Computer Committee

GED classes find home in southwest Citrus

The First United Methodist Church of Homosassa has opened its computer lab so dropouts can prepare for testing.

HOMOSASSA - The First United Methodist Church of Homosassa has long been a place of worship. Now, the church has opened its doors to people, young and old, who dropped out of school but still want to earn a diploma.

The church has agreed to let the Withlacoochee Technical Institute use its computer laboratory for classes that prepare adults working toward a GED, or a certificate equivalent to a high school diploma.

The move means people who live in southwest Citrus don't have to travel to the vocational school in Inverness.

"That's a big service to the people in Homosassa," said Al Mitchell, a GED teacher at Withlacoochee Technical. "We hope to get more students this way."

Mitchell believes the long commute was discouraging people in the southwest region from enrolling in GED classes. People without transportation often struggled to find a ride. Those who drove were burdened by rising gas prices. Many people in the GED program live on fixed incomes, Mitchell said.

"If you're paying $2.96 a gallon, that's a lot of money for a person without a high school diploma," he said.

The church, at 8831 W Bradshaw St., offered a more convenient location.

So, in late January, Nancy Chambers, a third-grade teacher at Homosassa Elementary School, started giving classes inside the church's computer lab. There, Chambers evaluates students to assess how much preparation they will need to pass the required test, and she then helps them prepare for the test.

She now works with a group of eight to 10 students on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The classes are between 6 and 9 p.m. Chambers reviews material that will help the students prepare for the test.

Those who require more help work one-on-one with Chambers. In the meantime, other students complete course work online on any one of the 15 available computers.

The experience is nothing new for Chambers.

About five years ago, she taught GED classes at Homosassa Elementary. But officials pulled the plug on that program after enrollment figures began to drop.

Chambers is hopeful adults in Homosassa will take advantage of the new opportunity.

"It really is going pretty well," she said of her classes.

The GED classes started in late January, but students can enroll at any time.

Officials hope that 200 students will graduate this year from the program.

For information, contact Mitchell at 726-2430.

Computer Committee Swings into High Gear

The response to the survey has been great....., but it's not too late if you haven't turned yours in yet. Fill it out either on-line or hardcopy and we'll include it in the results.

The new computers have arrived!!!  On June 16th the committee met and installed 15 new Compaq computers with Windows XP, DVDs, CD-RWs and all the goodies. They are still working on getting new monitors, and soon they will tally the survey results and plan the classes. Keep an eye on this site and they'll keep you posted.

The newly formed Computer Committee, led by Joe Crawley, has been meeting for several weeks now with several goals in mind.

One is to take inventory of the equipment currently in use and determine how best to update it to serve our future needs. They are in the process of getting quotes on new, modern computers to replace the outdated ones currently in the media center.

In parallel with this, to determine the educational needs of the congregation and community, they are putting together a Computer Education Survey. When you receive this survey, please indicate your areas of interest and return it to a committee member or to the main office. This will help determine which courses will be developed. 

The committee feels that the media center can be a great asset to our missions and outreach programs within both the church and community..... and for both young and old alike.

Click here to download survey form

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