two night backpacking trip in Mount Rainier National Park. Prior to the trip, students determined from their research the wilderness preservation media they had to gather. Students brought digital cameras, video equipment, tape recorders, water testing kits, and more. In most cases their schools provided this equipment. The trails selected were quite rugged with little road access. This captivated the students, and revealed the grandeur of WashingtonÍs highest mountain, including its volcanology, glaciers, meadows, and forests. While on the trail, teachers trained the students in geology, volcanology, and biology, from the curriculum-based materials provided by the program. There were eleven separate expeditions in all. They took place between July 23rd and August 21st, 1999. Each hiking party consisted of 9 students from three school districts, two teachers, and one professional guide. The three school districts selected on each expedition represented different geographic and racial backgrounds. This created a multicultural experience for the students, allowing them to overcome any pre-existing bias while they learned to survive and work as a team in the wilderness. This new environment, completely self-contained and isolated from the modern world, placed new demands upon the students. It promoted better ways to solve problems and learn. The myriad of successes and failures experienced during the trip created an imprint for what it takes to cooperate with others to accomplish a goal. Honorary leaders from government, education, and industry were recruited to provide send-off speeches and day-hike with the students during the first day of their expeditions. These leaders were: * Terry Bergeson, State Superintendent of Public Instruction * Mark Wolfram, Vice President of Microsoft * Dave Uberaga, Superintendent of Mount Rainier National Park * Paul Brainerd, Founder of Aldous Corp, and founder of the Brainerd Foundation * Doug Walker, CEO of Walker, Richer, & Quinn, and Chairman of the Nature Conservancy * Slade Gorton, United States Senator COMPUTER TRAINING SECTION The computer training segment took place at a Wilderness Retreat Center near Mount Rainier National Park on August 26th through 29th. Professionals from Trinity Technology, Macromedia, Microsoft, and the US Department of Energy trained students in computer skills. These are the same skills the instructors use every day on their jobs, maximizing the studentÍs understanding that what they were learning was directly applicable to the workplace. They also trained the students with the same respect they gave adults, and expected the same in return. Students first went through a lengthy check-in process, including being scanned through a metal detector. Any prohibited materials were eliminated. The computer camp was operated in the same experiential format as the wilderness camp. Rather than being trained in a classroom, students learned about technology first hand by assembling the computers that they used. Most had never seen the inside of a computer. Some had never used a screwdriver. By the end of the first day, students completed building a computer with 64MB RAM, hard drive, 24X CD-ROM drive, video capture card, flat bed scanner, sound system, and more. In the process they became computer hardware technicians, comfortable with swapping internal components, and asking questions about things they did not know. While the students assembled their computers, teachers took part in a technology internship training class. Unfortunately, few Washington school districts have student based technology support programs. WashingtonÍs most advanced program is run through the Issaquah School District. Ron Leslie, the creator of IssaquahÍs program, trained the technology directors from the 32 participating schools on how to create student-based programs. In addition, Will Fry, Technology Director for Chief Leschi Schools, created a student-based program for the five students from his school who participated in the 1998 pilot project. Mr. Fry explained how to take students immediately following the program and get them busy supporting the technology in their district. Concurrent with the technology camp was a National Park technology summit. Its topic was "Using Youth and Technology in the Wilderness". This first-ever summit was arranged to examine the Park ServiceÍs need for technology workers in ecosystem monitoring and visitor center exhibits, and the opportunity for students to fulfill these needs. The Camp became a case study for the summit. In attendance were Bill Briggle (former Undersecretary of the Interior and head of the National Park Wilderness Steering Committee), Bill Palec (Superintendent of North Cascades National Park), Chuck Burgess (the head of the Wilderness Information Network at the University of Montana), Barbara Miranda (Chief Interpretation Liaison for Yosemite National Park and Kings Canyon National Park), a member of the North Cascades Institute, the head of Technology Curriculum for the State of Washington, and others. These people heard the testimonials of life-changing experiences from students as a result of the wilderness program. Many students and teachers felt that such an experience should be a requirement for every high-school student in the State of Washington and beyond. Some stated very eloquently that although government provides access to education in public schools, they provide no access to education in "godÍs school" (the wilderness), where mankind learns his values. The Park Service and State Education Personnel were very moved. The second day started early with the arrival of the trainer from Macromedia. Beginning at 8:30am, students and teachers began learning Macromedia Director using the 33 computers the students assembled the day before. Students who previously had difficulty paying attention in the classroom were bonded in the wilderness with the spirit of teamwork and accomplishment. This is evidenced by the fact that the formal training did not end until 10:30pm that evening (12 hours total time in training), with not a single student dropping out. This stunned nearly all of the teachers present, yet is indicative of results experienced in previous programs. At 10:30 PM, students were given the assignment of creating a single logical CD-ROM sequence for their projects including scanned pictures, text, and a voice over. Students who felt they fully understood the materials presented in the training were asked to stand up. Like on the wilderness expedition, they were explained that it was not important who finished first, but that they all finished together. Like a strong hiker in the wilderness, their job was to assist others in completing the journey. The measurement of success was not what can achieved by one, but the one that can be achieved by all. Most of the students immediately engaged in this assignment, with 80% still at their computers at 12:30am. Ultimately the adult leaders could no longer stay awake and the computer room was shut down. By the end of the second day, 9 Seattle-area Macromedia Director experts arrived. They were professional CD-ROM creators who volunteered to assist the students in producing their sections of the CD-ROM. However they had one restrictionƒthey could not touch the computer, only answer questions and provide guidance. The third day began at 8:30am. It was completely open format after a short 2 hour training session. Students were given the remainder of the day to complete their section of the CD-ROM. As with the second day, students broke into their subtopic-teams consisting of their teacher and three students. From time to time, Macromedia experts visited the teams, answering questions and providing guidance. The teams used their time to research information, organize their media, gather additional media, and program their computers. Some took short day-trips into Mount Rainier National Park where they interviewed rangers and asked questions. By the end of the day, rangers at Mount Rainier wondered who all of the inquisitive and knowledgeable students wereƒnot knowing they were labeled "at-risk". Chuck Burgess of the University of Montana served as a Wilderness Preservation Information Help Desk, complete with his laptop computer containing 2gigabytes of wilderness data and a link to the Internet for unlimited additional information. From time to time, students were lined up ten-deep waiting for their turn to talk to Chuck about Wilderness Preservationƒall internally motivated, all at-risk students. As with the second night, students stayed on their computers well into the evening. At 10:00PM there was a going away dance, complete with contemporary loud music and a dance floor. Amazingly, only about 20 students participated. The other eighty continued to work on their computer project. Many of these at-risk kids worked until 1am, finally forced to go to bed by the staff members who could no longer stay awake. During the fourth day, students continued to work on their CD-ROM in an open format. At noon the computer rooms were closed down. At this time, formal presentations were made including licenses for 433 sets of Microsoft Office 2000, Windows 98 and Encarta. Each student received a certificate that entitled him or her to a free computer upon completing their internship in June, 2000. These computers came from over 400 that were donated to by program by the US Department of Energy. Each school received title to the CD-ROM production computer they had been working on during the past four days, with one caveat: Within one year they must produce and SELL a CD-ROM to an non-school organization their local community. This effectively got 32 school districts into the CD-ROM production business. In a sense, the project "spawned" 132 self-sustaining "eggs" fitting the model: "Apply technology in project-based experiential-education where students gain real-life professional skills while they produce a marketable product whose revenues ultimately sustain the program" * One hundred of these are students taking part in one-year technology support internships at their schools, providing valuable services that their school districts would otherwise have to pay for, and gaining high tech job experience. With money the school saves, they can invest in training new interns and more. * The other 32 are self-supporting CD-ROM creation projects required of the school districts. With proceeds from the CD-ROM they sell, these schools can invest in more training and better hardware to use in the creation of future income-generating CD-ROMs or Web-sites. As this self-sustaining model grows and evolves at each school, we hope that it generates results not yet foreseen. These results will be shared with the other schools. We are now in the process of implementing an extensive follow-up study that will reveal * how many internships were completed * the duties the students performed, * the jobs students obtained after school * the CD-ROMs produced by the schools, * the income these CD-ROMs generated * where that income was spent * much more. As the creator of this program, one of my memorable moments was a difference of opinion I had with a senior employee of one of the projectÍs partners in early 1999. After explaining the program to him in great detail, he looked up at me and said sternly "There is no way you can do this". Now that we did all of it and more, I know that all credit belongs to the 100 amazing students I have come to know and love.
	Students who were previously considered unknown or at-risk are now leaders in their school. They learned in the wilderness that they can adapt and succeed in the most intimidating environments. This shattered old barriers and opened new horizons. Their internships have harnessed their creativity for the benefit of their school. They are not only teaching students and repairing computers, many are teaching teachers how to use technology. In some cases, students have become involved in activities far beyond what was imagined by program creators. Members of an education research panel at the University of Washington now use this project as a case example for a new model in education. It is project-based experiential education where students see the tangible results of their learning. Prior to the project, most educators felt that students were not capable of professional work. After the project, these educators are embracing it. They understand that technology creates this opportunity because knowledge rapidly becomes obsolete. Students have the ability to learn faster than adults do, thus they have an inherent ability to surpass adults when applying new technology to subject matter. Technology is certainly not an end-all in education. However project-based education in technology dramatically shows students why they need to learn English, math, science, art and more. It also shows them where they are in need of improvement. When producing their CD-ROM, many suddenly felt embarrassed by their poor English skills, some for the first time. Those who were artistic excelled at designing. Students who created good CD-ROM segments drew great esteem of their classmates; not for misbehaving or knowing rap lyrics, but for the artistic presentation of beautiful photographs, voice-overs, and English prose. It was a magical experience for all present. The fact that the project produces what it consumes has created a self-perpetuating mechanism that continuously evolves. Each time a school technology director is contacted, new and exciting applications for the student internship are often discovered. One school has now coordinated with their accounting program and their DECCA club to create a business where the entire student body is involved in acquiring donated surplus computers, the student interns rehabilitate them, the DECCA club sells them, and the accounting class keeps track of the money. All of this came out of the program, and the model it espouses. The project was designed so that its impact would be witnessed by many. It has been presented to the offices of US Senator Patty Murray and US Representative Norm Dicks as a possible federal response to youth violence in the classroom. It was formally presented to Robert Stanton, Director of the National Park Service. On his good recommendation, it was presented at the annual National Park SuperintendentÍs Conference in Santa Fe New Mexico. There is no similar project in the National Park Service. It was the only project presented at the Summit that brought multiracial groups into a National Park. This is now one of the Park Services primary goals. Many Park officials desired the program for their parks. Out of this desire, Maureen Finnerty, Deputy Director of the National Park Service, directed a staff member to begin working with the US Department of Education to explore funding a national program. With many organizations competing for the same federal dollars, this may prove to be a lengthy process. Due to the leveraging of relationships, this program generates over $10 in tangible hardware and software for every dollar invested. This says nothing of the training provided by it. Based on this, we are now working with US Senator Slade Gorton, Chairman of the Department of Interior Appropriations Committee, to provide funding for a national program through the National Park Service. Should any of these funding opportunities be realized, Lou August, Project Director, has agreed to donate one year of this time to make a national program a reality.
	Information technology was the primary tool needed to execute the project. However the goal was never to learn Macromedia Director or Windows Í98. The goal was to use this technology as a tool to create a Wilderness Preservation CD-ROM for Mount Rainier National Park. It was the studentÍs focus on this end product that took away the tediousness of learning about wilderness preservation, and the complexity of using Macromedia Director. Ultimately technology became the vehicle by which high school students could produce professional work. This is due to their capacity to learn. Never before in our history has this been true. Previously, knowledge always relied on older knowledge. Professional fields took years to master. At most, high school students could do professional work as laborers, or to a limited degree, in the school auto shop. Today, students do not need to know Visicalc or Lotus 123 in order to master Excel. The only thing that matters is their velocity of learning the latest application. By harnessing this velocity of learning, high school students have a productive place in an information-based economy. This introduces a new model for education in an accelerating world. It is well accepted that the rate of increase in human knowledge is accelerating. Years ago, education up to a college degree is all one needed to get from ignorance to a lifetime of job functionality. New knowledge was simply not arriving fast enough to warrant additional education. Later, as the velocity of change increased, professional development courses were needed to keep one current. However what happens when the rate of human knowledge increases faster than what is possible to learn in a lifetime? After all, this is the knowledge curve we all agree that we are on. The Mount Rainier Technology Camp accidentally created a structure that thrives in an environment of acceleration and change. This structure is now called the Rotational Theory. It utilizes simple concepts in physics and applies them to organizations. The theory states that only way for an organization to accelerate is for it to produce what it consumes, this maintains its "velocity" in the absence of any additional resources. When additional resources are put into the organization, it creates acceleration. Successful companies have used this principle for years in order to accelerate. However today, high-tech companies must accelerate simply to survive. This is because it takes money to buy capital equipment and train employees, in order to produce marketable products, which appeal to the needs of customers, which creates money to buy capital equipment and train employees. With each rotation, it can adapt to changes in the market and/or technology. As this rotates faster and faster, enormous wealth is generated, along with trained employees. Those that do not "rotate" simply go out of business. NEW ROTATIONAL MODEL FOR EDUCATION To see how this applies to education, one needs only to look at the inputs required: Money and trained teachers. In order to keep up in an accelerating world, schools must somehow produce money and trained teachers. The answer is in the students themselves! It is a system where students are taught in grades K-9 the skills necessary for a project-based high-school program. This does not alter the actual classroom training; it only makes relevant to the students the basic education skills they will need in order to succeed in high school. After graduating 9th grade, students will become involved in a summer program, similar to the Mount Rainier Technology Camp, at a local National Park. Its intent would be to break a studentÍs perceived barriers, and introduce them to the essential wilderness derived values needed for project-based education. Students would also get a brief sampling of all areas of project-based technology, including website design, multimedia, computer hardware, and networking. Ultimately they would have to select one for their high-school area of technology expertise. During 10th and 11th grades, student take their other core classes including English, math, science, and technology. However students will also take classes to master the current version of software in their selected area of technology expertise. Finally, students in their junior and senior years are involved in projects with their community that apply the technology in order to produce a professional product. In the process, the students learn the latest version of software and/or hardware in their area of expertise. This applies the same teaching / learning methodology used in high-tech firms today. Many junior and senior year teachers are not involved in teaching, rather, they are involved in establishing relationships with local businesses and organizations who will buy the products produced by students at lower-than-market rates. They will also be coaches to students who are applying a level of technology that even the teachers do not understand. These projects may be creating a website for the local hardware store, producing a CD-ROM for the county historic society, working on the school districtÍs wide area network, or running the school-based technology recycling program. In the process of producing these products, students will apply many of their other English, math, science and information technology skills. Best of all, technology and the Internet allow these projects to be performed while on school premises. Upon completing their senior year, students will have gained an enormous volume of skills. Many would have received job offers from the companies they produced projects for. Some will continue on to college. Those going to local community colleges may become involved in a proposed teaching program where these same students go back to teach the 10th and 11th grade high-school technology class in their area of expertise. They would be the ideal teachers. With the project under their belt, and having learned the latest version of software and hardware in their area of expertise. Best of all, this sets up a rotational cycle where students become the teachers, removing the adults from fast-paced technology education. With this achieved, the education system would match the accelerating model, producing what it consumes: Teachers and money. Then additional effort (school district money and planning) would create acceleration in the form of new areas of expertise and projects for applications yet unknown. Based on the obstacles the program encountered during its first ten years, adopting a model like the one above may prove lengthy. In 1992, 1993, and 1994, not a single school district in Washington would agree to take at-risk youth on overnight wilderness backpacking trips to learn the skills necessary for project-based education. None of them thought at-risk kids could produce technology products, no less pay attention for more than 15 minutes. Yet in 1999, expeditions were led by the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, followed by three technology moguls and a US Senator. What precipitated this change is twofold. The program successfully took small groups of at-risk youth into the wilderness and produced technology products in 1995, 1996, and 1998, and educators are realizing that our current education system simply cannot keep up. Put simply, schools are willing to try proven new approaches. Even Terry Bergeson, State Superintendent of Public Instruction, is now interest in this new "rotational model", which will be presented to her on January 31st, 2000. To achieve our goal of a national program, it will take continued growth and success. However the "rotational model" has an inevitable nature to it. There is no way our existing education system, structured for relatively static knowledge growth, can possibly keep up in an accelerating world. The 1999 project created 32 programs of self-sustaining learning in technology. The rate at which these programs are replicating and deepening is quite profound. This change may not happen through school board edict, it may happen all by itself.
	* The program has a high rate of success in taking students lacking in confidence and labeled "at-risk", and turning them into leaders. * The program has a high rate of success in giving at-risk students a purpose that fits into society, so they are no longer considered "outcasts". * An extremely effective program that uses project-based experiential education in all of its teaching. * The program gets our nationÍs school districts into producing marketable technology products that generate revenue to sustain the education system. Currently the list of products includes technology services for schools, recycling technology from companies into schools (or selling it to the local community), and CD-ROM authoring services for the local community. The program was one of our nationÍs first to create student internships for school-based technology support. To our knowledge, it is the first to get schools directly involved in revenue producing high-tech projects with the local community (CD-ROM creation, revenue-generating computer recycling). * It is the only project sponsored by the National Park Service that takes multicultural at-risk youth on overnight wilderness expeditions, and the only program in America that combines project-based wilderness and technology education. * Lou August did extensive research from 1989 to 1992 to identify programs in our NationÍs schools that took at-risk students on overnight adventures in the wilderness. He was unable to find any public schools that took students of any profile (though there were some private schools that took regular students). His journey to convince WashingtonÍs schools to take on this endeavor is detailed below. The program used many original models from which its foundation was built: * Rotational Model. A model that can be applied to any organization in order to stay competitive in an accelerating world. The explanation above is only as it applies to education. Its full application to private enterprise is far more telling, and beyond the scope of this questionnaire. As a result of the Mount Rainier Technology Camp, Trinity Technology is now fully pursuing this model. It is a rotational model not based on maximizing profit, but instead based on maximizing goodwill and community through its profits. Given equivalent products and services, the free market decides if a company pursuing goodwill is stronger than one pursing profits. Recent protests at the WTO summit in Seattle in early December indicate that a prosperous America has outgrown simple capitalism, and is ready to embrace, through the free market, a better more compassionate system. This system is fully explained through the Rotational Model and supported by Process Philosophy. Lou August is currently writing a book fully detailing this model and its impact on society. Based on his research, there is no similar organizational theory in existence. * Wilderness as the aboriginal Teacher. Outward Bound and similar programs have long espoused the importance of wilderness-derived values including individual responsibility and teamwork. The understanding that these values are essential for at-risk students to get involved in project-based learning is unique to the Mount Rainier Technology Camp. Unfortunately these values by themselves are usually not enough for students to succeed in a high-tech world. With this understanding, our program uniquely applies these skills to project based learning in technology. This happens before the students can fall back into their old behavior patterns. * Technology education its devoid of values training. Education in technology provides a studentÍs best opportunity for success in todayÍs high-tech world. However computers give back only what is put in. They are devoid of values on their own. Recent cases of violence in the classroom are proof of this. Both perpetrators of the Columbine massacre were heavily involved in computers. Our program was among the first to recognize that the more time our classrooms spend in high-tech training, the more we must find effective forums to teach values. It is the first program to recognize that wilderness education is on a collision course with technology training, in order for our nationÍs schools to produce well-balanced students. This is why the offices of US Senator Patty Murray and US Rep. Norm Dicks are studying the program as a possible federal response to youth violence in the classroom. * Students are often labeled "At-Risk" more out of a difficulty in verbal communications and confidence than a lacking of raw intelligence. Hence technology is an ideal forum for at-risk students to express their intelligence and creativity. This is the primary reason why technology is the subject matter that the studentÍs wilderness values are applied to. When our program was founded in 1989, we were among the first to recognize this. Now it is a principal adopted by many programs. * Using the wilderness to convince students that jobs in technology are exciting. Unfortunately many students still stigmatize technology with being a "nerd". Students entering the Mount Rainier Technology Camp are almost always drawn by the opportunity for wilderness adventure. However, by the end of the program, nearly all of the students are captivated by technology. This is the only program that uses the wilderness to attract students to careers in technology. * In a rapidly changing high-technology world, professional outcomes are based less on what one knows, and more on what one is able to learn. In this world, students provide the greatest capacity to learn, hence the greatest opportunity to create professional technical products. These products can provide an income source for school districts struggling to deal with the financial inequalities of the existing education system. Finally, this project-based, outcome-oriented environment creates a motivation level that at-risk students are able to excel in. This program pioneered this model since 1989. The program also produced a number of significant outcomes, some expected, some unexpected: * Created our nationÍs first ever statewide school technology project, producing a "virtual software company" consisting of multiple school districts linked together over the Internet. This was an unintended outcome. After completing the computer camp, all participants requested to continue working on their wilderness preservation CD-ROM subsections. Many felt that given more time, they could greatly improve its content. Thus all agreed to email updated sections twice a year to Trinity Technology, where these improved sections would be integrated into the final product. * The program created a system that is using our NationÍs school districts to take on the enormous task of recycling used corporate technology and providing access to technology for those who otherwise would not have it. Trinity Technology is "feeding" the 32 school districts with surplus technology from the high-tech Puget Sound corridor. This is the only such network of its kind that we know of in the world, and it is growing at an exponential rate. Other schools are joining in, embracing the concept and invigorating their schools and local communities. Students are even planning to provide software training classes to members of the impoverished local community who purchase these low-cost computers from the schools. Trinity has already been involved in recycling over 1000 computers through our stateÍs schools. 700 additional computers will be shipped out to 21 school districts for recycling on December 14-16. 300 more will go out at the beginning of January. All of this is a direct result of the Mount Rainier Technology Camp. * The program hoped to provide a case study for an ambitious project that required extensive corporate, government, and education cooperation that was not possible before the Internet. It had to be relatively devoid of geographic restrictions. Ultimately the entire statewide program involving dozens of school districts, numerous government agencies, and many corporations, was coordinated entirely from the projectÍs web-site. A single coordinator provided all website updating and pre-trip training for a project that generated nearly $1,000,000 in technology hardware and software for WashingtonÍs schools. It also kept the projectÍs final out-of-pocket costs to under $60,000. * The program adopted an open, biological management approach, rather than a closed hierarchical one. Trinity came to understand its role as that of the coordinator, or brain, not as the project leader. Like the human body, the brain is no more important than the other vital organs. This creates a unique loss of ego, and an immense gain in community. This same understanding of importance was passed on to all that participated in the project, including the students. The project welcomed donations and participation from anybody willing to help, up until the moment the project was conducted. This meant that it continuously evolved, from the time of inception, through the time of implementation. Evolution continues to take place, and it is thrilling at times. This openness created a great deal of fear in some of the program partners, feeling that the project was getting too big, or that it might get out of control. However this aspect is true footprint of a "rotational organization". Note: Information regarding "how the project evolved" is detailed in question 5
	The project fell short on some goals, yet it far exceeded many others: Areas where the project fell short: * Many students did not do enough research on their wilderness preservation topic during the school year. Many scrambled to complete this element during the computer camp. Clearly this research must be more integrated into the schoolÍs curriculum. We are working with the State Superintendent of Public Instruction to resolve this. * Many teachers and guides could have been more knowledgeable about the wilderness, its habitats, its geology, and the rules for behavior in the wilderness. A teacher/guide-only trip will be organized in the future to provide more of this training. Mount Rainier National Park has submitted a grant to the National Park Service to cover this funding. * Students showed varying interest in the technology subject matter. Some liked the hardware better, some liked the software better. In the future, the technology camp will offer multiple tracks of training. During the summer of 2000, these will be computer hardware & troubleshooting, Macromedia Director, and creating web-sites. * Many of the students were not physically fit. These students often had an difficult experience during the wilderness section (only 2 did not make it all the way along the trail). Better preparation must be made in the schoolÍs physical education classes. We are working with the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction to resolve this. * More longitudinal support must be provided during the internship. The 32 schools and 100 students occasionally encounter obstacles. A half-time technician is needed to continuously visit the schools and monitor the performance of the students on their internship. They can provide additional technical training, assist in sourcing spare parts, and share success stories of other schools. Trinity Technology is now working to provide this additional support. Areas where the program met expectations: * Crime must be reduced, especially in at-risk communities. The program provides students with alternatives to negative behavior, exposure to wilderness-derived values, and employability in high-paying high-tech careers. All are major components of crime reduction. Future internship follow-up reports will determine the programÍs success here. * At-Risk students need to learn self-confidence, individual responsibility, and teamwork, before they can effectively learn technology and complete a technology project. Students learned important "Wilderness Derived" values from the wilderness, the National Park Service, and from the Native American fireside speakers. Goal completed. * Students need to rid themselves of racial, cultural, and ethnic prejudices. Student interns took part in a 3-day backpacking trip. The trips were designed to create a cross-cultural experience while students live and function in the wilderness. This rapidly eliminated any possible pre-existing bias. All students, regardless of race or culture, interacted flawlessly during the entire event. Goal completed. * People from low-income rural or central city families need increased access to technology. The program provided free computers to the 100 students and their family members. In addition, 300 computers were provided to 32 low-income school districts for use in technology labs. These computers provide technology access to thousands of students statewide. All computers delivered. Goal completed. * Students and adults in at-risk communities need to learn about computer technology in order to compete in the work force. The program provided four days of intensive hands-on high-impact computer training for student interns. This included computer assembly & repair, applications, project planning, and CD-ROM creation. Goal completed during the computer camp. Internship follow-up reports will reveal additional knowledge gained. * Students and adults need work experience in order to get a job. Students gain this experience in computer repair, networking, and applications during their internships. The teacher at each school must also establish a relationship with a local non-school organization to provide multimedia services for them at lower-than-market rates. This work is performed by students, thereby providing students with professional job experience. Internship follow-up reports will indicate success here. * Students need to feel more immediate relevance between their class studies and their life thereafter. The project-based summer program and internship shows students the immediate importance of writing, math, art, and communication skills. This creates increased motivation for their non-internship studies during the school year. Internship follow-up reports are required to respond to this. * Students need to feel more connected to their school. Student interns become a required component of the school districtÍs operations. Rather than outcasts, they become leaders in their school. Internship follow-up reports will reveal success. * Students must learn to think & problem-solve in real-life situations. Interns face many problem-solving events on a daily basis, learning to interface with adults as well as students. * Businesses & organizations in economically depressed communities need an inexpensive way to obtain informational CD-ROM creation services. The program provides a functional, self-sustaining model for school districts to perform these services. Internship follow-up reports will indicate the projects completed. * Schools need a model for a program that integrates them with other government agencies and the private sector. The project closely linked: 32 school districts, the US Department of Energy, the US National Park Service, the University of Washington, the University of Montana, Bellevue Community College, Microsoft, Trinity Technology, Electric Lightwave, 3 foundations, and many more. All adults who actually participated were moved by their experience working and helping disadvantaged students. These linkages should last long after the program has ended. Goal completed. Follow-up reports will indicate the relations that were maintained with the schools. * Schools need a way to be self-funding The schools are compensated for the CD-ROMs their students create during their internship, creating a self-funding teaching mechanism for schools. The district also saves money by using free student interns who support their existing technology and bring in new recycled computers. Internship follow-up reports will reveal the success. * Mount Rainier National Park needed a major project for its centennial celebration. The project was completed on time, on budget, and without injury. The students succeeded in completed what nearly everybody felt they could not do: A professional CD-ROM on Wilderness Preservation. This CD-ROM is now in post-production. Areas where the program exceeded expectations: * The program provided 32 advanced CD-ROM creation machines to every school (64MB, 3GB, flatbed scanner, microphone, video capture card, CD-ROM drive, 17" monitor). Since these were not part of the original agreement with the schools, the program was able to create the condition that they could only keep them if they produced a CD-ROM for an organization in their local community. This effectively got schools into the CD-ROM production business. * Many of the 32 school districts are now actively using their student interns to recycle used corporate technology into their school districts. * Students have become involved in many more activities than previously anticipated, replicating the "rotational model" in a variety of projects (see "Testimonials" below). * News of the program has traveled to many education authorities where Lou August has been the featured speaker. * News of the programÍs success has reached corporate America, some of which now desire to provide funding to future programs. Our plans for the future are extensive. Trinity will continue to provide sourcing for surplus computers to all 32 schools involved in the 1999 project. Other Washington Schools are also welcome. Trinity will also donate the services of their local technicians for ongoing training of the student interns. Each teacher is required to submit two follow-up reports on their student interns. One at the end of December, and one in June. Trinity will continue to provide updates to the student-produced CD-ROM. At some point prior to July of 2000, Trinity Technology intends to submit the CD-ROM to the National Park Service with the request that it becomes an official National Park title. They will review its content and professionality. If it meets their requirements, it can be sold at National Park gift stores around the country. Our final hope for the 1999 project is that funds from the CD-ROM will assist in supporting future programs. It also remains our desire to expand this project to wilderness National Parks around the country. It has the strong support of the Director of the National Park Service and his Deputy Director. The Deputy Director has provided clearance for expansion into California and ColoradoÍs National Parks. Our current expansion schedule is as follows: * Summer, 2000 Ü Mount Rainier National Park. Conduct a program involving 5 districts whose purpose is to perfect and document the teaching model and curriculum. This in a necessary ingredient for expansion. Project currently on target. * Summer 2001 Ü Statewide program involving 100 schools, 500 students, and all 3 of WashingtonÍs National Parks (Mt. Rainier, North Cascades, and Olympic). * Summer 2002 Ü Replicate Washington StateÍs statewide program into California and Colorado. * Summer 2003 Ü New statewide programs in New York, Georgia, Texas, Michigan, and Illinois. The sole missing element is funding. Besides US Senator Slade Gorton and the Department of Education sited above, Macromedia, Fluor-Daniel, and the US Department of Energy have all expressed interest in becoming more involved. Their support will soon be finalized. TESTIMONIALS: Chief Leschi Schools Puyallup Tribe of Indians Dear Lou, The students returned from Trinity Technology Camp with a real zest for computer work. We immediately involved them one period a day in the work of maintaining our computer network and the 350 computers that we use at the school. Four of the five students that were involved in the Trinity program worked on troubleshooting, repair and replacement of computers. They also learned a great deal about how our network operated and were able to help the network technician in troubleshooting and repair of network problems. These students have learned a lot during their time as interns in the technology department at the school. That opportunity would not have been afforded them had they not participated in the Trinity Camp Program. One of the five students that were involved in the Trinity program didn't want to work with the hardware, but wanted to learn the various software that we use. She became a trainer of teachers in the Microsoft Office Professional suite. She also was primarily responsible for loading operating systems on repaired computers. She has been a real asset in the professional development of our staff. The students were a big asset to the schools' technology department in the day-to-day operation of maintaining the school's network. They also thought of things to do on their own. They noticed a need for a computer lab that would be primarily used by students to work on research reports for their classes. The students surveyed the teachers to see what they wanted this lab to look like. They refurbished 14 donated computers, upgraded the RAM in each one, loaded Windows 95 operating system and the productivity tools that were deemed necessary for student use. They then designed network architecture to use in the lab, created the cabling, installed the hubs, and provided Internet access for all 14 of the computers. What resulted was a lab for student use, which students can drop into anytime to work on projects. The student Interns maintain the entire lab and one of the students provides software support. Because of the overwhelming popularity from both teachers and students, the student interns have received two more requests for small labs to be created. So far they have designed and built a live computer lab for our behavior recovery room and a five computer lab used by the adult students in our FACE program. None of the things that have been done by these students would have been done had it not been for their and Chief Leschi's involvement in the summer Trinity Technology Camp. From the success of these students, we are designing a brand new technology program at Chief Leschi that will lead to graduates of it to receive a Microsoft MCP in Windows 98 and Windows NT Server. There will also be an articulating agreement with a nearby community college to allow students in this program to receive advanced standing in a computer technology two-year degree program. This technology program will be a one of a kind program for Native American schools. None of this would have been possible now if it had not been for our participation in the Trinity program this past summer. We are looking forward to being involved with three students this summer. Hats off to Lou and his helpers at Trinity Technology. Thanks Lou, Will Fry, Technology Coordinator, Chief Leschi schools I am an educator of 28 years. Currently, a Principal and teacher at a grades 7-12 alternative school. I have, also, instructed undergraduate teachers' college classes for the last 15 years. I've seen all the programs that are supposed to be the "new wave," but are the same as some past program, just a new name. This Tech Camp/Wilderness Camp is one of the most refreshing, inspiring, and motivating approaches I've seen in years. My students are extremely excited and motivated toward goals beyond their previous, highest dreams. Please review the data and let us show you an even more impressive performance in the following years. Best regards to you and your family. Stephen T. Busby Mabton FOCUS H.S. 509 894-2989 Lou; I wanted to update you on one of the Trinity Tech campers from last year (1998 pilot project). I think you remember Spencer Morris. He participated in a program this summer that involved an internship at a research company that dealt with pharmaceuticals. Because of his computer expertise, coming from the camp and his internship after the camp, he was allowed to do more than any other student. He ran the computer/microscope system, did repair and adjustments to the system. There is a very good possibility that he will be hired this summer to run the program. Just thought you might like feedback on the successes of graduates of your program. Will Dear Lou, Trinity Camp allowed two of my students to have experiences they would never have had otherwise. Maria had such a great time she was crying the last day of camp because she didn't want to go home. Juan's English as a Second Language teacher had told me that his use of English improved significantly over the summer. We both think this is due to his interactions with students on the hike at Mount Rainier and at Trinity Camp. Juan and Maria are two students whose lives have been positively affected by this program. I urge you to consider continued support of this program. It really is making a difference in the lives of these students. Sincerely, David Willer Social Studies Teacher Mount Vernon High School The staff and students from Kennewick High would like to extend our thanks to the people at Trinity Tech and Macromedia for making our Computer Camp experience, Aug 26-29, a memorable one. We plan to expand on what we learned at the camp and to that end we have purchased 2 copies of each Macromedia's 101 course and K-12 Director 7. We are hoping to create a bilingual CD for the Reading Foundation, a local non-profit group that promotes the importance of reading to your children. In addition to that, Sara's class is expecting to participate in AT&T's Virtual Classroom Project with partners in Japan and Norway. They are tentatively planning to create a joint website exploring how national parks in the three countries are working with educational institutions and industry to promote appropriate park useage. Once again, thank you for helping to make these experiences possible, not only for the students and staff who are directly involved, but also for those we will touch during the coming year. Four students and two teachers from Kennewick High participated in the 1999 Trinity Tech Camp experience. None of the students had prior wilderness experience. What they gained from this program is immeasurable. Their knowledge of the wildernes now has a reference point with which to compare new experiences. They learned how to begin using software that sets industry standards. What they learned about developing interactive multimedia will be used to create a CD for a local non-profit foundation; so the learning and teaching of others expands beyond the camp experience. At the end of the year, each one of these students will have a computer to keep. Since they are planning to attend college, the computers will be valuable assets. I have spent considerable time over the years working with "Band-Aid" programs that try to redirect or help kids after they have failed in school and in life. This is one of a very few programs to combine survival skills, technology, and an obligation to return something to society (by way of enrollment in tech support classes at school that provide a needed service for profoundly limited school district tech budgets). Overall, I believe that the Trinity Tech Camp is a very successful program and I would like to see it expand to help more young people. Sincerely, Sara McReynolds ESL Kennewick HS 500 S. Dayton Kennewick, WA I would like to take this time to thank Lou August and Neal Potts for the chance to participate ine the 1999 Mt. Rainier Wilderness Hike and Technology Camp. I was asked to do a favor for my friend the librarian, Mrs Rebecca Savoy-Pethram at Wishkah High School. I am a school bus driver and playground supervisor at Wishkan. She is unable to hike and knowing I enjoy the outdoors asked if I could accompany 3-4 students on a hike, I agreed. Four students and myself hiked Ipsut Creek to Mowich Lake, Spray Falls and the Lookout for a total of 22 miles with Marvin(just around the corner) as our guide. Only one of my students had spent any time in the woods. It was exciting to see a new appreciation for the wilderness and challenges these students met and overcame both physically and mentally. I extremely enjoyed my time with these students and the students from Tonasket we hiked with. I was also able to see the project through and go to the camp at Buck Creek. Two of my student were somewhat computer literate and the other two could check their e-mail and do basic word processing. Rena in fact was so excited for the hike but dreaded the camp overcame her dread and it was exciting to see the "lights" come on for her and Ernesto. I am hoping, praying, and begging to be allowed to do this next year. I had a chance to meet and make friends with many other students and teachers from other schools and walks of life and have expanded my e-mail address book. A huge and sincere THANK YOU. Wanda Gates, Wishkah School District My Name is Leann Couch, I am employed with the Toutle Lake School District here in Toutle Washington. I would like to see this grant go through. Being an educator for several years, and working with troubled teens, I can tell you that this made a huge difference in these kids we took on the hike, and the Tech camp part of the program. I applied for out District to be a part of this program and checked with Lou August on a regular basis to see if our District was even in the running. We have so many "At Risk" kids in our community. I know all schools have a number of at risk kids but I have a tunnel vision for our kids, I am here, not there, and know we have a need, and wanted so much for our kids to have that opportunity (that to me), seemed to good to be true! When we were selected to be a part of this, I knew the kids that would be the best choices for this, and we proceeded to work with them to prepare them for this great opportunity that Lou was making happen for our kids. I have seen growth in the 4 students I took, I have seen them pull together when they trusted NO ONE! I have seen them work past bed time and skip breakfast to get their part of the CD ROM completed. This was so rewarding to see these kids grow and learn to trust. I hope, that if you have worked with children of disadvantaged homes, or have children of your own, you will do what ever is in your power to make this grant happen for Trinity Technology! I say this because Trinity Technology obviously has a heart for helping kids and I have seen what they can do. My hat is off to the whole team there for all the hard work they have put into making this program a success! Thank you, for taking the time to read all these comments from all of us that had the privilege of being a small part of this program. Sincerely, Leann Couch Teacher, Toutle Lake School District Dear Lou, I'd like to take a moment to comment on the extraordinary job Richard did to train the students in Director while he was at the Technology Camp. I went in to the camp with extremely low expectations on what we would be able to accomplish in just 4 days. My expectations were based on lots of experience--I spent 9 years at Microsoft using Director (starting with its earliest incarnation, VideoWorks) to create prototypes, demos, and products, I've run a multimedia production company for the past 5 years, and I've taught users Director at the high school and college level. So I know what Director's like, and I was skeptical that 100 students with no prior experience and lots of different media could create a professional CD-ROM in so short a time. At the end of the first day of training (which ran from 9:30 am to 10 pm), I had completely changed my mind. Richard had done an amazing thing. He had taken a crowd of 100 students (all of whom were labeled "at-risk") that were crammed into a too-small and too-hot room, and gotten them completely enthused on learning how to use Director to tell their stories. For the next 2 days, he had the students (and teachers) listening to his every word, waiting excitedly to see what he would teach them to do next. I have never seen anything like it, in my years at Microsoft or in the education field. Richard was able to do this because of several things. It was clear that he LOVED Director, Flash, SoundEdit, and the other products in Macromedia's suite of tools. His passion for the things you could create with the tools available burned within him. Richard also knew the tools inside and out, and was able to explain how to do things simply and easily. Director can be a very complex program, or a very simple one. Richard made learning it simple. But the most important thing Richard did, and unfortunately I don't see this very often, is that he looked at the people he was teaching, and he tailored his presentation to them. All too often, I see teachers who are experts on their subject matter fail to judge their audience, and the result is disastrous. Richard figured out exactly what his audience needed, and created a course specifically for them. Because of Richard's enthusiasm, knowledge, and personal interest, the students got hooked. Kids were at their computers from 8:30 am until midnight, working with Director, asking questions, pushing the envelope of what they could do. I was quite impressed. Impressed enough, in fact, to decide to make some changes in my life. Prior to the camp, I had decided that I would not return to the alternative high school where I had been teaching for the past 2 years. I felt that I wasn't getting enough out of it, and that I couldn't reach my students. During the camp, though, I changed my mind. I decided I would stay at the school to work specifically with the 3 students I had brought. I felt that they had been given a wonderful opportunity to learn some fantastic skills, and they were very interested in continuing to learn. So I feel it's my responsibility to finish what Richard started. Sincerely, Marc Shor Excel Alternative High School Ellensburg WA
	The project encountered many sizeable obstacles that it eventually overcame. The best way to respond is by documenting its history: In 1982, Lou AugustÍs sister, Eve August, was murdered while on a school internship in their hometown of Detroit. This had debilitating effects on Lou. Ultimately, numerous trips into the wilderness proved very healing, becoming the seed for the Mount Rainier Technology Camp. Lou knew that our nation had many lives that were disrupted by violence, or were prone to commit violence. He sought a mechanism to expose these people to the healing effects of the wilderness, and somehow give them hope in a high-tech world. However this would take money. In 1983, Lou quit his job at IBM and founded Trinity Technology. Part of TrinityÍs corporate goal was to fund a technology camp for at-risk kids. It took six years of hard work before enough funding was generated to build a facility on the flanks of Mount Rainier. Due to the harsh conditions, it was not completed until 1992. In the early spring of 1992, Lou contacted Bill Briggle, Superintendent of Mount Rainier National Park. Bill had served nearly 50 years in the National Park Service, and was once the Undersecretary of the Department of Interior. He was ecstatic about the project as he knew how terribly few multiracial at-risk youth ever visited AmericaÍs National Parks. He also knew how much this group could benefit from the experience. However no National Park had ever attempted such a project, and Bill knew that his influence would be instrumental in opening doors within Mount Rainier National Park and the National Park Service in Washington DC. In the spring of 1992, Lou began working with the Seattle School District to provide students to the program. Although there were very excited, ultimately they bowed out due to fears regarding liability. This cancelled any hope for a program in 1992. In 1993, Lou continued to work with the Seattle School District. The program was moved further and further along in the decision-making hierarchy, yet ultimately their risk management department struck it down again. In 1994, Lou learned that no school district in the State of Washington took students on overnight wilderness adventures, thus it was completely unlikely that they would be willing to take at-risk kids on such adventures. Lou gave up hope that the camp would ever take place. In 1995, Lou met a technology support specialist from the Tacoma Schools District. He also was a search and rescue volunteer who came from an at-risk community. Like Lou, it was the wilderness that provided his grounding during times of trouble. He became a champion of the program and pushed it through the Tacoma Schools. The program selected four at-risk students for its initial run. It also recruited Scott Fisher of Mountain Madness to run the wilderness section. As things turned out, Scott came from an at-risk community, and he too got his grounding from the wilderness. During a pre-trip training, Lou had to undergo harsh grilling by teachers, wondering why he was doing this. Some openly accused him of being a pedophile, luring students into the wilderness. After three months of training, the students were ready to go. Two days before the program was to begin, Lou received a call from the risk management people of the Tacoma Public Schools. After an emergency meeting with the districtÍs senior decision makers, they cancelled the program due to concerns over perceived risk and liability. Lou had to call every student and inform them of the news. One parent called back furious. She screamed, "how dare you do this to my son. He has been hiking up and down the Hilltop area for months getting ready for this". At that moment, Lou knew that his dream became somebody elseÍs. With this revived energy, he convinced the Metropolitan Parks District of Tacoma to sponsor the program. They did, and the students completed their expedition, learned computers, and produced a section of Mount Rainier National ParkÍs Official CD-ROM (now on sale at National Parks nationwide). News of the programÍs success quickly traveled to Olympic National Park where in 1996, students took part in a backpacking expedition and produced a section of the Olympic National Park CD-ROM (now on sale at National Parks nationwide). After completing the program, students in both years were given free computers and software. Major articles about the program were written by the Seattle Times in 1992 and 1995. Just prior to the 1996 program, the wilderness coordinator, Scott Fisher, died along with five others during a storm on Mount Everest. Out of this tragedy, ScottÍs belief in the cause was passed on to the new owners of his company. These owners, Keith and Chris Boskoff, donated their wilderness and guiding skills during the 1998 Centennial Pilot Project. Sadly, Keith died later that year from a fall. Both were wonderful loving people. Both are sorely missed. In 1998, eighteen students from five school districts took part in the Centennial Pilot Project. Jansport donated the backpacks. The Department of Energy at Hanford granted 100 computers to the program. Muckleshoot Tribal Elders provided wilderness training. Mountain Madness donated wilderness guides. US Senator Slade Gorton served as the programÍs Honorary Leader. Some students are currently serving in technology support internships at their school districts. Each student received a free computer with software, and each school district received 20 free computers with software. The Tacoma Tribune produced a Sunday front-page story on the program. King 5 Television produced a news special appearing on its 5 p.m. newscast. County Executive Ron Sims, 5 students, and Lou August presented the program to the Director of the National Park Service. In 1999, everything changed. Based on the success of previous years, suddenly access was available to schools and students from across Washington State. Mount Rainier National Park decided to showcase the project for its Centennial Celebration. Never before in the history of the National Park Service had a National Park agreed to associate its name with a project that took at-risk kids on overnight adventures into the wildernessƒno less 100 of them! The program was suddenly forced to build a backpacking company overnight with little experience. Having never written a grant before, Lou August had to write grants to help cover most of the programÍs costs. Ultimately monies were courageously provided by the Discuren Foundation, the Washington Software Foundation, and the Bullitt Foundation. Microsoft generously provided the software. The US Department of Energy provided most of the computers. The Mount Rainier, North Cascades and Olympic Fund graciously volunteered to be the fiscal agent (501c(3)). Unfortunately the Columbine shootings happened just as the schools and students were being selected. The consequences of sending their loved ones off to an isolated camp with 99 other at-risk students frightened many of the parents. Out of their expressed concern, the program agreed to search all of the studentÍs gear prior to the backpacking trip, pass the students through a metal detector prior to the computer camp, and hire a professional security agent. The project harnessed the power of the Internet to coordinate 100 students and 32 teachers from school districts across the state. Project staff members had no experience in wilderness preservation. Luckily the University of Washington, the University of Montana, and Rangers at Mount Rainier National Park generously pitched in to create a wonderful outline. Lou August ended up taking an immense amount of his time and money away from his company. Often the choice came down to corporate profitability, or ensuring the safety of human beings. The choice was easy and made never regretting the project. At first, many Park officials did not think such a project was possible, thus they did not pay much attention to it. However as things began moving forward, many people in the park became nervous. Some thought the students would cause environmental destruction. Some thought they would sustain serious injury or death. Besides the obvious human tragedy, an injury would destroy the ParkÍs long planned Centennial Celebration. Difficult exchanges began to take place between Lou and a park official. Ultimately it was the known support the project had with National Park Service Director, Robert Stanton, and his Deputy Director, Maureen Finnerty, that helped the project to continue through completion. In the end, not enough can be said for Mount RainierÍs generous support, including the use of their facilities, the time expended by their staff, and the numerous backcountry rangers who donated their time. Ultimately not a single student was injured, not even slightly. Not a single student ever got lost. Only two did not complete their three-day expedition (they were driven home early by their teacher). All were left significantly changed by the experience. The computer camp was the projectÍs most indelible experience. The coordination required to get 100 students from 32 school districts, 32 teachers, 10 Macromedia volunteers, and 10 other staff members, to a remote wilderness retreat center was daunting. This said nothing transporting all of the computer hardware and software. In the end, everything became critical. The volunteer technicians from Trinity Tech were beyond amazing. They LITERALLY worked around the clock to keep the labs running. On three occasions they had to make a five-hour round trip back to Seattle to pick up additional equipment. The project also never could have been done without the wonderful support of the public school teachers. A teacher from each school was required to take part on both the wilderness expedition and the computer camp. All of this was on a volunteer basis, which they performed with enthusiasm without exception. An additional critical element was the support from Macromedia. They donated the airfare and four days of time by a professional trainer, Richard Jenkins. Though Richard had never taught teenage students before, he quickly became moved by the project. Richard developed a professional bond with all 100 students that catapulted them into not-seen-before performance. As the project director, our program set out to "change the lives" of the students who took part in the program. I did not anticipate that the program would change my own life. Like an uncontrolled well spring, the project began to develop new models and new ways of thinking for me. It is a way of thinking that makes a life of pursuing money very shallow. Yet it was money that made this program possible. As I am sorting out the consequences of the project, and dreaming of the millions of students from around the country who could benefit from it, there is only one thing I know for sure. I cannot go back to the way I was before.