The Tupelo Public School District is located in Northeast Mississippi and serves approximately 7,500 students pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. Over 1,000 dedicated personnel are employed with the Tupelo School District.

Tupelo Schools have obtained the highest standard of accreditation Mississippi schools can achieve--Level 5. This achievement was obtained and monitored through the dedication of faculty, administration, parents, students, and the community. All schools are also accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

The district is made up of six elementary schools K-4, two intermediate schools 5-6, one middle school 7-8, one high school 9-12, and a career center.

Tupelo Middle School successfully educates approximately 1000 seventh and eighth graders. Tupelo Middle School offers courses such as Spanish I, Computer Discovery, and Algebra I for HS credit as well as a specialized program for at-risk students.

Selection Process

Excel Technology is the name of a new elective course at Tupelo Middle School. Letters were sent home to parents telling them about the new class and describing the types of things the students would be doing as part of the class. Interested students were asked to apply through school counselors. Once the applications were submitted, students' grades were considered before assigning them to the class. Two classes were formed, one for 7th graders and one for 8th graders. After the initial year, using students from both grade levels will ensure that part of the team each year will have experience and can serve as mentors for the new team members.

Responsibilities

Tupelo Middle School Tech Team members have helped set up computers for teachers, fixed or installed printers and SCSI cards, and done trouble shooting for computer software problems. They have conducted research for teachers, searching the Internet for appropriate Web sites on topics selected by the teachers. The students have created PowerPoint presentations for teachers on topics that ranged from "Religions of the World" to "Mark Twain."

One of the major contributions that the Tupelo Tech Team has made was in ghosting 70 computers in one day for the Tech Prep teachers, saving the district Technology Coordinators much time that could then be devoted to other duties of their jobs.

Tech Team members created their own badges that indicate they have reasons to be in the halls, and they have business cards with Gaggle.net e-mail addresses that they leave with teachers for purposes of being able to contact them for technical assistance if needed at a later time. In addition to their duties, these students also have time to work on their own projects that have included a Christmas calendar for their families and learning to use their favorite software programs.