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Sisters, Oregon
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School computer lab restored and improved
By Jim Cornelius

DeAnn Pilch puts the finishing touches on the restored computer lab at Sisters Elementary School.

Two months ago, a water pipe in the Sisters Elementary School heating system broke. Water and oily steam poured into the computer lab, destroying all the equipment, the carpet and the fixtures.

This week, a completely refurbished "cybersite" will reopen -- and it is better now than ever.

After an insurance reimbursement of approximately $91,000, the lab was refitted with Dell computers with Pentium 4 processors.

The hardware is better than the machines that vounteers worked hard to secure for the original lab.

"They're a huge improvement," said technology contractor DeAnn Pilch, who has assisted in setting up the lab.

Of course, everyone involved in the reconstruction of the lab acknowledges that it was the "tons of volunteers" and "mega hours" put into the original lab that laid the foundation for the new, improved version.

One of the biggest improvements is that all the machines run Windows XP software. Having all identical computers and software makes teaching much easier.

"It's very difficult to teach a class where students don't have consistent access to the same thing," Pilch said.

The lab has 30 computers. According to Todd Pilch, district technology specialist, the lab is almost always full, with some 300 students a day participating in classes or working on projects.

One of the features of the new lab is designed to help "kid proof" the facility. Static electricity is bad for electronic equipment, and young children seem to have a propensity for shuffling their feet and making the sparks fly. The new carpet in the lab is made up of anti-static squares that virtually eliminate that problem.

"If you've ever been in here and seen kids shuffling along... it helps," DeAnn Pilch said.

The new lab also features a remote control projector that runs from the teacher's lab computer, so that a teacher can move around the lab while walking students through a project on a large screen.

With all new and improved equipment, Sisters Elementary School came out of a disaster quickly and in better shape than ever.

One staffer noted that it wasn't just a case of making lemonade out of lemons.

"We have sweet lemonade," she said.

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