May 11, 1998 - - Even though two major interstate highways intersect in Albuquerque: I-25 and I-40, the newest and most traveled is the Information Superhighway. Albuquerque now boasts one of the best stops on this widely known route - an elementary school named Georgia O'Keeffe.

Education World™ and Cisco Systems are pleased to announce Georgia O'Keeffe Elementary School in Albuquerque, New Mexico, as the first national Cool School of the Year. The school will receive over $10,000 worth of Cisco networking equipment and other prizes in an awards ceremony later this month.

Gretchen Gaskill, Webmaster for the Georgia O'Keeffe Elementary site, believes their work on the Internet impacts not only the students' daily lives, but also their entire future. "It allows parents and the community to have a peek inside the school," she said. "It also provides information to students and staff and serves and as a gateway for the students to cyberspace."

Gaskill expressed her appreciation for the Cool School program. "I think that it's a good activity that provides recognition to students involved with developing good school Web sites."

"Our site is different than most pages I've seen. Our content is not 'fluff.' We present real information like upcoming events, awards, lunch menus and the student handbook," Gaskill said.

Education World, the world's leading Internet educational resource and search engine, and Cisco Systems, the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet, teamed up to create this special Cool School program. Designed to honor students, schools, teachers, administration and districts, the program rewards participants for creating and maintaining a school's Web presence and integrated the practical applications of technology in their curriculum.

Steve Sandis, Cisco's education program manager, said, "I am pleased about Cisco Systems' involvement in Cool School of the Year because it gives us yet another opportunity to make Cisco's tagline, 'Empowering the Internet Generation,' a reality."

Education World recognizes a "Cool School of the Week" each week to praise students and advisors for going above and beyond in the classroom. From the 1997 winners, five schools were selected as Cool School of the Year finalists. These schools span the country, yet all have a common bond -understanding and implementing the power of the Internet.

The five Web sites in the running for Cool School of the Year included:

• Edmond Memorial High School in Edmond, Oklahoma www.edmond.com/emhs/

• Georgia O'Keeffe Elementary School in Albuquerque, New Mexico www.okeeffe.aps.edu/okeeffe_Web

• Harrison Elementary School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa www.cedar-rapids.k12.ia.us/Harrison/harrison.html

• Shelbyville ISD in Shelbyville, Texas www.shelbyville.isd.tenet.edu/

• Sir Francis Drake High School in San Anselmo, California drake.marin.k12.ca.us/

Education World's Cool School staff (www.education-world.com) choose the best school Internet Web sites that exemplify the following criteria: visual appeal, creativity, originality, community involvement or connection, use of technology, value to the students and school, use of curriculum on-line and practical applications in the educational setting.

Education World's Executive Producer Rob York said, "The school sites continue to become more and more sophisticated, no matter what grade level. This year's winner, an elementary school, proves how students find learning about technology and the Internet exciting -no matter what age. We are pleased to honor all the finalists' accomplishments and hard work. I wish they could all be named as our Cool School of the Year."

The Cool School of the Year was determined by a distinguished panel of judges who evaluated each finalist's Web site and by popular vote on the Education World Web site at http://www.education-world.com/cool_school/csoy/ during April 19-May 2.

Judging was weighed as 40 percent popular vote and 60 percent panel vote. The panel was composed of educational and technical experts from Cisco Systems, American Fidelity Assurance, Internet publication writers, Stanford University and other organizations.

On a weekly basis, Cool School award winners receive exclusive Cool School T-shirts and mouse pads, two commemorative plaques, Cool School award certificates, plus a Cool School winner button for their Web site. All weekly Cool Schools are entered to win the annual "Cool School of the Year."

Nominations for Cool School awards are accepted on the Education World Web site (http://www.education-world.com). Any student-supported Web site may be nominated.

Education World's Cool School program is sponsored by Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO). Sponsorship of Education World is one part of Cisco's corporate-wide initiative to provide the benefits of Internet access and international communication in today's classrooms. More information about all of Cisco's education programs is available at www.cisco.com/edu.

For more information about Education World, please contact Karla Mickey at kmickey@educationworld.com, or call (405) 416-7837.

WHO: WINNER - Georgia O'Keeffe Elementary School

WHERE: Albuquerque, NM

WHAT: Honored as Cool School of the Year Award, winning $10,000+ in networking equipment, for best school Web site in the nation

WHEN: May 11, 1998

Friday, May 8th
Finalist Webmasters Speak Out About Cool School of the Year, 1997...

Edmond Memorial's Kay Mades of Oklahoma, said, "What an honor to be one of the few selected out of all the great school Web sites across the country! We feel honored… Education World is truly a premier educational Internet site which truly lends great prestige to this honor."

Harrison Elementary's Sharron McElmeel in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, said, "Our site is unique because it was planned and developed by students and it led to a companion site being developed for the State of Iowa Literacy council, Iowa Reading Association, and the Literacy Resource Center." To spread the good news of Cool School, McElmeel reported, "We are sending out news releases."

Gretchen Gaskill from Georgia O'Keeffe Elementary in New Mexico, said, "I think that this is a good program that provides recognition to good school Web sites. There are so many sites on the Internet, but very few ways to recognize good sites."

In San Anselmo, California, David Sondheim from Sir Francis Drake High School said, "Cool School of the Year helps promote the work the students are doing throughout the community and helps the community see some of the great things students are capable of."

Calvin Roberts of Shelbyville ISD in Texas, said, "It's cool that you have the COOL SCHOOL of the WEEK and the YEAR because it lets the students know that someone is watching." He went on to say, "The secret of being a COOL SCHOOL is to have an overall vision of how the Internet can be used locally to disseminate information and serve as a 'jump station' for the world-wide resources."

Thursday, May 7th
"It's a tough job, but somebody's gotta' do it"…. That's what you'll hear the COOL SCHOOL of the YEAR judges saying. The scores are close because of the high quality of each finalist's site! Here's our line-up of distinguished judges:

Dr. Decker Walker, Professor and Director of the Learning Design and Technology Masters' Program at Stanford University, teaches courses for teachers on using computers in the classroom and on interactive media in education. His scholarly work focuses on the uses of information technology in teaching and learning academic subjects. He and his students study students and teachers using information technology with a view toward improving the design of educational software and systems.

Chuck Moxley of Barkley Evergreen & Partners, Inc., was "delighted and honored" to serve as a judge for this competition. Moxley, a VP and marketing specialist, helped birth the original Cool School program last year.

John Rex, president of American Fidelity Assurance Company, is very active in the educational community, especially in Oklahoma City and throughout the country. He served as an Oklahoma delegate for the President's Summit on Volunteerism last year. In judging the COOL SCHOOL of the YEAR, Rex said, "This was a lot of fun and I learned a lot. There is some terrific stuff on the net to help the parents and kids."

Steve Sandis is a program manager with Cisco Systems Education Market Development team. A graduate form the Master's program at the Stanford University School of Education, Steve oversees assessment for Cisco Networking Academies and Web development. In his spare time, Steve enjoys reading and investing. Sandis said, "I am pleased to represent Cisco Systems as a Cool School of the Year judge because it gives me yet another opportunity to make Cisco's tagline, 'Empowering the Internet Generation', a reality."

Tracy LaQuey Parker is the talented author of "The Internet Companion: A Beginner's Guide to Global Networking," one of the first texts published about the Internet. She also works for Cisco Systems in the Advanced Internet Initiatives unit, a group of experts working on the Internet2 project.

Wednesday, May 6th
Education World's Cool School program is sponsored by Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO), the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet.

Cisco Education Program Manager, Stephen Sandis, said, "I am pleased to represent Cisco Systems and our involvement in Cool School of the Year gives us yet another opportunity to make Cisco's tagline, "Empowering the Internet Generation", a reality. I am very excited that the winning school will receive $10,000 worth of Cisco equipment to continue its outstanding programs. Good luck to all five finalist schools!"

Sponsorship of Education World is one part of Cisco's corporate-wide initiative to provide the benefits of Internet access and international communication in today's classrooms. More information about all of Cisco's education programs is available at www.cisco.com/edu. For example, check out Cisco's involvement in these projects:

• Education Rate (E-Rate)
• Cisco Networking Academies
• The Virtual Schoolhouse Grant
• Int'l Schools CyberFair '98
• UK NetYear
• NetDay
• TECH CORPS
• GlobaLearn
• EuroSchool
• Internet2 (I2)
• New Media Centers (NMCs)

Please return tomorrow for more information and further daily updates

Tuesday, May 5th
And the winner is..... sorry, the winning school is still a secret, but the prizes are waiting to honor the COOL SCHOOL OF THE YEAR!!

• The winning school will be awarded $10,000 worth of networking equipment from Cisco Systems, the world's leader in networking products for the Internet. Also, a large one-of-a-kind trophy, a plaque, and various other prizes. A representative from Cisco Systems and Education World will present the winning school with the awards in mid-May.
• All four Runners-up will receive great prizes for their Web site development team.

Monday, May 4th
Thanks to everyone for your involvement in the on-site voting process. We are proud to announce that we received 5,470 votes from all over the world. Our COOL SCHOOL staff and sponsors are excited about the global reach of the contest. After tabulating all the users' votes (see disclaimer below) and judges' votes, we will announce the winner on May 11. The countdown is on… only 6 days until the "crowning" of the first ever COOL SCHOOL of the YEAR!!! Stay tuned for more updates.

Watch This Page For The
Winner, Announced May 11th, 1998

Disclaimer - Education World is making every effort in its evaluation of votes to provide a fair and impartial contest. We undestand many votes will come from a single computer used by faculty and students in a common area and have adjusted for this situation. All votes have been scanned and verified for fraud. Any votes originating from automated CGI scripts, mail servers, or multiple votes from a single location within a brief time period will be discarded as "invalid". Education World reserves the right to disqualify individual votes based on these criteria.