Digital Divide

Bell County High School is located in the Appalachian region of Bell County, Kentucky. Unemployment for the region is as high as 20% and more than 80% of the students at the school receive free lunch. As a Regional Academy, Bell County serves 8 local Academies, all of which are located in U.S. Empowerment Zones.

Because money for technology equipment comes from government vocational funding, Bell County High School did not have the means to purchase any additional equipment beyond the required labs. In May 2002, the school was selected to receive an Adtran Emulation Kit through the Networking Academy Ecosystem Donations Program. Bell County was chosen because of its work with low-income students and its excellent service to its Local Academies. With the donation, Bell County pledged that it would be able to enhance training for both instructors and students. The Adtran Kit was put to work at the beginning of the 2002 school year. Since that time, all eight Local Academies have had access to the Adtran equipment and have used it to enhance CCNA3 and CCNA4 instruction. Additionally, South East Community College (SECC) has adopted the CCNP curriculum and has been able to offer its students hands-on training using the Adtran Kit for all the CCNP courses.

The addition of this equipment and the additional experience it provides has helped to advance education and even careers for several students in the area. One of the students from Bell County, Brett Thompson, has used the Adtran donation to achieve CCNA certification. He is currently working towards his CCNP certification and is now teaching CCNA courses at the Bell County Area Vocational Center. Several other students at the Local SECC Academy are also teaching at an adjunct faculty for the college after receiving their CCNA certification and completing the fast-track for instructor training. As the Regional Administrator, Charles D. Pettey, explains, “The Adtran equipment was instrumental in helping them [advance their careers].”

Bell County High School hopes to continue to use the donation to improve education in the Appalachian region.