BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — A national commission looking for ways to better prepare high school seniors for college and the workplace was given a lesson Tuesday by Barren County educators who have empowered technology-oriented students.

        The commission learned how Barren County High School students repair school computers and develop Websites and databases that assist the school district and community.

        Educators said such classes can motivate students, linking high school seniors with opportunities they can carry with them to college campuses or to jobs.

        “What we've done is we've taken some projects that are real world, really helpful, and are good use to the district,” said Steve Gumm, director of technology services in the Barren County school district in southern Kentucky.

        Missed opportunities to challenge seniors with rigorous course loads were among the problems identified by the National Commission on the High School Senior Year.

        The commission, headed by Gov. Paul Patton, will submit a report to President Bush in June with recommendations to better motivate seniors, avoiding trends among some students to slide through the final year of high school. The hearing at Western Kentucky University was the fourth of five across the country to gather input from educators, parents and others.

        At Barren County High, nearly 60 students participate in the high-tech program. Students have compiled databases to map water and sewer lines to assist local utilities and to map where every student lives in the district to assist with school bus routes, said Mr. Gumm and Ruth Ann Hammer, a Barren County teacher.

        Students also man a computer help desk to fix problems with the school district's hundreds of computers. The students offer repair suggestions over the phone. If that doesn't work, older students are dispatched. The program has motivated students to look to careers in the high-tech industry.

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