The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, October 11, 2006 - A3

- Documentary features Nass Valley
ptop computers —

student use of la

By DUSTIN QUEZADA

THE NASS_ Valley

is.

embracing the internet and~

for that. its residents are
getting noticed. _

' The region is a big part
of Cedar ‘and Silicon, a new
documentary, that explores
the complex process

_ Nations communities, learn-
ing how to use it, and mak-
ing it work effectively to

improve government, educa-

-tion, health and economics.

‘ One of, the initiatives
highlighted inthe documen-
tary shot in part in the Nass

Valley earlier this year, is”

the one undertaken by the
Nisga‘’a School District.

The district's’ grade 6-12 _
students are all equipped ©
with laptop computers — el-

ementary students have been

.$0 equipped for five years -
with the view-to improve lit-
eracy rates among students.

The program has proven:

a success, says the district’s
. principal for educational
technology...

“Its a smash hit with
students and teachers,”
‘Rob Wahl, adding the’ level
of engagement and culture
the tools brought to the edu-
cational process was, some-
thing “no one wanted to turn
down.”

The idea was, borrowed
from -the Fort. St. John
Schoo] District, where lit-
eracy levels improved after
its students got laptop com-
puters. Trustees in the Nass
were convinced of the re-

~ sults in the Peace region-and
- that faith has paid off.

While Wahl says the el-.

said .

of °
bringing. technology to First.

°

MOLLY Guno and Tyler Guno of New. Aiyansh work on their laptop computers ~ every Nass Valley student has -
one. The project is featured in an upcoming television documentary.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO .

ementary staff has the in-

corporation of the laptops

‘‘down to a science,” second-

ary teachers are still learning
and exploring.
The next step ‘to fulfill-

ing the students’ potential ,

through computer use is to
develop a program,” says
Wahl and that takes up a

‘third to half of each of his

work days.
“This is unchartered ter-

ritory,, Said Wahl, adding’

‘there are no textbooks 5 that

teach how to use laptops in
an educational setting.

“We want the students to
learn with the laptops and
not from them,” said Wahl.

* Wahl says the laptops are.
‘equipped with open-ended

educational and creative

_ software and no games.

> Teachers also: have con-
trol of student access to the
internet. Becoming accus-
tomed with the emerging

eller,”

ob

technology not only can
help students now but in the

future, added Wahl.

Young people in the Nass
Valley have obstacles that
Wahl says can be overcome

‘in part due to the internet

and laptop technology.
“Laptops are-a great lev-

rural areas who face. social
disadvantages. The world

wide web, meanwhile, can, .
_allow for First Nations, tra-

he said of people in”

ditionally bound to their ter-

ritory, to generate their own
employment.
_ “Every job counts in the
Nass Valley,” said Wahl. °

The Nisga’ a Lisims’ gov-

‘ernment is also featured .in
the documentary in its. ef-

forts to equip the valley with
broadband technology...
Cedar and Silicon pre-"
mieres Wednesday, Oct. 18
at 8 p.m. on the Knowledge

Network.

Hospital renovations to be celebrated

: NEARLY $4 million worth of renovations and new equipment placing Mills
~ ‘Memorial Hospital at the forefront of medical facilities i in the northwest is to
be officially opened this Friday. ;

The list includes a renovated emergency room, a new intensive care unit
built right next to the ER and a $1.65 millicn state-of-the-art CT scanner.

On hand will be officials from the Northern Health Authority, which
runs Mills, the. Northwest Regional Hospital District, which provided 40
per cent of the nearly $2 million cost for the ER/ICU project, the provincial
government and the Dr. R.E.M. Lee Hospital Foundation, which is raising
$650,000 toward the CT scanner. Also part of the improvement package at
Mills is an image storage, retrieval and transmission system which can send

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Visit www.nsis.ca for updates.

EVERYONE WELCOME!

Northwest Science & Innovation Society (NSIS) is an: independent,
non-profit society founded in 2004, governed by a regional,
volunteer Board of Directors, that is dedicated to the economic
development and diversification of the Northwest BC region
through the application and/or use of science and technology.

Northwest Science & Innovation Society

ROLL OUT.
Monday, October 16, 2006 .,

The Chalet Restaurant |
852 Tsimshian: - - oe
. ; Kitimat, BC ,

Luncheon & Guest Speaker: 12 noonto 1:30 PM:
Laurie Brown (Manager of NW Regional Airport)

» Annual General Meeting: 1:30 pm to 2:30 pm

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Christine Slanz Ignas, Executive Director at
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Betty Barton, Vice Chair at (250) 635-6244...

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CT and other i images to wherever they are needed.

The ICU was located right beside the ER on the hospital’s main n floot 0)

‘that patients can be more easily and safely moved from the ER to the ICU
and so that nurses.in each section can more readily help each other out.

Mills Memorial’s new CT scanner, installed just last month, is among the
best of its kind in the province and the hospital is the smallest of its kind in
the province to have one of its type.

A $1 million grant from the federal government which flowed through
the provincial government to the Northern Health Authority was topped up
by the Lee foundation so that the highly-specialized scanner could be pur-
chased. The official opening ceremonies begin at 2 p.m.

News In Brief

=

UNBC numbers j jump

THE UNIVERSITY of Northern British Columbia’s -
student registration count has jumped here from /100 -

last year to 116 this year,

And it’s only going to get higher as the university
iakes on students next year in a new bachelor of edu-"
cation program and as bachelor of science in nursing

students start. their third year of studies, says UNBC™

spokesman Rob van Adrichem. '

“With the kind of increase projected, we're ‘really
looking forward to our new campus,” he said of planned
renovations to a. former highways ministry building on
Keith Ave.. right across the street from the Terrace
Lumber, Company location. oe

UNBC is now located in the same structure as ‘the
B.C. Access Centre but has grown out’ of. the space
when compared to what it needs,

The university bought the Keith Avé.. building: care
lier this year and is anticipating a start on renovations.
as early as this month,

Ministry robbed _

SOMEONE. went to.a lot-of trouble to steal wood
products from the Ministry of Forests sometime during

_ August or September.

Terrace RCMP received a reporl of the theft of four
wooden bridge panels from a construction site on the
Old Nass Road, north of the “bridge out” area near
Rosswood. "

- It appears the panels may: have been:cut up ‘before
being removed, which is believed to have required a

-Jarger vehicle to haul the material away, Say: police.

RCMP continue to investigate.

‘Electronics taken

A THIEF. committed a smash’ and grab from a
Nisga’a Fisheries vehicle parked at the Best Western
Terrace Inn.Oct. 1,

The culprit smashed. the passenger window of the
pickup truck did took a Sirius radio, an Oceanic and
an ICOM VHF portable and a pair of Bushnell binocu-
lars.

Watch for new motor

as it may have been obtained from a robbery Sept. 29."
A resident of Pear Street reported the theft.of a 40

HP Yamaha jet drive outboard from his boat.'The mo-~
tor is grey and is from the. 1997 model year, according
"to Terrace RCMP. . eg

Sy

Fender bender victims
escape injury ©

FOUR PEOPLE went to hospital after their vehicles
- collided at the intersection of Lazelle Ave. and Sparks

St. Oct. 2.

Just before 9 p.m‘,a car driven’ by a Terriice'n man was’ .
involved i in an accident with a pickup’ driven by’ another

local man.

t

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