Sixth-graders in teacher Viola Parnell's class at Bankston Elementary School looked anything but bored in the classroom Thursday as they took a quiz via a new interactive Promethean Board.
Parnell, who has been testing the board, sits at her desk with a laptop. Her computer is projected onto the interactive board.
As geometry quiz questions appear, the students enter answers using wireless hand-held devices called Active Votes. They can see their scores instantly.
Students can also use a stylus as a pencil to write answers on the board or as a mouse to click and drag items.
The Greenwood Telecom Pioneers donated the equipment, which is worth more than $7,000, Parnell said. Telecom Pioneers board members visited Bankston for demonstrations Thursday.
"We wanted to see the project and support them," said John McCullouch, national chairman of the Telecom Pioneers.
McCullouch, a Ridgeland resident, retired in March from AT&T as the state president of operations.
The Telecom Pioneers is a national organization, which also includes some Canadian chapters, and has about 620,000 members. It is made up of active and retired employees of telecommunications companies, such as AT&T, Verizon and others.
For the organization's board meetings, it visits a local chapter working on an interesting project. They chose to come to Greenwood to stay at The Alluvian hotel and visit Bankston.
McCullouch said the Greenwood Pioneers chapter is outstanding and that the students were enthusiastic about the donation.
"I was extremely impressed with the school, the teacher and the students," he said. "They were really excited about the project."
Greenwood Pioneers leading the project were Gaylon Grantham, Sharon Stone, Becky Shaw, Janet Hammons, Eddie Holland and Barbara Watson.
Betty Byrd, director of the Mississippi Telecom Pioneers, said AT&T has donated boards to about six other schools around the state.
They had been planning to donate one to the Greenwood school district for awhile. Since the local chapter has been involved with Bankston for a long time, they donated it to Bankston, she said.
"This is the best teaching tool I could have," Parnell said. "It's kind of sparked me because this is my 17th year to teach, so things can get a little dry … it has brought new life into me, into my teaching.
"And the children like it, too. In this day of technology, we need this for the children. They play all these wonderful video games, and then they come to school and have paper and pencil and board. This is, I think, going to make a big difference."
