Verizon West Virginia is enriching education in the Mountain State by helping Wheeling Jesuit's Challenger Learning Center (CLC) develop a new online educational package.

The telecommunications company awarded the CLC $225,000 to develop and implement a new electronic mission (e-Mission). The e-Mission will complement science and biology curricula offered in middle and high school classrooms across the state. The grant will be broken down in three phases with $100,000 being awarded in the first year and $75,000 and $50,000 being given in the final two years of the grant.

Phase one of the award begins Oct. 1. During this phase, the Challenger Learning Center will develop the new e-Mission scenario that will study biological issues. The CLC will also develop a teacher training component and create an assessment tool to measure the cognitive growth and life skills utilized by students during the e-Mission.
In phase two, Verizon will fund 30 school missions. The funding will also train 90 West Virginia teachers. The final phase will allow the CLC to deliver 30 additional e-Missions and train 30 more teachers.

"Interactive distance learning has forever changed the face of education in West Virginia," said Gale Given, president of Verizon West Virginia. "It requires a sophisticated communications network to move from traditional classroom blackboards to video monitors. We're proud to have built that network, and we're delighted to have the opportunity to again partner with the Challenger Learning Center in bringing this exciting and enriching experience to students across the state."

Nancy Sturm, education director at the CLC, said, "Educational and business partnerships like this are creating strong learning environments in our state. Through Verizon's support, Wheeling Jesuit's Challenger Learning Center is leading the way in the development and dissemination of content materials through the use of technology. The Challenger Center is setting the stage for national recognition for this successful model that Verizon is providing to students and teachers across West Virginia."

Verizon and the CLC began collaboration on educational initiatives in West Virginia in 2000. Since that time, Verizon has committed nearly $351,000 to allow the CLC to provide educational programs to schools across the Mountain State. In the last year, Verizon has provided $125,900 to the Center - money that was used to deliver 70 e-Missions, fund the CLC distance learning conference and purchase equipment to better deliver the e-Mission scenario.

The Challenger Learning Center is currently offering an online mission scenario that enhances earth science. E-Mission: Operation Montserrat Island was launched three years ago and is offered to middle and high school students in Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Colorado, Alaska, New York, Virginia, California and Iowa.

Wheeling's Challenger Learning Center is part of a growing network of nationwide centers established by the Challenger Center for Space Science Education in memory of the ill-fated Challenger Space Shuttle crash in 1986. Born out of tragedy, and with the purpose of continuing the mission of the crew, the CLC is a unique hands-on learning experience designed to foster student interest in math, science and technology education.

The families of the crew helped establish the Challenger Center for Space Science Education in Alexandria, Va. The not-for-profit organization provides each of the 43 nationwide centers with technical support and computer programs for various missions. However, each center operates as its own entity.