Rainier, 'ritin', and 'rithmetic

Alice Wheeler

Down from the mountain, Ben Pederson (left) and Mike Kossian take computers apart at Sultan Junior High.

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More About

• Smithsonian Institution
• Sara McReynolds
• Kennewick
• Dreamweaver

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THE TEACHERS ARE filing off the mountain. It has been a hard week; a few tell me they hit the wall Wednesday night or Thursday morning, but they're all blissed-out and happy with what they've achieved by Friday afternoon. (Never underestimate the power of the group hug in your high-tech wilderness geek session, it seems.) The strain of design misfires and the pain of learning Dreamweaver all but instantly have a purpose: It reminds the teachers that learning is hard, and that the kids they're bringing into this two-year commitment have a lot of hard work ahead, learning everything from how to talk with businessfolk to why you can't just grab words and pictures from other people's Web sites to make your own.

Pilot versions of the program, one of which was inducted into the Smithsonian back in April, indicate that virtually every student who undertakes the WildTech program will graduate; an overwhelming majority will go on to college or directly into high-tech jobs. And there's more on the horizon: more Web sites, more schools, and perhaps even more rotational-model training programs for other at-risk groups. August has been talking to folks in the Job Corps back in Kentucky, looking to upgrade their programs from training in (for instance) bricklaying to higher-tech concerns, and agencies in other states have expressed interest in the Washington-based programs. Sasquatch may want to prepare for company.