Imagine the frustration of completing a difficult assignment on your computer only to learn that you can neither print nor save it.
White Pine High School students need not imagine. They have dealt with such issues – and more – on an almost daily basis.
“The end results of an assignment can either be very positive or negative, depending on the outcome, and not being able to print or save an assignment can be extremely disappointing,” Lois Plenger, White Pine High School business education and computer teacher, said Friday.
But all that has changed now that school district information technology specialists have set up and installed the software on 25 BLM Ely field Office-donated computers and related, matching equipment.
The donation was sparked when Ely resident Robert Jones, an information technology specialist for the field office, saw for the first time the high school’s computer lab while attending parent-teacher conferences.
“I saw the problem immediately. The school’s computers were basically older, outdated models that had a limited capacity,” Jones told the Ely Times.
Returning to work the following day, Jones spoke with Jerry O’Donnell, the field office’s warehouseman. As it turned out, the BLM was out of necessity upgrading some of its computer equipment. The rest, as they say, is history.
“We can, when we upgrade, donate our used equipment for use elsewhere, in particular to help educate young people,” said O’Donnell.
“Frankly, I can’t think of a better use,’” he said.
“We really appreciate all that Bob, Jerry and the BLM did to make this happen for us. Our students can now compete with today’s world,” Plenger told the Ely Times.
The BLM Ely Field Office this past year has, in addition to the White Pine School District, donated quality, previously-used computer equipment to the Lincoln County School District and Yomba Shoshone Tribe.
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