Fulton High School is receiving a technology upgrade through its participation in the statewide Dataseam partnership.
New Apple workstations earned by FISD District Technician Kirk Paitsel are on the way, addressing ongoing technology needs, diversifying district offerings, and providing Fulton City tools to meet daily and advanced instructional needs of students and staff.
Louisville-based education and workforce development organization Dataseam works to improve Kentucky’s overall technology workforce through training and learning opportunities. Districts earn new technology while improving the IT skills of public education, which is usually the largest employer in most counties.
Computers provided by Dataseam are linked across the state district-by-district to assemble the DataseamGrid, a vital piece of Kentucky’s innovation and commercialization network. It helps the University of Louisville’s Brown Cancer Center develop more effective cancer drugs quicker and with reduced costs. The cancer computations run securely in the background and do not impede the districts daily classroom and Internet demands. Dataseam has worked in partnership for 20 years with Kentucky K-12 schools advancing these efforts.
As part of the opportunity, Mr. Paitsel also earned a MacBook Pro, improving his own skills and giving him the ability to address district needs as necessary remotely.
Fulton City has been a partner in the statewide program since 2019. Fulton’s recent technology earnings through Dataseam also include $10,000 of Apple desktops supporting district STEM, Music, and Gifted and Talented programs earned as part of Fulton students attending a performance of the Louisville Orchestra held at Paducah’s Carson Center for the Performing Arts, sponsored by Dataseam.
“Fulton City state technology funding is based on district enrollment,” said Terry Sullivan, Fulton Independent Superintendent. “Having the capacity through Dataseam to earn nearly seven years of technology literally in a week helps improve and equalize our offerings and allows us to leverage local funding improving our part of the state’s technology workforce.”
Dataseam districts participate and earn technology as little or as much as they want with the intent to provide students a balanced, well-rounded profile of technology they might encounter as they move into university studies or the workforce.
“We are excited to support efforts in Kentucky’s river county districts like these for Fulton Independent Schools,” said Brian Gupton, Dataseam. While our initial program expansion served the Commonwealth’s coal-producing regions, we are thankful to the opportunity from the Kentucky General Assembly to grow Western Kentucky capacities, too.
House Floor Leader Rep. Steven Rudy of Paducah shared, “Dataseam’s investment will have a major impact on Fulton students and the community as a whole and I appreciate their commitment to education and innovation. This project not only increases access to technology, but also helps implement long-term plans for its use preparing the next generation. We’re constantly looking for ways to provide students with the skills they need for the workforce and this is the perfect example.”
With efforts funded by state and federal funding and appropriation through the Kentucky General Assembly, Dataseam now serves 58 Kentucky districts representing 40% of the state’s over 630,000 K-12 public school students.
For more information on the district: https://www.fultonind.kyschools.us
Download a PDF of this press release HERE.
