Today I received an eamil from a teacher in Mississippi who would like to join the Eleanor Rigby Project. I was very moved by his letter. I can't wait to share it with the students. I am sure they will be very excited about corresponding with students in Mississippi. Here is the email:


Brenda: 10/30/03

I received a message from our state rcu center telling us about The Eleanor Rigby Project and giving us the web site address. I went to the site and navagated the site. I found the site and project to be very interesting and started to wonder if a section of my eight grade Computer Discovery students would like to particpate in the project. I told them about the project and they became interested in particpating as they navagated their way through the site in an effort to see what was required of them. I am e-mailing you to let you know of our desire to particpate in the project. Am I correct in thinking that our next step is to start working on the projects and to share with you and your students our experiences? I am making plans to spend time each week on the projects during class and after class for those willing to go the extra mile.

We are a small rural school located in Southwest Central Mississippi in the heart of the Mississippi Delta. The school is in Inverness and our school has an enrollment of 181 students in grades K-8. We are in a proverty area and the vast majority of our students fall below the federal and state proverty guidelines. The tax base in our area is small and does not generate enough income to fully support the schools. The prospects for generating a larger more profitable tax base are almost non-existent inspite of the efforts of local, federal and state programs to increase it. We are a farming area and always will be. Our county according to the latest census is classified as being almost 75% minority (black). Our school has two students who are not classified as minority students. Money we receive from the state is lower than that for other well to do areas and the teacher pay is lower. Our students need to have the world opened to them through postive experiences that will increase their learning and knowledge.

Our students definition of a homeless person at this time more than likely would be, a person who sleeps on the streets in a large city. They probably do not believe we have any homeless people around us. To say we do have homeless people in our area you would have to redefine the definition of homeless. I am looking forward to observing our students reactions as they participate in the project. It is always good to take your eyes off of your self and see others.

Besides learning about the homeless people across this land of ours maybe our students can learn about the differences in the areas that we live. I hope that through this project my students can come to learn to more about life in Alberta Canada and that your students can come to learn about life here in the Mississippi Delta. I would like for our students to share stories about the areas in which they live.

I am looking forward to working on the project and staying in touch with you and your students.

Bland Campbell
Computer Discovery Teacher