(Albuquerque, NM)-- Even in the heat of May, nothing is cooler than students' summer vacation-except an awards ceremony for being the national Cool School of the Year and an end-of-the-year party. The elementary students at Georgia O'Keeffe received the award and recognition for their outstanding student-supported Web site, http://www.okeeffe.aps.edu/Okeeffe_Web/default.html.

Education World®, the world's leading educational resource and search engine on the Internet, and Cisco Systems, the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet, sponsored the Cool School of the Year program to honor high-tech students, advisors and schools.

The official awards ceremony took place on May 28, in the school's amphitheater. Simon Carian, a fourth grader and student council president, served as master of ceremonies for the event. The entire 600+ student body, teachers, staff and administrators attended the awards presentation. Guests included Representative Kip Nicely; eastern region Assistant Superintendent Art Romero; Friends of the Library, a group that donated money for computers; the Meyer family, donated money for the Jeff Meyer Tech Wing at the school; representatives from Cisco headquarters and local office; the executive director for Education World; and many CyberParents, active parents who volunteer time to assist with the Web site.

Lucinda Sanchez, principal of Georgia O'Keeffe Elementary, welcomed everyone to the ceremony and extended her thanks to Cisco, Education World, staff, parents, volunteers and students. "We are so excited for this honor…. especially to be competing with schools across the nation and on all levels. We've got an exceptional group here at Georgia O'Keeffe," Sanchez said. Steve Sandis, education program manager for Cisco Systems, presented the school with $10,000 in networking equipment for their achievement. He expressed his praise and honor to the students and those involved with the award-winning Web site. "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."

The students, going along with the Cool School theme, wore sunglasses and Georgia O'Keeffe T-shirts to show school pride. After the presentation of the Cisco equipment, the Student Council led a "Cool School Cheer."

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." A goal of Georgia O'Keeffe Elementary School has been to effectively use technology in the classroom. Gaskill continued, "The Cool School of the Year award is an indicator that we are well on the way."

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. This award has really energized our school and community. Our school's Web site and overall use of the Internet will only get better."

Weekly, Education World recognizes a "Cool School of the 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. Even though these schools span the country, they all have a common bond -understanding and implementing the power of the Internet.

The four other finalists included:

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

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

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

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

Education World's Cool School staff <http://www.education-world.com> reviews hundreds of school Internet Web sites from across the country and picks those that best exemplify the criteria for Cool School of the Week. This coveted award is given to school Web sites that best illustrate: visual appeal, creativity, originality, community involvement, use of technology, value to the students and school, use of curriculum on-line and practical applications in the educational setting. The Cool School of the Year was determined by popular vote on the Education World Web site at http://www.education-world.com/cool_school/csoy/ during April 19-May 2 and by a distinguished panel of judges who evaluated each finalist's Web site.

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.

"The students work together as a team creating their on-line resource which brings together both the school and the community," said Rob York, executive producer of Education World. "They put a lot of time and work into creating these sites. These students are the best of the best and will be much more marketable workers from this exposure to the Web."

York continued about the first annual Cool School, "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."

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 award winner button for their Web site. All Cool School award winners are also eligible to win the title of "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 http://www.cisco.com/edu.

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