West Point, Mississippi, located in Clay County in the northeast part of the state, has much to offer in the way of history, education, commerce, and leisure-time activities. Traveling down its streets one sees many historic homes that testify to the community's roots that go back to 1858 when West Point received its municipal charter. The community has the advantage of being near several institutions of higher learning including East Mississippi Community College, Mary Holmes College, Mississippi State University, and Mississippi University for Women. Waverly Mansion, one of the finest antebellum mansions in the South, is nearby as is its namesake, Old Waverly Golf Club, which was listed in Golf Digest as one of "Americas 100 Greatest Golf Courses." West Point is also home to over 30 major industries located in one of the three Golden Triangle counties, one of the fastest growing areas in the state of Mississippi. And for those in a festive mood, West Point is also home to the annual Labor Day weekend Prairie Arts Festival and the Howlin' Wolf Memorial Blues Festival named in honor of famed blues musician Chester Arthur Howlin' Wolf Burnett, a Clay County native.

West Point School District serves approximately 3700 students in grades Pre-K through 12. The mission of the West Point School District is "to empower each student to achieve his or her highest potential through an educational system characterized by innovation, individualized instruction, and shared responsibility in a safe and support environment."

There are eight schools in the district including CREATE for Mississippi Core School Central Elementary. Students in fifth and sixth grades attend Central, which received a Technology Challenge Grant in 1999 that provided Internet access and computers for each classroom. Overall the school district has brought in over one million dollars in competitive grants since 1999. Bright Horizons Partners in Education Program, a joint effort of business, school district personnel, and community groups was established in 1996 to help establish caring relationships among students, teachers, and community partners. Central School was named a pilot site for the Making Middle Grades Matter Consortium in 1999 and received a Comprehensive School Reform Demonstration Grant Award for that program in 2000.

People in West Point are proud of their past, their present, and their future. The Clay County Economic Development Corporation refers to the community as the "town of intrigue and unspoiled southern charm in Clay County." They point out that the chairman of the Sara Lee Corporation, the president of Coca Cola, and the president of Woolco were all educated in the West Point Schools. They can now also claim the new Chancellor of the University of Alabama and immediate past President of Mississippi State University Malcolm Portera who was also educated there.

Selection Process

Each teacher chose two students from their homeroom classroom to be on the Student Tech Team. The teachers received a flyer that explained the criteria for picking the two students and the expectations of the two students. Each student that was chosen also received the same flyer that listed the criteria and expectations of a Tech Team member.

Responsibilities

• Act as a teaching assistant to their teachers.
• Assist the teachers in answering student questions and helping to solve technical problems as they arise.
• Maintain the maintenance of the computers in their teacher's classroom.
• Keep a log of all Tech Team activities.
• Meet at least one hour a week for technology training.
• Make up class work missed during tech training time.