The Virginia Student Training and Refurbishment program (or VA STAR) is a collaborative effort of the Secretaries of Education and Technology and the Departments of Education and General Services to introduce Virginia's students to the field of IT repair.

The ultimate goal of the VA STAR program is to create a sustainable educational program that takes surplus hardware from state agencies or private companies in order to offer students IT repair certification. By August of 2009, the VA STAR program will have initiated programs in ten schools throughout the Commonwealth. "Governor Kaine's vision for career and technical education is furthered by innovative collaborations that Forest Park has offered to lead," added Secretary Morris.

This interactive web site will be designed for schools, afterschool clubs and community leaders to further IT skills of today's youth and to assist in placing computers in needed locations. For more information about the Statewide inititive please click here.

Virginia Beach Public Schools took their first shipment of computers. Va Beach will become the first large system to join the STAR network of training students and donating computers to schools and families. View a slideshow here.

Dianne Steven's networking / Mobile S.W.A.T students spent time recently preparing for the fall VA STAR program. A new partnership with Virginia Beach Public School Schools will offer valuable insights into both specialty programs.

On June 4th, 2009 Loch Lomond Elementary School hosted a Bridging the Gap for nearly 20 families. Forest Park instructor Dianne Steven's iT Essentials/SWAT students assisted the staff at Loch Lomond in donating computers to 4th and 5th graders.
View the Slideshow of the event

On April 30th over 20 SWAT students from Forest Park worked with Joanne Arcee from Graham Park Middle school on their first Bridging the Gap evening. Over 30 computers where configured and donated to families through the VA STAR program. As part of the evening many middle school students were trained in the entire process.

slideshow on the event

pictures

Aneesh Chopra attended the Porter BTG event and later was the Keynote speaker at the special School Board dinner for him. After the event he was presented with an honorary Forest Park iT Program Gold medal.

Click here for the Students Working to Advance Technology page
Click this link to see a video of how the SWAT program works

Speak Up is an annual national research project facilitated by Project Tomorrow. The purpose of the project is to collect and report the unfiltered feedback from students, parents and teachers on key educational issues.Use the data to stimulate local conversations and raise national awareness about the importance of including the viewpoints of students, parents, and teachers in the education dialogue.