Navarre High School goes high tech
BY FRANKLIN HAYES Gulf Breeze News franklin@gulfbreezenews.com

Franklin Hayes/Gulf Breeze News Navarre High teacher B.J. Price utlizes some new equipment donated by the Navarre Area Board of Realtors and the Navarre Wal Mart.

What does the classroom of the 21st century look like? According to administrators from Navarre High School (NHS), the Navarre Board of Realtors (NABOR) and the Navarre Wal-Mart, it is inundated with the latest interactive technology.

NABOR donated $7,300 to set up the first classroom of its kind at NHS, complete with a four speaker stereo system, wireless microphones, an interactive whiteboard, an LCD projector, a wireless data pad and a laptop.

"We wanted to try and make a difference to help our students excel," said NABOR President Michelle Tucker, whose organization donated proceeds from its 2006 and 2007 golf tournaments.

The most impressive of all the gadgets is the interactive whiteboard, which allows the teacher to display pictures and applications on a large viewing surface approximately four feet wide. Its proprietary software also enables users to execute commands via touch screen.

"With this technology in the class room, resources are literally at the teacher's fingertips," said NHS Principal Bill Emerson.

B.J. Price, who teaches a mandatory advanced vocabulary class to sophomore students, demonstrated the versatility of the system, remotely accessing the websites like Wikipedia, pulling up maps of Europe and displaying pictures of Charlemagne.

"Anytime you can include technology into your lesson plan it's a good thing," Price said. "This speaks in a language [tech savvy students] can understand."

Emerson said he is happy with success of their sole "21st Century Classroom" and hopes to have 20 more like it over the next five years. The administrator said his staff is now setting up a second similar room in the business department thanks to a generous donation from Wal-Mart store number 3439 in Navarre.

During the retail center's grand opening Jan. 19, store management donated over $37,000 to various community entities such as Hurlburt Field family support groups and the Holley-Navarre Fire Protection District. However, NHS received the largest chunk of those donations, with approximately $7,000 going toward a similar high tech set up.

"In a small town like Navarre all registers and sales floors are run by high school students," said Nikki Tucker, an assistant manager at the Navarre Wal-Mart. "This store wanted to make a statement - we support that high school because that high school supports this community."