| Contact: | Sunny Mindel/Edward Skyler (212) 788-2958 |
Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani today announced NYC Beyond 2000, a multimedia-based contest open to all students of New York City public high schools. Students who participate will be able to take advantage of hardware and software donated by Microsoft Corporation, Dell Computers, RCS Computer Experience and Intel Corporation. All entries will be displayed on an Internet site and results of the competition will be announced in the Spring.
"Technology is changing the way we do business, run our cities and communicate with our loved ones," Mayor Giuliani said. "This contest demonstrates how technology can also be used to enhance the educational experience and create new opportunities for younger New Yorkers. With Silicon Alley growing by the day, this generous investment in our future could not have come at a better time. I would like to thank Microsoft, Dell, RCS and Intel for making NYC Beyond 2000 possible."
The Mayor was joined by Dr. Jackson Tung, Chief Information Officer of the Board of Education; Bob Jones, New York Metro District General Manager for Microsoft; Reed Kalagher, Regional Manager for Dell Computers; Paul Leonard, NYC Board of Education Account Executive for Dell Computers; Paul Lorelli, Area Sales Manager for Intel Corporation; Charles Tebele, President and COO for RCS Computer Experience; Peter Bencivenga, Teacher and Technology Coordinator at the High School of Telecommunications, Arts and Technology; and Sico the Robot.
Presented by NYC 2000, the Mayor's Office for the Millennium, and the New York City Board of Education, NYC Beyond 2000 was designed to enhance educational opportunities for public school students. Teams of three to five students will be asked questions about the state of art and music, communications, or technology in the next millennium.
Using hardware and software donated by Microsoft, Dell, and RCS, students can answer questions in any medium that can be supported by computer. For example, music and short films can be recorded, artwork scanned, and essays can be submitted on word processing programs. All entries will be displayed on the Internet on the new NYC Beyond 2000 website, www.nycboe.org/nycbeyond2000 and judged by a celebrity panel.
The judges include actress Bernadette Peters, artist Peter Max, magician David Blaine, Fox Broadcasting CEO Roger Ailes and New York Mets pitcher John Franco. Students can register until March 10 and submissions are due by May 15. The entries will be posted on he Internet shortly after and an awards ceremony will be held in early June.
Dell, Intel and Microsoft will convert the computer lab of the winning team's school into a state-of-the-art e-learning environment. The school'sexisting lab will be upgraded with 34 all-new Dell OptiPlex computers, a new Dell PowerEdge 2400 server, and Microsoft software. Dell and Intel are sponsoring the computers and networking hardware, and Microsoft is providing the software, including Microsoft Front Page 2000 and Microsoft Office 2000.
In conjunction with the contest, generous donations from Microsoft, Dell Computer, and RCS Computer Experience, are providing hardware, software and other services so that high school students can continue to use new technology to enhance their education during and after NYC Beyond 2000. Donations include copies of Microsoft Front Page 2000, Microsoft Office 2000, for each participating team; Dell 4300 Poweredge web servers; various hardware including digital cameras and computer microscopes from RCS.
In addition, Dell has provided a system consultant to install and maintain the server and website. Microsoft developed the NYC Beyond 2000 website, is providing professional development for teachers interested in technology applications, and designed the website. The website was displayed during the announcement.
