Sunday, November 30, 2008 

Long Island Unified School District's Foundation for the Advancement of Student Technology

The Roslyn Union Free School District

The Roslyn Union Free School District, a part of the Long Island Schools, is composed of five schools: a pre-kindergarten to first grade school; an elementary school with first to fifth grade; a second elementary school with second to fifth grade; a middle school with sixth to eighth grade; and a high school. The Roslyn Union Free School District serves Long Island's north shore of the Long Island School District. This school district has an enrollment of around three thousand five hundred students. The Long Island School District and specifically the Roslyn Union Free School District has a strong dedication to preparing all students for life in the twenty-first century.

This school district provides a strong science and technologically based education. All students receive computer education in all grades from kindergarten to twelfth grade. As a result the Roslyn Union Free School District has had semifinalists in the Intel Science Talent Search every year for the past twenty-four years. The school district also has programs in the application of science to the real world. Like all schools in the Long Island School District, the Roslyn School District often seeks additional or outside funding to make their programs a reality. One such source is F.A.S.T. or the Foundation for the Advancement of Student Technology.

The Foundation for the Advancement of Student Technology

The Foundation for the Advancement of Student Technology is a not-for-profit organization that, in close cooperation with the school district, works to increase the Roslyn School Districts technology education program. This organization also aims to create connections between the school district, local Long Island businesses and the community. The Foundation for the Advancement of Student Technology raises funds by holding various kinds of fundraisers and some technological based events. The Foundation for the Advancement of Student Technology has successfully raised over one hundred fifty thousand dollars for the Roslyn School Districts computer and technological education programs.

F.A.S.T.s Golf and Tennis Classic

One such fundraising event is the annual Foundation for the Advancement of Student Technology Golf and Tennis Classic. The fifth Foundation for the Advancement of Student Technology Golf and Tennis Classic was held on June 12th at the Glen Head Country Club. Over the past five years F.A.S.T. has used the Golf and Tennis Classic to fund and support computer related projects and district wide technology based educational seminars.

The Foundation for the Advancement of Student Technology Golf and Tennis Classic is a day long tournament that includes brunch, lunch, cocktails, full course dinner and a silent auction. Every year there are over two hundred participants. The event as recently renamed in memory for Glenn Steinfast, a former news anchor and long time F.A.S.T. supporter.

An additional fundraising effort is the Foundation for the Advancement of Student Technologys Discount Card which is purchased for around $20 and gives discounts to local businesses in the Roslyn Union Free School District, part of the Long Island Unified School District. The proceeds from the purchased Discount Cards go toward funding the development of computer education.

Stacy Andell is a staff writer for Schools K-12, providing free, in-depth reports on all U.S. public and private K-12 schools. Stacy has a nose for research and writes stimulating news and views on school issues. For more information please visit Long Island Schools

A photo provided by the Florence and Laurence Family Foundation shows a sample of a card that was handed out to employees of the Waukegan, Ill.-based Peer Bearing Co., from the Spungen family with thank-you bonus checks after the family sold the company. The bonuses totaled $6.6 million to be shared by just 230 employees. Amounts varied and were based on years of service. Seen in the photo at lower <a href=>right</a> are Florence and Laurence Spungen in the front row and Danny, Carol, Debbi and Glenn Spungen in the back row. (AP Photo/Florence and Laurence Family Foundation)AP - Even though employees at the Peer Bearing Co. no longer work for the Spungen family that recently sold the Waukegan-based ball bearings maker, they still received a turkey each this Thanksgiving in keeping with tradition.

 

New Video Game "Spore" - Will It Revolutionize Gaming?

Will Wright is the gaming genius that created the popular SimCity video game in 1989, wherein you become the mayor of a new town, whose job it is to zone businesses and housing, build roads, and set taxes. Sound boring? Think again--it's just as fun to create a city as it is to summon up an earthquake or a monster attack and watch it all crumble!

Will's next biggest hit was The Sims, where you build a little home for a character to live in, and then help him perform the basic parts of his day, from making breakfast, going to work, cleaning the house, watching TV, and having friends over. You even have to make sure they use the bathroom regularly! Sound boring? Think again, because although you are basically playing dollhouse, the simulated characters have their own personalities and you can watch unique stories unfold.

Will Wright taking a big jump from cities and domiciles and the next game he has announced, Spore, will encompass life, the universe, and everything. Spore starts off controlling a tiny microscopic creature. As he (she? it?) becomes stronger you earn the ability to choose new body parts, like legs and flippers and mouths. You can place them wherever you like. Want a five-legged creature? The computer will figure out how to make him walk--you just figure out where to put everything!

As you progress through the game, the scope gets bigger and bigger. Soon you are on land foraging for supplies. Then you form tribes and do battle. Eventually you can build cities in a SimCity-like way. Then you can trade goods or make war with your neighboring cities. Eventually you can build a UFO and fly off to space to colonize and explore new worlds.

We're excited to see what this game brings to the table, as the Sim games have always been fun, but will this game be able to live up to the hype? We're a little nervous about the continually shifting release date, ourselves, and hope it doesn't shift much further.

For more on video gaming, visit http://gamer-revolution.net to read about Mass Multiplayer Online Games including flash and online 3D racing games to PC and Nintendo games, and much more!

In this Nov. 21, 2008 file photo, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., attends  a memorial ceremony for the late Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. Catherine Baker Knoll in the Capitol rotunda in Harrisburg, Pa.  Democratic officials say President-elect Barack Obama will nominate Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton to be his secretary of state on Monday.   (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)AP - A deal with Bill Clinton over his post-White House work helped clear the way for Hillary Rodham Clinton to join President-elect Barack Obama's national security team as secretary of state, reshaping a once-bitter rivalry into a high-profile strategic and diplomatic union.

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