The Webslingers' Story

Baltimore City
Peggy Rice
Bell Atlantic

In 1996, Maryland schools held several "Net Weekend" events to encourage volunteers to wire schools for Internet access, but the turnout and results were mixed. When the next event approached, a Booker T. Washington Middle School teacher decided to find a group of to support her school and called an acquaintance at Bell Atlantic for help.

Peggy Rice of Bell Atlantic learned that many Baltimore City schools had been left behind and needed assistance. She enlisted the support of Pam Pitt, a co-worker and President of Bell Atlantic's Association of Telecommunications Managers and Associates (ATMA). Together they ormed the core of a team: Peggy surveyed the schools, arranged for the materials, and lined up the volunteer training; Pam canvassed the ATMA for volunteers.

They wired Booker T. Washington School on weekends and evenings, and promised to do another, George K. Kelson Elementary School (Peggy's grandson's school). As requests for assistance from other schools filtered in, the team began to refer to themselves as "the Webslingers" and made an ambitious commitment: to wire every public school in Baltimore City.

Bell Atlantic committed the services of technicians to the team and Baltimore City YouthWorks, a summer jobs program, provided extra hands with student support teams. The team completed their work on August 23, 1997 at Malcolm X Elementary School.