Pressured to meet a deadline, students often scramble to find access to the Internet on campus. With limited time students search for a fast connection to find information pertaining to their project.

“Since Al Gore ?created’ the Internet he has helped me use search engines to obtain information for school papers,” Doug DenHartog, ’05, said. “The fast Internet connection is a great resource to have at school.”

The Internet on campus has used a T1 connection for three years at a cost of about $1 per month per student.

“Using a T1 connection enables the school’s network to remain connected 24/7,” David Martens, technology director, said. “The cost per student is very low. T1 is a very reliable connection.”

With four computers available in the Library Media Center, 14 in the computer lab and one in almost every teacher’s room, students can access the Internet almost anywhere on campus.

“We are blessed to have as many resources as we do here at a small private Christian school,” Jon Endicott, vice principal, said. “The Internet is a very powerful tool that requires great responsibility.”

Along with the computers positioned in the classrooms, teachers can use a wireless connection to access the Internet from their laptops.

“There are base stations connecting the campus network in every building,” Martens said. “Teachers and students can connect to the Internet wirelessly from almost anywhere on campus.”

With increasing computer usage, the administration has different ways to monitor inappropriate Internet use on campus.

“In addition to the site blockers, we have a central site where the administration can view the sites students hit most often,” Martens said. “We look for patterns in what sites students visit the most.”

According to a poll taken of 210 out of 290 students on campus, the most noted reasons for using the Internet are e-mail [17%], search engines [14%] and shopping sites [13%].

Since the campus plugged into the Internet in 1998, teachers have seen many changes.

“With access to the Internet, students can instantaneously look at their grades whenever they want,” Lonnie Godfrey, math teacher, said. “Parents and teachers can communicate much faster and more easily than ever before.”