GHCA - A 21^st Century School

   Being a private school does make the goal of keeping up-to-date with current technology very challenging. Without the funding available to public schools, we rely on donations of equipment and money to keep up with the technological tide. When I joined GHCA over two years ago, my first job was to take a room full of donated computers (many old and broken) and build a computer lab with the parts available. The two-week project ended up taking almost a year!

   We now have a networked computer lab of 19 workstations, 2 laser printers, a scanner, a file server, an Internet proxy server and much more. Students are able to type reports, access online encyclopedia and database references, use Biblical references and tools, and access the Internet through a filtering "firewall". We offer various classes in computers, ranging from the basic keyboarding skills to the advanced computer upgrade and repair course. We believe that for our students to be successful in today’s world, they need a firm understanding of the technology that our society is so dependent upon.

   The computer lab is a great asset to our other classes as well. Our science classes can work with virtual models of molecules, perform virtual dissections, calculate advanced problems and more. History classes can use the Internet to access photos and maps of old civilizations, archeological digs, precious documents, etc. In fact, the computer lab offers many ways to enrich the learning experience of all our classes taught at GHCA. It even gives us the possibility to offer classes through distance-learning, allowing students to interact via live video with an instructor thousands of miles away. The possibilities are endless!

   While we don’t have the most advanced computers available, we do squeeze every drop of power out of the systems we currently have. I will be honest, I’d like to see us be able to upgrade our computers with more modern ones. Our computer lab is currently made up of donated 486 and low-end Pentium computers. It is my dream to someday obtain more advanced systems - Pentium II or equivalent. Our students would be very blessed by the increased potential and enabled productivity of newer systems, not to mention the time freed up from the repair and maintenance that these older machines require. In the meantime, we are very thankful to God for providing us with our computer lab, truly making us a school of the 21^st Century.

-Michael Surran

Click here for the computer lab homepage.

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27 School Street, Houlton, ME 04730