Bell Atlantic Awards WORLD SCHOOL Grants To Schools in Harrison, Marion, Wood Counties

Bell Atlantic Awards WORLD SCHOOL
Grants
To Schools in Harrison, Marion, Wood
Counties

Monies to Help Teachers Use Internet for Education

February 25, 2000

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - West Virginia teachers at four schools in
Harrison, Marion and Wood counties will receive Bell Atlantic WORLD
SCHOOL® grants to help them use the global resources of the Internet in
the classroom. The grants, totaling $7,200, are provided by the Bell
Atlantic Foundation.

The latest grant winners are Bridgeport Middle School and Bridgeport
High School, both in Harrison County; Kanawha Elementary School at
Davisville in Wood County, and Miller Junior High School in Marion
County.

"Today's classroom is no longer limited to four walls and a
blackboard," said Dennis Bone, president and CEO of Bell Atlantic -
West Virginia. "The world is now the classroom, and schools must
be able to communicate globally. No one knows this better than the
teachers who applied for these grants. We at Bell Atlantic applaud them
for their innovative spirit."

Bridgeport Middle School will receive a grant of $1,638 to enable
students to explore the Internet for answers to hypothetical questions
drawn from history and science. For example, some students will be
asked to research and identify which presidential candidate they would
have voted for had George Washington decided he did not want to become
president. Others would be asked to identify which endangered species
they would choose to save if they were presented with $1 million for the
cause. Jan Frenzel is the teacher coordinating the project.

Bridgeport High School will receive $3,896 to study the scientific
properties of light waves using the resources of the Internet. Then, using a
helium-neon laser, the students will produce holograms in a variety of
conditions. The research and experiment data will be posted on the
school's Web site. Teacher Michele Todd is coordinating the project.

Kanawha Elementary School will receive a grant of $962 to enable third
grade students to use the Internet to track animal migration and learn about
other cultures. Jay Phillips is the teacher overseeing the project.

Miller Junior High School will use a grant of $718 to allow students to
use the Internet to plan the itinerary for an informational tour of West
Virginia. Students will gather information about West Virginia's
landmarks, transportation systems, history and points of interest. The
teacher coordinating the effort is Regina Scotchie.

Bell Atlantic has awarded over $300,000 in WORLD SCHOOL grants
since the program began in 1994. Additional grants, totaling $40,000, are
expected to be awarded to more teachers later this year.

Educators can learn more about these and other projects by visiting the
WORLD SCHOOL site on the World Wide Web at
http://www.wvaworldschool.org.

In addition to providing financial support for schools through the WORLD
SCHOOL Grant Program, the Bell Atlantic project has helped over 800
public and private schools in West Virginia get high-speed, digital Internet
access. Teachers in all public and private schools served by Bell Atlantic
in West Virginia are eligible to submit applications for the WORLD
SCHOOL grants program.

Educators can get information on applying for WORLD SCHOOL grants
on the Internet at www.bellatlantic.com/ba-wv/wsgrant.htm

The Bell Atlantic Foundation supports a variety of projects domestically
and internationally, with an emphasis on new technology applications in
education, health and
human services, the arts and humanities, and civic development in the
communities served
by Bell Atlantic. For more information, visit
www.bellatlanticfoundation.com on the Internet.

Bell Atlantic is at the forefront of the new communications and information
industry. With nearly 44 million telephone access lines and 12 million wireless
customers worldwide, Bell Atlantic companies are premier providers of advanced
wireline voice and data services, market leaders in wireless services and the
world's largest publishers of directory information. Bell Atlantic companies are
also among the world's largest investors in high-growth global communications
markets, with operations and investments in 23 countries.