COMPUTER LAB PROVIDES STUDENTS LINK TO INTERNET : SCHOOL, COMMUNITY RESOURCES BRING CENTER TO FRUITION.

Byline: Karen Maeshiro Daily News Staff Writer

Students kept busy Wednesday at Piute Middle School's computer laboratory, typing in stories they wrote and looking up information on rain forests and Holocaust diarist Anne Frank on the Internet.

The lab, stocked with 36 Macintosh 580s, was created with the help of school staff, volunteers and local businesses, and is drawing raves from pupils.

``It's cool,'' said eighth-grader Josh Sinclair, 13. ``I love having all high-tech computers. They're really good, top-of-the-line computers, not the really boring, old, push-the-button-when-it-tells-you-to type of computer. You can do whatever you want and go wherever you want to.''

The $60,000 lab has been open for about a year, but it was linked up to the Internet in August and just this school year began operating at full capacity. School officials hosted a grand opening Wednesday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

``It was a community effort. It was the school community and local community pitching in to help make a vision we have for children come true,'' Assistant Principal Monique Miller said.

One of the volunteers credited for contributing many hours to establishing the lab was retired electronics engineer Dave Crounse, husband of Piute fine arts teacher Jeannette Crounse.

``He helps us load programs and serves on the technology committee,'' Miller said. ``He is someone who can look at the bigger picture.''

Crounse, 57, of Tehachapi estimates he has devoted three days a week, six hours a day since July toward the lab.

``I've always been interested in computers. We have three of them at home,'' Crounse said. ``My wife mentioned they had a lab here, and I offered my services.''

Crounse said one of the rewards is ``to see (students) go out and get the information that's out there and bring it in, to hear squeals of joy at finding what they were looking for.''

The school is setting up its own home page on the World Wide Web that will feature information on school events, programs and organizations, teacher biographies, and community events.

``I wanted the kids to get the skills necessary that they will be using,'' teacher Roger Ervin said. ``One would be graphics manipulation, to color, design, and create photographs and graphics.''

The students are helping to construct the home page, taking photographs, laying out items, interviewing staff and covering community events, Ervin said.

Teacher Luis Echeverria said one day teachers will be able to post class assignments, and students will be able to access the data.

Sinclair said he has helped out with the home page.

``I've been trying to find graphics, and I e-mail them over to Mr. Crounse. Then he puts it on the home page and does whatever to make it look nice,'' Sinclair said.

Sinclair also has used the lab to type class papers and do research on the Internet.

``We can look up music information, information on how to clean instruments,'' said Sinclair, who plays the trumpet. ``They even have music lessons on line.''

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2 Photos

Photo: (1--color) Language arts teacher Myrna Monhollen helps Piute Middle School students work their way through a computer project Wednesday.

(2--color) Josh Sinclair, 13, learns his way around a keyboard at the Lancaster elementary school's new $60,000 computer lab, which features 36 Macintosh 580 personal computers.

Jeff Goldwater/Daily News