NELL HOLCOMB SOON WILL BE ON LINE FOR SATELLITE PROGRAMS

CAPE GIRARDEAU - Satellite educational programming is coming close to being a reality for the Nell Holcomb R-4 School District.

On Tuesday a 10-foot satellite dish went up at the Nell Holcomb Elementary School on Highway 177 north of Cape Girardeau. By the end of this week, the dish should be on line, said Doyle Parmer, owner and operator of Dutchtown Electronics, which is installing the dish and receiver equipment.

Wayne Pressley, the district's superintendent, has said the satellite programming would be used to supplement the district's elementary education rather than for advanced math, science or language education.

The satellite system is being funded by a state grant approved through the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. The grant required that Nell Holcomb pay 10 percent of the grant total of $6,000.

The contract for installation of the dish and its related equipment was awarded to Dutchtown Electronics when the Nell Holcomb Board of Education met in December.

Board Vice President Bob Rubel said Tuesday that the district will now have the chance to see how the satellite dish will help and whether it was worth the money or not.

"It was a fairly cheap way of getting some more education in to the (school) system," he said. "I think it's great to have in the district. It can't do anything but help."

The satellite programming could also be used for enhancement training for teachers, he said.

Parmer said he and his father, Charles Parmer, installed the satellite dish Tuesday at the school. But, he said, the electrical work to up-link the dish for reception wouldn't be done until the next day it doesn't rain.

Parmer said he and the school's librarian had discussed on Tuesday the subject matter that will be available to the school through the system. That will be discussed further, he said, and the librarian will probably talk to Pressley about the matter.

Next school year would be the first time the district would be able to really use the system for the educational programming, which comes from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Parmer said.

"I don't know if they'll be able to get in on anything this year because the year is almost up," he said.