BELL TO GIVE SCHOOLS INTERNET

Ten area schools have been selected by Southwestern Bell to be wired free of charge for Internet access through the company's Operation SchoolNet education campaign.

Karen E. Jennings, president of Southwestern Bell-Missouri, said it is the largest educational effort undertaken by Southwestern Bell. In all, nearly 1,100 classrooms at 180 schools throughout Missouri will receive the free Internet access.

Schools were selected on the basis of the availability of computer equipment, detailed plans on how to incorporate the Internet into curriculum and the ability to maintain Internet service.

Area schools receiving Internet access include: elementary school at Caruthersville; Central High and ATVS, New Madrid; high school and Warren E. Hearnes Elementary, Charleston; Kelso C-7 School, Kelso; public school in Malden; Meadow Heights School, Patton; New Holcomb, Holcomb; St. Augustine, Kelso; St Vincent de Paul, Cape Girardeau; and St. Vincent Elementary, Perryville.

"This is part of our pledge to serve the communities where we operate," Jennings said. "Operation SchoolNet ensures that thousands of K-12 students will have the opportunity to capitalize on the educational benefits available through the Internet."

The classrooms will be wired by members of the Southwestern Bell Pioneers, the company's employee and retiree volunteers. They will be supported by the Communications Workers of America, which represents 40,000 hourly Southwestern Bell employees in the company's five-state service territory of Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas and Texas.

The wiring kits were donated by Lucent Technologies, which builds and delivers a wide range of public and private communication networks and software, consumer and business phone systems and microelectronics components. Wiring projects will begin immediately; many are expected to be completed before school starts.