Link to Tech Corps Wisconsin!

1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 1997 January Computer refurbishing begins on a weekly (Saturday) basis. More laptop and desktop donations are received as well as boxes and boxes of software, most still shrink-wrapped. February Refurbishing operations continue. Request is received from RUSD to supply computers for 19 April NetDay projects at three Racine schools. We gave a laptop computer to a special needs child at Union Grove High School. This computer changed his life. March After a couple of months of quiet behind the scenes activities, Tech Corps WI delivered one-hundred and fifty laptop computers throughout the Racine Unified School District. These were distributed to elementary, middle and high schools. We also put three Windows computers, misc. computer components and Windows 95 copies at McKinley Middle for use by special needs kids. A follow-up story in the newspaper here highlighted the use of the Gifford Internet connection (November Tech Corps WI pilot project) and Intranet in providing the students with information and enhanced learning experiences for the school-wide Australia theme and it's use in following the on-going Iditarod race via email and fax. We also put a Windows computer at Horlick for the Student Treasury program in Accounting. April Volunteers setup three seven-computer client/server Intranet/Internet networks for 19 April projects. Tech Corps WI receives a donation of four UPS's from APC, mice and mouse pads from a local business and network cards from private donations. Picked up two more corporate sponsors, ISP's. We took delivery of two pallets of 386 computers and two pallets of software and received another sixty 386 computers. We also put three Windows computers at Mitchell Middle for use by special needs kids. We supplied a Windows machine, network connection and Internet hookup for Gifford school for the TV6 Weather station. Students can look not only at state weather data, but also around the country and the world. We picked up another storage site for donated computers. May Our first road trip. Took a group of volunteers, including students, teachers and I.S. professionals to Bay Lane Middle school in Muskego to upgrade thirty-two computers to Windows 95. Continued refurbishing operations. We delivered twelve laptop computers to Fratt school for the 1st grade Writing to Read program. We completed nine donated Windows 95 installs in RUSD high schools. Could only find nine machines good enough to allow installation, from thirty-one buildings serving 22k children - this is why we are starting here. We also put six Windows computers at Horlick High School for use by marketing students, and a Windows computer and laser printer for the principal at Olympia Brown school. June Received a request for computers to be installed at Olympia Brown elementary school. Refurbishing operation is geared to make this happen. Out most recent project was to wire and provide ten networked computers and a Web server for Internet access to Racine Christian school on 6/28. This was a joint effort with Wiring Wisconsin. We continued refurbishing operations. We became involved in a computer lab update for Washington-Caldwell school in rural Waterford. This was our second road trip. Here we provided and installed twenty-five copies of Windows 95 and installed more memory and hard disks in twenty-fives 486 lab computers. We continued to provide expertise and support. July As of today (7/9/97) we are officially incorporated as Tech Corps Wisconsin, Inc. a non-profit corporation. Hopefully this will aid us in further fund raising. We have also completed and submitted the 1st draft of the developmental charter to Tech Corps, with puts us further down the road of becoming a fully operational state chapter. We participated in a project for Park High School in Racine to provide twenty DOS computers for a Novell network in a chemistry classroom. We supply computers, expertise and support here. The teachers are doing most of the work. We delivered thirty copies of Windows 95 to Karl W. Klein, Technology Coordinator, Unified Schools of DePere. They are creating a volunteer, and student installation project. August Developmental charter was accepted by Tech Corps national, 501c3 status in the works - had to go through the IRS. We continued to be involved in a computer lab update for Washington-Caldwell school in rural Waterford. We provided expertise in network setup and training of lab personnel. We also put a laser printer in the lab there. One of our ISP sponsors finished and hosted our web site. The page was, for a long time, residing at http://www.rli-net.net/~tcw. We receive an offer from Pewaukee schools for a large number of 386 and 486 computers, which we pick up. About forty computers, thirty monitors, twenty printers, keyboards, mice, NICs, CD-ROM drivers etc. Best stuff we ever had. This was refurbished during the fall/winter. We received a request from RUSD for a list of computers available to schools. We provided a list and discussed distribution later. We also offered the possibility of a complete fifteen computer client/server network if certain curriculum integration goals could be met. September We planned a project for Mt. Horeb school system to install donated copies of Windows 95. We provided twenty-five 386 Windows computers to Olympia Brown school in Racine. Twelve to be used to replace eight Apple II's in the Writing to Read lab, two in all four 1st grade classrooms, and five in the Parent Center. Installation, support and training are in process. We also received a large batch of seventy donated computers from Abbott Laboratories. October On 4 October we made a road trip to Mt. Horeb High School to install donated copies of Windows 95. We updated twenty-two computers and had a very successful trip. On 6 October Mike Pitsch submitted the final Operational Charter paperwork to national Tech Corps. When approved we will be fully operational. On 14 October Mike Pitsch met with State Superintendent John Benson and his staff at the DPI. They discussed the DPI offer of selecting a State Chairperson for TCW and establishing a relationship with the CESA’s to provide support for the Governor’s TEACH program. November We delivered twelve Dell computers to Janes Elementary in Racine for setup in January. We delivered two CD-ROM-equipped computers to the auto shop at Case High School in Racine, and laser printers to Case High School, Horlick High School, and Gifford Elementary School. We delivered drafting plotters to all three Racine high schools, and two inkjet printers to Horlick High School. We delivered six 386 laptop computers to Gifford Elementary School for a pilot project to allow kids to check them (the laptops) out of the library. We delivered six Windows computers to Caddy Vista Elementary and six Windows computers and three printers to Gilmore Middle Schools in Racine. We also network six computers at Horlick High School which we donated last May. We also provided a computer and plotter for the Horlick High School Metal shop for use with a CAM mill. We also delivered six computers to Roosevelt Elementary School. We also delivered three computers and two printers to Garfield Early Child center. December We delivered and setup twelve computers to St. John’s middle school in Kansasville. Completed a road trip to Wisconsin Rapids to provide and install sixty copies of Windows 95 in two junior highs and a high school. We wired a computer lab at Olympia brown Elementary School in Racine and installed a fifteen client/NT Server network. This network will provide intranet and Internet abilities. We also installed a relocated twenty-three client Novell network from Union Grove High School to Schulte Elementary School in Sturtevant. 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004