BY ALLEN HOWARD
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Brittny Holmes, 12, and Ruth White, 16, left their golf clubs in their bags Thursday and went searching on a computer to find out what tournament Tiger Woods won in 1997 to get a green jacket.
Steven Graham, 14, and Julian Davis, 13, scanned a computer screen to find out which golfer just won the British Open.
"I knew Mark O'Meara just won something, but I forgot it was the British Open," Steven said.
The students, all from local schools, are part of the Tony Yates Junior Golf Academy. They were among 35 participating in an Internet Treasure Hunt at the University of Cincinnati as part of the Cybercamp Model Training program.
Former UC basketball player and coach Tony Yates said the golf academy teaches discipline.
Ruth and Brittny leaned toward the screen while on the Internet. "This is fun and educational," Ruth said. "We have a list of questions to choose from, and then we are taught how to search for the answers."
Henry Brasey, technology consultant, said the session for the golf academy came at the end of a three-week Cybercamp held at Winton Woods High School for 115 junior and senior students selected by schools throughout Hamilton and Clermont counties. The session for the golf academy was a special program to reach more inner-city kids, Mr. Brasey said.
"The purpose of the Cybercamp is to train trainers to help implement computer technology in the classrooms," he said. "We trained students who are able to go back into the classroom and served as technical assistants to an Internet coordinator. This brings technology to a kids-to-kids level."
During Thursday's special session for the golf academy held in a computer classroom at the Walter Langsam Library, junior and senior technical assistants helped the kids with their research. The Cybercamp program was founded in 1996 by the Hamilton - Clermont Counties Cooperative Association of Boards of Education (H - CCA) and the University of Cincinnati.
After the Ohio Department of Education provided for Internet training, school districts selected a faculty member to work as Internet coordinator.
"During the 1995-96 school year, it became clear that the Internet coordinators could not support the increased demand for training of staff and students," Mr. Brasey said. "This is when UC and H - CCA entered the partnered project to sponsor the Cybercamp."
