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The students of the Dayton Heights Elementary School in Los Angeles have a couple of new computer labs, thanks to help from Everything Channel's XChange community in a program spearheaded by two solution providers who met via Twitter.
The makeover came courtesy of Channel@Work Technology Makeover School Edition, a non-profit component of Everything Channel's XChange Solution Provider Conference.
The XChange community, including vendor executives, solution providers, and Everything Channel employees, teamed with 115 teachers, parents, and students from Dayton Heights on Sunday to put the finishing touches on the makeover.
The project provided much-needed technology for an elementary school designated as a Title 1 school with 91 percent of the student's families with household incomes below poverty level. Microsoft contributed software, AMD brought in all-in-one Opteron-based workstations, Juniper offered networking gear, Samsung contributed LCD monitors and projectors and color printers, and Belkin brought in surge protectors.
Eric Martorano, director of Microsoft's U.S. partner channel, told the XChange community before the makeover began that the work they did in the end was not about the computers. "It's about the kids," Martorano said.
Bob Nitrio, CEO of Ranvest Associates, an Orangevale, Calif.-based technology consultant, did the technology assessment at the school in the days leading up to the makeover to set up the project.
Other XChange Community members worked hand-in-hand with students and local California artists to paint the school's halls.
