Kutztown Rotary Bulletin

Kutztown Rotary Foundation Report:

Rotary Golf proceeds were distributed as follows:

Donald Boyer Scholarships	$3,500
Friend, Inc.	2,000
Kutztown Area Hist. Society	1,000
Louisa Gonser Library	500
Brandywine Library	500
Burn Prevention Foundation	500
Kutztown Fire Co	500
Topton Fire Co.	500
Lyons Fire Co.	50

Also, Barry Martin filled the vacancy on the board of the Kutztown Rotary Charitable Foundation.

November 10, 2004—New member, Robert Marcus had aspirations while growing up in Asbury Park, NJ. He knew he wanted to be a force for goodness in the world so considered becoming a rabbi. His great-grand uncle had been the chief rabbi of Palestine. But he decided, for him, being a rabbi was "too insular," and, inspired by Tom Dooley, set out to study premed at Temple U. In his senior year of college he realized he couldn't afford medical school. He turned to his fallback: the law. He graduated from the Philadelphia Police Academy and worked as a policeman for 1-1/2 years, then enrolled in law school.

After earning his JD from Dickinson, he worked as a PI and was the lead investigator in the first MOVE trials. He practiced criminal law for a while, then moved into labor law working with Bernard Katz. "I honed his negotiating skills" and learned that "nothing gets accomplished without labor and management working together."

Ten years ago, Attorney Marcus moved into Workers' Compensation, representing injured workers exclusively.

"Most people who work are dependent on their weekly check. When the checks aren't coming, bills don't get paid; it leads to domestic problems. When you can't work, there's no medical insurance." Mr. Marcus works to educate people and runs public seminars for employers and employees. "We depend on capitalism for economic growth. It is important as a commonwealth that we portray ourselves as business friendly. But there must be a fair balance between the employee and the employer. Most attorneys in this field work toward that end. We are a collegial group; you lead with your reputation."

Robert Marcus is married to Susan Evans, an intellectual properties lawyer and daughter of Ike and Nancy Evans. They have two children, Jonathan, age 21, and David, age 30. In the spring, they are adopting a child from China. Please welcome new member, Robert Marcus.

November 17, 2004—Dr. Brenda Winkler introduced Mark and Eric Erb. Mark is the director of technology for the Kutztown School District and Eric is the high school principal. The two implemented the high school’s “laptop initiative,” the program that puts MacIntosh iBooks in the hands of every Kutztown high school student. The project was the result of 18 months of research, talking to other school districts from Maine to Virginia, talking to hardware and software vendors, and accomplished with the input and support from the school board and the community.

The way it works: Each student and each teacher has been issued a laptop loaded with two dozen software products including Microsoft Office, Macromedia Studio Creativity/Animation Suite, iLife Digital lifestyle tools, and vectoring, math, and data analysis software. Classrooms and common rooms are outfitted with wireless airports that send and receive network signals. The laptops are leased and under warranty for 4 years. Staff, students and parents have all been trained in the care and charging of the computers. Plus 20 “Applecorps” students received extra training to act as tech support.

If a computer fails, the owner receives a replacement and the old one is repaired. Insurance costs each student $50 per year (paid by a community nonprofit if the family cannot afford the fee). There is a charging cabinet in the locker rooms so the students recharge the batteries during gym. Every laptop is identifiable with the name of the student three places on the outside of the machine, on the padded bag and of course in the operating system.

In compliance with the federal Child Internet Protection Act, there is Internet filtering on site and off site. And there is tracking software so the administration can monitor use.

How is it used: Equipment in the science labs can be hooked up to the computers for accurate measurements. It is used in computer-aided design (CAD) work, in web design classes, and as a tool for students to click and drag course calendars with test dates and work due dates into their hard drives. Each teacher has a handout folder and a hand-in folder. Students can receive and turn in assignments from anywhere in the building.

The cost is $1.2 million over 4 years, about $100 M more than hard-wired labs assuming the old high school renovation for technology would not run into unknown expenses like asbestos removal. This solution assures that no technology investment will be lost if and when the high school is upgraded. Tom Turner’s children attend Fleetwood schools. He says he is jealous.

Announcements—*The newsletter is going digital. E-mail your address to rotarians@earthlink.net or call Steve or Patt. *12/12/04 Kutztown Community Chorus' Christmas Concert @ 3 p.m. at Trinity Lutheran. *12/4/04 Louisa Gonser Holiday House Tour, tickets available from Patt or at the library. *Remember the Rotary Foundation, started in 1917 with the donation of $26.50 from the Rotary Club of Kansas City, Mo. Since then the foundation has provided more than $1.4 billion in grants for projects in more than 165 countries.

Programs—Don't forget the prayer and the thank you.
Dec. 1 – D. Wetzel
Dec. 8 – D. Lutz
Dec. 13 (MONDAY) – Christmas party at Bowers Hotel, 6 pm, $20/person.

Birthdays: 12/8 N. Hildenbrand. Anniversaries: 12/29 J. Springer