"We are very excited to be able to sponsor this program with Sun Microsystems," said Bernard DiNatale, Director of Educational Technology for the Chelmsford Public School System. "The timing is absolutely incredible as we go on-line at the end of March. We have been wanting to partner with Sun and I was thrilled when I received the call from their Community Action Volunteer Program (CAV) inviting our teachers to be the first participants in this event," he adds. The Chelmsford School System encompasses one high school, two middle schools and four elementary schools.

"The entire program is geared towards teachers who have had no prior exposure to the Internet, " said Nicole Yankelovich, the Sun Employee who came up with the idea of the Internet Appreciation Day during a recent CAV advisory committee meeting. Teachers will receive information packets to be used as a reference in their own schools. The event will conclude with a free buffet luncheon also held at the Chelmsford site.

"The first step to ensuring that our future generation succeeds in today's age of information is to teach those who teach them," said Natercia Alves, Coordinator for the CAV program. "Sun is dedicated to making our communities thrive and this is only one step of many that we've taken to make our communities succeed."she said. Sun Microsystem's Community Action Volunteer (CAV) program, established in 1989, is a joint effort of Sun Microsystems Inc. and the United Way of Merrimack Valley. Hundreds of caring employees have given thousands of hours of their time in volunteering to a number of community programs and agencies. Sun Microsystems, Inc. headquartered in Mountain View, California, is the world's leading supplier of open client-server computing solutions.

Contact:
Bernard DiNatale
Chelmsford Public Schools
(508) 251-5100 x28

Natercia Alves
Sun Microsystems, Inc.
(508) 442-0579